Worcester State Slip by Men’s Hockey, 6-4

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Ice Hockey team looked to follow up their first conference win this evening when they played host to Worcester State for a MASCAC matchup at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink. Mathew Gover stopped 37 shots, and four different Trailblazers put the biscuit in the basket, but it wasn't enough, as the Lancers won by a score of 6 to 4.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Thursday, January 25, 2024
• Score: Worcester State 6, MCLA 4
• Records: Worcester State Lancers 5-13-0 (MASCAC 4-10-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 3-14-1 (MASCAC 1-12-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Worcester State was the first team on the board, just over five minutes into the game. Evan Armit (at 5:05, assisted by Brady Carpenter and Christian Howanitz) was credited with the goal.
• With just under six minutes remaining in the first period, the Trailblazers found an equalizer when Easton Moore (14:09, Sean Schifferl and Quinn Murphy) scored his second goal of the season.
• The tie was short-lived as the Lancers responded with less than two minutes left in the first period with a goal by Brigham Neuhold (18:25, Mikey Wilson, and Brendan Ronan) to close out the first-period scoring.
• The teams then traded goals in the second period. First, it was Worcester State's Brady Carpenter (5:43, Ronan & Shane Prifrel) taking advantage of a power play less than six minutes in. In the closing seconds of the period, the Trailblazers' Schifferl (19:45, Shane Green and Cade Herrera) scored his sixth of the year with the hosts on the man advantage. After 40 minutes of play, the score was 3-2 Lancers.
• Less than a minute into the third frame, Worcester State extended that lead when Wilson (0:36, Brian Clougherty) put one in for the visitors.
• MCLA's Gavin Glaubitz (6:08, Moore and Addam Brunner) brought the Trailblazers back within a goal when he lit the lamp for the second time this season.
• The back-and-forth nature of the game continued with Prifrel (9:15, Clougherty and Maximilian Hussar) scoring as the clock approached the mid-point of the third period and put the Lancers up 5-3.
• As the clock ticked down to the final 90 seconds, MCLA pulled their goalie in favor of an extra attacker and began to pepper WSU goalie Jakub Kubik with shots. With only 38 seconds left, the Lancers were called for a delay of game penalty when one of their players held onto the puck in the crease, and the Trailblazers were awarded a penalty shot that Cade Herrera (19:22, unassisted) cashed in and again pulled MCLA within a single score. The goal was Herrera's team-leading seventh of the season.
• With the Trailblazer's goalie still on the bench in favor of the attacker, Worcester State' Wilson (19:52, unassisted) cleared one final shot that found its way into the open net and set the final score at 6-4.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: WSU 43, MCLA 36
• Saves: WSU 33, MCLA 37
• Faceoffs Won: WSU 47, MCLA 40
• Penalty/Minutes: WSU 15/60:00, MCLA 11/36:00

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Fitchburg State for a MASCAC matchup with the Falcons at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink. The puck will drop at 8 p.m.

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