Men’s Ice Hockey Downs Framingham St., 4-3 in OT, for First MASCAC Win in Program History

NASHUA, N.H. – Senior forward Nicolas Paolucci called game just a 1:18 into overtime to put away Framingham St. for the program's first-ever Massachusetts State Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory by a score of 4-3 Friday night at Conway Arena.

With the win, the Raiders improved to 5-8-1 (1-5-1 MASCAC), while the Rams dropped to 1-12-1 (0-7-0 MASCAC).

Rivier took control of the offensive zone early on, outshooting Framingham St. 8-3 in the first seven minutes of action. Just over the halfway mark of the first period, the Rams were awarded a powerplay opportunity, but it was the Raiders that cashed in on the man-down opportunity. Graduate forward Cody Rumsey connects with classmate, defender Tyler Duderstadt, to notch the game's first tally and his first of the season, shorthanded.

Framingham St. started to turn the tides late in the period, outshooting Rivier 13-8 in the final six minutes of the opening frame. However, the score remained 1-0 heading into the first intermission.

Just 37 seconds into the second period, the Rams' offensive momentum finally paid off as they tied the game up at one apiece. Both teams traded chances until the 12-minute mark, where Framingham St. cashed in once again to take a 2-1 lead and took it all the way to the second intermission.

The Raiders found their stride once again three minutes into the third period. Just as Rivier's power play expired, sophomore forward Jake Laville fired off a shot wide but got a favorable bounce off the wall to junior forward Alfred Rotiroti who connected with a wide-open first-year defender Brady Bomal to notch his first collegiate goal and bring the match square, 2-2.

A quick two minutes later, the Raiders regained the lead after senior forward Cormac Hayes and Duderstadt found Paolucci up the ice to slot one in the top shelf bringing the score to 3-2. 36 seconds after taking the lead, the Rams tied the game up once again and became the deciding factor for overtime action.

Rivier entered overtime on the penalty kill and stood their ground, allowing only one shot in the 40 seconds remaining. After a save by senior goalkeeper LJ Newell, junior defenseman Ryan Cardow played the rebound up to Rumsey who carried it into the offensive zone and found Paolucci sitting alone at the blue to find twine and close out the contest 4-3.

 Newell logged 29 saves in the win.

The Raiders are back on the ice on Saturday, Jan. 18 to take on MASCAC opponents UMass Dartmouth. Puck drop is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Hetland Arena.