Worcester Clinches #2 Seed with Last Minute Finish versus Falcons

Worcester, Mass. - The Lancers returned home Saturday afternoon to cap off their regular season with a conference matchup against Fitchburg State at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center. 

Prior to puck drop, the following seniors were honored on the ice for their contribution to the Worcester State Men's Ice Hockey Program: 

#3 Petr Staif (Pilsen, Czech Rep.)

#6 Max Roth (Chicago, Ill.) 

#12 Nick Terry (Taunton, Mass.) 

#14 Kevin Drevitch (Oxford, N.J.)

#18 Henry Bruckner (Franklin, Mass.)

#23 Mikey Wilson (Alexandria, V.A.)

#27 Nick Pennucci (Worcester, Mass.) 

#28 Brendan Ronan (Saugus, Mass.) 

Worcester State Athletics congratulates them on a record breaking career.

Fitchburg was the first to get on the board when graduate forward Rece Bergeman (Newark, Del.) connected with graduate forward Hunter Fortin (Westerville, Ohio) for the goal. Although the Lancers put up a good fight, several minutes later Hunter Fortin found senior forward Wyatt Wilmshurst (Massena, N.Y.) for Fitchburg's second goal of the period. For the next six minutes of the period, both teams traded shots and raced up and down the ice until first-year forward Anders Grongstad (Royal Oak, MI.) and graduate forward Mikey Wilson (Alexandria, VA.) connected with second-year forward Max Tucker (Kalamazoo, MI.) for Worcester's first points of the game. 

Heading into the second period, Fitchburg strived to remain ahead while the Lancers searched to tie up the score. Throughout the period both teams looked as if they had the upper hand, sharing an even amount of time in both territories. Racing up and down the ice, at roughly eleven minutes in, the Lancers traded passes in Fitchburg territory for what seemed like ages until finally the work payed off with second-year forward Martin Dlugolinsky (Stara Lubovna, Slovakia) aided second-year forward Shane Prifrel (Inver Grove Heights, MN.) for the go-ahead goal by fourth-year forward Deitr Stange (Niles, IL.). Both teams remained tied heading into the third period, with the Falcons and Lancers both looking ahead to securing a victory.

With both the Falcons and Lancers tied heading into the third period with playoff seeding on the line, the excitement and tension was at a high. At about four minutes into the period, that tension was broken when graduate Max Roth (Chicago, IL.) and first-year forward Anders Grongstad connected with graduate Kevin Drevitch (Oxford, N.J.) for the goal to increase the score 3-2. Less than two minutes later, Fitchburg answered back by tying up the game when graduate Anthony Ceolin and defenseman Antoine Gignac connected with Rece Bergeman once again for the goal. As tensions increased more and more throughout the period with both teams hungry for a goal, Fitchburg pulled their goalie Max Macchioni, in a final bid for a needed regulation win, which allowed Worcester to steal the game with a pair of goals from Brendan Ronan and Kevin Drevitch with an assist from Nick Pennucci. 

FINAL SCORE: Worcester 5, Fitchburg 2

The Blue & Gold finish their regular season with 13-11-1 (12-5-1 MASCAC), while Fitchburg goes to 12-10-3 (9-6-3 MASCAC).

With the second seed the Lancers will receive the first round bye and return to action Saturday.