Second Period Scoring Gives Lancers Fifth Straight Win, Third Shutout in a Row

Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Men's Ice Hockey team looked to make it five wins in a row on Saturday night when they traveled to Loring Arena to take on MASCAC opponent Framingham State. The Lancers would come away from the night with their fifth straight win, and their second over the Rams this season, with a 3-0 victory over Framingham State.

The first period of action saw both teams skating up and down the ice and getting a feel for their opponent. Halfway through the first period Worcester State had only secured a single power play, but were unable to use the man advantage to get a leading goal. A timeout called just seven minutes into the period, looked to bring a burst of momentum to the rink, with Worcester grabbing quick possession and firing shot after shot at Rams goalie Blake Carlson. Framingham's defense held strong through the surge until a penalty on the Rams in the final five provided Worcester another power play opportunity. Ultimately the Lancers would be unable to capitalize on the advantage. The Lancers saw themselves a man- down to end the first period with a penalty on defenseman graduate student Max Roth (Chicago, IL). 

Starting short-handed the Lancers made quick work turning it to their advantage when only 30 seconds into the second period the Lancers defense intercepted a crossing pass in their zone which graduate student Henry Bruckner (Franklin, MA) carried down the ice to dish it to senior Brendan Ronan (Saugus, MA) who made quick work of tucking the puck around Carlson to put the Lancers up 1-0. Both teams settled after the initial excitement of the opening minutes trading shots and hits across the ice. Just five minutes after the Lancers' first goal, sophomore Martin Dlugolinsky (Stara Lubovna, Slovakia) connected with a well paced puck from graduate student Nick Pennucci (Worcester, MA) and Roth to send the Lancers up 2-0. Only a short two minutes later the Lancers offensive pressure bore fruit again, this time with a sophomore Bridgham Neuhold (Edmond, OK) goal off the assists from senior Mikey Wilson (Alexandria, VA) and Roth, with his second of the evening. The Lancers found themselves in another shorthand situation with seven minutes left to play in the second but their defense was up to the task and shut down every Rams chance, as sophomore Wyatt Friedlander (Lake Placid, NY) knocked shot after shot away to keep the blank sheet going. The Lancers found themselves a man-up in the waning minutes of the second but were unable to find the back of the net again. The second period scoring would end with the Lancers heading into second intermission, still holding the 3-0 shutout. 

With third period action underway, the Lancers and Rams traded shot for shot as both skated up and down the ice in a balanced start to the period. A Lancers penalty halfway through the final period provided Framingham a chance to cut into the deficit, but the Lancers defense froze the Rams attack to preserve the shutout. The Lancers continued to work for the remainder of the period, keeping the pressure on the Rams defense to skate away to the 3-0 victory.

The Lancers (8-7-0, 7-2-0) return to action Thursday night when they host the conference leaders Plymouth State at Fidelity Bank Ice Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm.