Men’s Hockey Fall at Worcester
MCLA dropped a MASCAC clash to Worcester State this evening.
WORCESTER, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Ice Hockey team took to the roads this evening, traveling to the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center for a MASCAC matchup with the Worcester State University Lancers. Easton Moore, Cade Herrera, and Sam Perdion all scored for the Trailblazers while the home team got goals from four players, including a pair by Bryce Grandbois, to take the match 5-3.
THE BASICS
- Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026
- Score: MCLA 3, Worcester 5
- Records: MCLA Trailblazers 4-11-3 (MASCAC 2-4-1) | Worcester State University Lancers 9-7-4 (MASCAC 2-4-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The teams swapped goals in the first period. Worcester state converted first, Anders Grongstad (10:51 of 1st period, assisted by Quigley) netted the first score with just over nine minutes to play in the first period. Cam Quigley was credited with the assist.
- MCLA responded with a power play goal with about five minutes to play. Junior forward Easton Moore (Red Deer, AB / Florida Eels) (PP, 14:17, Murphy & Gallagher) potted the goal after junior forward Quinn Murphy (Champaign, IL / Philadelphia H.C.) won a draw in the right side faceoff circle, sending the puck backwards to junior forward Cade Herrera (Brentwood, CA / Seahawks H.C) to Moore just outside the left faceoff circle for a slap shot that stayed low before the goalie could close the gate. The goal was the fourth of the season for Moore, while the helpers were the ninth for Murphy and seventh for Herrera.
- The teams continued the pattern of trading goals in the second period. Again, the Lancers struck first, this time only 60 seconds into the period. Bryce Grandbois (1:00 of 2nd period, Nash & Nuzzolilo) recorded the goal with the assists going to Stirling Nash and Matthew Nuzzolilo.
- The Trailblazers responded with their second power play goal of the night. With the man advantage junior forward Cody White (Orange, CT / East Coast Wizards) fired off a shot from just inside the blue line that was stopped by the Worcester netminder, but the puck rebounded out to Herrera in front of the net for a quick shot that again rebounded away from the goalie. This time to a Lancer defender who turned to head up ice, only to find that Herrera had picked his pocket and taken the puck back for a quick wrister to light the lamp. The goal was the junior's team-leading eighth of the season. Combined with his assist on Moore's goal, this was his fourth multi-point game this season.
- Granbois (15:44, Tyrie) restored the Worcester lead with just under five minutes to play with his second goal of the period. This time the assist was credited to Sean Tyrie.
- MCLA tied the game for the third time 22 seconds later. After a scrum in the neutral zone resulted in Moore intercepting a pass from along the boards and streaking into the attack zone for a two on one opportunity. When the defender and goalie both committed to Moore, he was able to pass to a wide-open freshman forward Sam Perdion (Strongsville, OH / Charlotte Rush) for an easy finish. The goal was the sixth of the season for Perdion and the helper was Moore's eighth.
- The third period would go to the home team as the Lancers netted two goals with both being assisted by Shane Prifrel. The first tally was scored by Jacob Costa (13:29 of 3rd period, Prifrel) and the second by Brady Carpenter (19:26, Prifrel).
- Worcester's Donovan Alfama stopped 28 of 31 shots to pick up the win, advancing to 6-5-2. The Trailblazers' freshman goalie Roco Stolz (Denver, CO / Charlotte Rush) took the loss to fall to 4-8-2 despite recording 43 saves.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Shots: MCLA 31, Worcester 48
- Saves: MCLA 43, Worcester 28
- Faceoffs Won: MCLA 40, Worcester 33
- Penalty/Minutes: MCLA 6/12:00, Worcester 7/22:00
- Power Plays: MCLA 2 for 7, Worcester 0 for 6
UP NEXT
On Thursday, MCLA will be back in action when it travels to Horgan Arena for a MASCAC matchup with the Anna Maria College AMCATs. The puck will drop at 5:40 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED
For the latest on MCLA Athletics, follow the Trailblazers via our social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter).
