The somewhat surprising Fitchburg State Falcons, winners of the MASCAC tournament will travel to play Utica on Saturday in the first round of the national tournament with both teams coming into the game in very different places. The Falcons are on a five-game win streak including three conference tournament victories that claimed their fist MASCAC title since 2018, so their confidence level is very high coming into the tournament. Meanwhile, Utica suffered a 7-3 loss to Geneseo in the final of the UCHC tournament and are looking for a post-season rebound having received an at-large bid based on their overall record during the regular season,
Fitchburg State has been led in their recent run by the sensational goaltending of junior Max Macchioni (9GP – 2.18 goals-against average – .940 save percentage) who took the crease down the stretch for the Falcons and surrendered just five goals in the three games of the conference tournament. In the semifinal against Salem State, Macchioni record seventy-six saves in a 4-3 3OT win over the Vikings. Offensively, the sophomore grouping of Hunter Dunn (12G – 15A – 27 Pts), Elowan Orme Lynch (8G – 15A – 23 Pts), and his twin Matteo Orme Lynch (6G – 16A – 22 Pts) have been opportunistic in the post-season leading the Falcons attack.
“We are excited for the opportunity, said long-time head coach Dean Fuller. “We are focused and ready to go.”
For Utica, the difference in one week is the size of the prize and the need to re-set following an ugly loss to Geneseo last weekend.
“The pressure is on us,” stated Pioneer head coach Gary Heenan, “Facing a team that is riding high while we are coming off a sub-par performance. This is when we lean on our leaders.”
Key performers whom the Pioneers relied upon all season have included graduate student Brian Scoville (4G – 16A – 20 Pts) on defense along with graduate student forward Jakob Breault (15G – 17A – 32 Pts) and graduate student forward Johnny Mulera (16G – 10A – 26 Pts). A deep roster will challenge the Falcons on every shift while Utica looks for first-year goaltender Ryan Piros (15GP – 2.06 goals-against average – .922 save percentage – 3 shutouts) to rebound from last week’s loss where he surrendered four goals in the opening period against Geneseo.
Utica will play host at the Adirondack Bank Center on Saturday, March 15 with puck drop scheduled for a 1 PM matinee with the winner advancing to face the winner of the St. Norbert v. Gustavus Adolphus game in a quarterfinal matchup.
