Men’s Hockey Topples Rivier, 4-1

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Ice Hockey team returned to the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink, welcoming MASCAC foe Rivier University. Sam Zis scored 60 seconds into the game and the Trailblazers added three more goals in the third period to record their first conference win of the season, 4-1.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Thursday, December 4, 2025
• Score: Rivier 1, MCLA 4
• Records: Rivier University Raiders 1-9-1 (MASCAC 1-3-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 2-5-2 (MASCAC 1-2-1)

HIGHLIGHTS

• MCLA scored the first goal of the game before the fans had time to warm their seats. Off a face off from the left circle in the Raiders' defensive end, junior forward Charlie Addesa (Andover, MA / Worcester Railers) won the draw and sent the puck back to sophomore forward Sam Zis (Boulder, CO / Connecticut Chiefs) (1:00 of 1^st period, assisted by Addesa) who sent a low line drive shot into the lower right corner of the net before the Rivier goalie could react. The goal was Zis' second of the season, while the helper was the first for Addesa.
• The Trailblazers kept the pressure on Rivier, outshooting the guests 21-6 in the first period, but Zis' goal would stand as the only scoring of the first period.
• The second period was also scoreless, but not without chances. The Raiders outshot MCLA in the frame, but only by a 16-11 margin.
• The closing period saw the most action on the scoreboard and in the penalty box as the teams combined for four goals and seven penalties, resulting in 33 penalty minutes.
• MCLA doubled their lead just over six minutes into the third period. With the home team on the power play, the play began with the puck on the stick of freshman defenseman Kieran Kenny (Edmonton, AB / Philadelphia H.C.), who passed to junior forward Christopher Gallagher (Albany, NY / Islanders H.C.) along the right side boards. The puck had other plans and jumped over Gallagher's stick into the corner where a Rivier defender sent it behind the net, finding junior defenseman Spencer Craig (Glendale, AZ / Northern Cyclones) skating below the goal line to intercept the puck and skating toward the corner to the right side of the net, and passing to Gallagher (PP, 6:17 of the 3^rd, assisted by Craig) in the slot, firing off a laser just inside the left pipe. The goal was Gallagher's second, and the assist was the first of the year for Craig.
• The Raiders responded quickly, restoring the one-goal difference with a power play goal only 20 seconds later. The goal was credited to Payton Kender (PP, 6:37, Sawicki & Caparco) while the assists went to Aaron Sawicki and Michael Caparco. The goal was the fourth of the year for Kender, while the assists were the sixth and first, respectively, for Sawicki and Caparco.
• MCLA added another power play goal as the third period crossed the midway point. The play began with junior forward Easton Moore (Red Deer, AB / Florida Eels) winning the draw in the Rivier defensive end, this time the puck went to junior forward Cade Herrera (Brentwood, CA / Seahawks H.C) near the right side boards. Herrera then fed junior forward Sean Schifferl (Fort Myers, FL / N.H. Monarchs) (PP, 10:43, Moore & Herrera) in the slot for a one-timer that beat the goalie high to his glove side. The goal was Schifferl's team leading fourth of the season, while the assists were Moore's team leading fourth and Herrera's second.
• The Trailblazers added an empty net goal just seconds after killing off a five-minute penalty. With the extra skater in play, Rivier's pass along the blue line from the right point to the left point was intercepted by the stick of junior forward Cody White (Orange, CT / East Coast Wizards), pulling the stick from White's hand but redirecting the puck back to Craig (EN, 18:22, White) who flipped the puck about three quarters of the rink into the open net. The goal was the second of the year for Craig, and the helper was the second for White.
• MCLA's freshman goalie Roco Stolz (Denver, CO / Charlotte Rush) finished the night with 36 saves on 37 shots and upped his record to 2-3-1. The Raiders' Mason Meyer fell to 0-5-0 but stopped 37 of the 40 shots he faced.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: Rivier 37, MCLA 41
• Saves: Rivier 37, MCLA 36
• Faceoffs Won: Rivier 36, MCLA 47
• Penalty/Minutes: Rivier 10/28:00, MCLA 11/33:00
• Power Plays: Rivier 1 for 7, MCLA 2 for 7

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it travels to the Loring Arena at Framingham State for a MASCAC matchup with the Rams. The puck will drop at 4:50 p.m.

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