Men’s Ice Hockey Comes Up Short Against Fitchburg St. in Season Finale

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Rivier men's ice hockey team came up just short against Fitchburg State, falling 4-3 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup Saturday evening at the Wallace Civic Center.

The Raiders close out the 2024-25 season with a 7-16-2 (3-13-2 MASCAC) record, while the Falcons improve to 12-11-1 (8-8-1 MASCAC).

Rivier found itself down 2-0 midway through the first period before cutting the deficit in half. Graduate defenseman Tyler Duderstadt gained control of the puck off a defensive-zone faceoff win and connected with senior forward Jon Tavella, who raced into the offensive zone. Just before circling behind the Fitchburg State net, Tavella slipped a pass to graduate forward Cody Rumsey, who buried it to make it 2-1. The Falcons responded late in the period, regaining a two-goal lead at 18:03 to enter the first intermission up 3-1.

The second period remained a back-and-forth battle, with Fitchburg State narrowly outshooting Rivier 9-7. Despite both teams generating chances, the score remained unchanged, heading into the final frame.

The Raiders struck first in the third period to pull within one. Junior defenseman Ryan Cardow kept the puck in the offensive zone and connected with senior forward Nicolas Paolucci, who sent a pass across to junior forward Alfred Rotiroti in the opposite face-off circle. Rotiroti capitalized, scoring Rivier's second goal of the night. Once again, Fitchburg State had a response, converting on the power play at 11:17 to restore its two-goal advantage.

Rivier answered with a power-play goal of its own to make it a one-goal game. Senior forward Cormac Hayes battled along the boards to win possession and played the puck out to Rumsey, who found an open Tavella in the face-off circle. Tavella ripped a shot past the goaltender, bringing the Raiders within 4-3. Despite late efforts to find the equalizer, the Falcons' defense held firm to secure the win.

First-year goaltender Josh Kirton made 29 saves in his first collegiate start. The loss marked the end of Rivier's 2024-25 campaign, with sophomore forward Jake Laville and Paolucci leading the team with 17 points each. Laville was the top goal scorer with 11 goals, while Hayes paced the team with 14 assists. Senior goaltender LJ Newell led the Raiders in net, recording 586 saves while starting all 20 of his appearances.

With the season concluded, Rivier turns its focus to the offseason, aiming to regroup and compete for a MASCAC Championship in 2025-26.