Lancers Take the Loss versus Raiders

Worcester, MA- After claiming the tie on Anna Maria last week and a non conference victory over Hiram, a refreshed Lancers Men's Ice Hockey team (8-6-4, 1-3-3)  hosted the Rivier Raiders in a crucial conference meeting with the Rivier Raiders. 

Final

Worcester State: 1

Rivier: 8

How it Happened:

Worcester State had a fast start to the game, taking control of the puck from the beginning by winning a majority of the faceoffs and applying offensive pressure right from the get-go.  For the first couple of minutes, the Lancers created several quality scoring chances, including sophomore Bryce Grandbois (Windsor, Ontario) hitting the post with a shot and several other chances that required Rivier goaltender Josh Kirton to make saves.  Even though Worcester State was controlling the momentum to start the game, at the 17:10 mark, Rivier scored the only goal of the first period, scoring against the flow of play.  The Lancers continued to press offensively with shots from multiple players, but came up short. On the defensive end, Worcester State was composed and limited any second chances, while junior Salvatore Carabelli (Shelby Township, MI) made several timely saves to keep the game scoreless after one.

The Lancers of Worcester State started the second period with lots of energy and were able to convert their early scoring chances into a goal when senior Shane Prifrel (Inver Grove Heights, Minn) scored his first goal of the season (14:49) during an effective shift. The Lancers continued to generate offensive chances while also remaining competitive with their faceoff play. Even though they worked hard and generated lots of pressure, they experienced a swing of momentum during this period because Rivier State was able to create scoring opportunities in transition and on a power play. As well as battling for the penalty kills, the Lancers also blocked many shots. Carabelli came up big for Worcester State with key saves as the Lancers continued their competitiveness throughout the meetings.

In the final period, Worcester State continued to fight with offensive pressure as first year Sean Tyrie (East Quogue, NY) and graduate student Shane Prifrel (Inver Grove Heights, MN) had some offensive opportunities on Josh Kirton, the Rivier goalie. Throughout the period, the Lancers continued to be active in the attacking zone, creating offensive opportunities and also winning major face-off opportunities to keep possession. The defensive unit continued to be strong as they maintained a lot of pressure from Rivier, with sophomore Dominic Walecka (Stoughton, MA)  filling in and making several important saves, along with some defensive stops. Although the Lancers were unable to reduce the gap in the score, they finished the game by competing through special teams situations and having a very high level of intensity until the end of the period.

What's Next:

Worcester State (8-7-4, 1-4-3) will remain at home for their next outing as they host MCLA at 7:20 pm Saturday night.