Lancers Comeback Effort Falls Short versus Owls

Worcester, MA- Looking to break the Shootout curse that has descended over the Worcester State Men's Ice Hockey team (2-1-3, 0-0-2) the Lancers hosted Westfield State at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center in their third conference game of the season as they aimed to end the game without OT action.

Final

Worcester State: 2

Westfield State: 4

How it Happened:

Tonight's game started out contained and tactical with minimal shots and attacking in the early phases of the game. After a few minutes, the Lancers turned up the dial and started pressing Westfield defense relentlessly. Attacking efforts by first year Sean Tyrie (East Quogue, NY) and junior Spencer Hecklinger (Denver,CO) gave Worcester the edge early on. Most of the action stayed in the Lancers attacking third until Westfield played with a man up with 5 minutes remaining in the first third. During this power play, they managed to squeeze a goal past the Lancer defense and go up a goal. After this, the last few minutes of the game were mayhem with both teams attacking aggressively, making it a fast paced end to the third. 

In the second third, the Lancers were under immense pressure. Westfield were able to put another puck in the net 2 minutes after face-off. After this initial rattle, Worcester managed to bounce back and go on attacking spurts of their own, getting plenty of shots on net, but just not being able to sink a single one. Impactful players this third included senior Shane Prifrel(Inner Grove Heights, MIN), junior Matt Lombardi (Hudson,MA) and junior Matthew Nuzzolilo (Worcester, MA), putting the teams attacking load on their back and putting the Westfield defense under a lot of fire. The rest of the third was the intense back and forth play of both teams, trading shots as well as face-offs and penalty's. Though down two goals to zero, the Lancers were the louder and more dominant team, but unable to convert it to a goal.

The final third was action packed. The first two minutes saw a goal scored by the Lancers right away as well as a Westfield response, 30 seconds after. This left the score at 1-3 with a third remaining. What followed was intense back and forth play from both teams. Offensively they each gave their best shot, but the defense on both ends proved to be stronger and blocked many shots away. Offensive performances by sophomore Cam Quigley (Quincy,MA)  and sophomore  Jacob Costa (Cranston,RI) propelled the team's confidence forward. Defensively, it was #senior Niklas Byman (Sipoo, FIN)that shone this third, putting his body on the line in order to avoid another goal. Finally after more intense back and forth, with 3:30 minutes remaining, Quigley would score for the Lancers. Worcester then pulled their goalie, putting another offensive threat on the ice. This left them defensively vulnerable, paying the price with another goal, leaving the final score to be 2-4. 

What's Next:

The Lancers (2-2-3, 0-1-2) head on the road on Saturday with a trip to Fitchburg State for a 4pm start.