Falcons Draw Even With Corsairs, 0-0 On Senior Day

McGrath stops 35 shots for Fitchburg State in conference tie

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State ice hockey team skated to a 0-0 overtime tie with the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening from the Wallace Civic Center on senior day.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 0, UMass Dartmouth 0 (OT)
Records: Fitchburg State (12-7-4, 10-3-4 MASCAC) | UMass Dartmouth (10-11-3, 9-6-2 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State nearly took the lead in the middle frame as sophomore forward Ryan Murphy (Wayzata, Minn.) and freshman Rece Bergeman  (Newark, Del,) put a pair of shots on frame, but UMass Dartmouth keeper Daniel Davidson (Surrey, B.C.) was able to deny both shots to preserve the 0-0 stalemate.

In the third period of play, the Corsairs best scoring opportunity of the frame occurred with roughly seven minutes remaining in regulation when freshman Austin Miller (Meriden, Idaho) and senior Sean Leonard (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) fired back-to-back shots on net only to have Falcon goaltender Brian McGrath (Worcester, Mass.) turn aside both shots to send the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, each team had an equally solid chance to end the contest with sophomore Derek Britner (Salem, N.H.) putting the shot on frame for the Corsairs, while Murphy notched the shot for the Falcons, but neither shot found the back of the net though as McGrath and Davidson stood strong, resulting in the 0-0 overtime final.

By the Numbers

• 81st matchup between the two teams with the Falcons 31-42-8 all-time vs. the Corsairs
• Fitchburg State finished with a narrow 38-35 margin in shots
• UMass Dartmouth went 0-for-6 with the man advantage
• McGrath made 35 saves for the Falcons
• Davidson stopped 38 shots for the Corsairs
• Prior to the contest, the Fitchburg State ice hockey team honored seniors Joshua Suboyu (Bradley Beach, N.J.), Christopher Vicario (Cranston, R.I.) and Dean Zerby (Harrisburg, Penn.)

Up Next

Falcons will travel to Worcester State on Tuesday to take on the Lancers for a MASCAC matchup, starting at 4:40 PM. Corsairs will visit Westfield State on the same date for a conference tilt at 7:35 PM.