Green & Gold topped by Vikings in MASCAC action

Fitchburg, Mass. The Fitchburg State ice hockey team fell 5-2 to the Vikings of Salem State this afternoon in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action from the Wallace Civic Center as the Falcons hosted its fourth annual Jake Thibeault game.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 2, Salem State 5

Records: Fitchburg State (9-10-1, 5-7-1 MASCAC) I Salem State (13-6-0. 9-4-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Salem State opened the scoring 4:07 into the first period as graduate student Keagan O'Donoghue (Frisco, TX) settled a feed from junior Landyn Greatorex (Reading, MA) and freshman James Tatro (Salisbury, MA) and struck for his eighth marker on the season for the 1-0 edge.

The Vikings doubled the advantage at the 13:30 mark when Tatro received a pass from sophomore Chase Conton (Anchorage, AK) and deposited a shot into the left side of the net for his eighth marker of the 2024-25 campaign. The visitors pushed the lead to 3-0 two minutes later with senior Luke Day (Ottsville, FL) tucking a shot into the right corner for his seventh tally on the season with assists from senior Rais Francis (Nottingham, UK) and freshman Davis Kinne (Swampscott, MA).

In the middle frame, Fitchburg State answered five minutes into the stanza as sophomore Hunter Dunn (Douglas, MA) took a pass from classmates Matteo Orme Lynch (Courbevoie, France) and Elowan Orme Lynch (Courbevoie, France) and blasted a shot into the lower left corner for his seventh score on the season to make the score 3-1. Salem State responded roughly one minute later though with sophomore Carson Whitman (Boston, MA) netting his third goal of the year for the 4-1 advantage.

In the final period of play, the Vikings extended the lead with just over six minutes remaining in regulation when junior Zach Dill (Lake Tahoe, CA) deposited a shot into the back of the net for his fourth goal on the year. Fitchburg State responded late in the stanza as freshman Marcus Macchioni (North Kingstown, RI) fired a shot into the right side of the net for his second score of the 2024-25 campaign, resulting in the 5-2 final.

By the Numbers

• 70th meeting between the Falcons and the Vikings on the ice with Fitchburg State 22-41-7 all-time when taking on Salem State
• Fitchburg State went 0-for-3 with the man advantage
• Salem State held a 32-20 advantage in shots
• Junior Max Macchioni (North Kingstown, RI) stopped 15 shots for the Falcons
• Sophomore Will Nepveu (Montreal, ON)) made 18 saves for the Vikings

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Thursday when they host the Panthers of Plymouth State for a conference matchup, starting at 6:30PM.

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