Men’s ice hockey keeps spirits high despite loss to MCLA

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

By Izabela Gage Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams hosted the MCLA Trailblazers for their final conference game of 2025 on Dec. 6 and lost 3-2. This loss brings their conference record to 1-4 and their overall record to 3-6. Captain Jake Barcelou, a senior, said, “Despite the 3-6 record, the spirits in the locker room are pretty high. We know that if we play to our capabilities, we are much better than our record shows.” The first period began with a controlled faceoff win by Assistant Captain Scott Bugarin, a junior. Just 22 seconds in, Bugarin fired the opening shot, forcing MCLA’s goaltender Rocco Stoltz to make an early save, followed by another shot only 34 seconds later by sophomore Devin Shepherd. MCLA responded with a shot of their own, but freshman goaltender Benjamin O’Keefe made the stop. Framingham kept pressing with a shot by senior Sam Larkin 4 minutes in, followed by Bugarin trying to get past Stoltz’s pads, both of which were unsuccessful. A slashing penalty on Framingham gave MCLA their first power play, but the Rams won the faceoff and were strong on the penalty kill. O’Keefe saved a shot by the Trailblazers, and the Rams remained steady until they were back to even strength. Framingham regained momentum immediately. Larkin took another shot only 5 seconds later, but could not break Stoltz’s defense. Despite MCLA winning the next faceoff, sophomore Michael Kennedy took possession of the puck and buried the first goal of the game, assisted by Shepherd and Assistant Captain Cameron Craig, a junior. The Rams won the next faceoff, but then traded puck control with MCLA over the next couple of minutes, during which the Trailblazers took two shots on goal, both saved by O’Keefe. Framingham surged again, firing a flurry of shots, two from Kennedy and one from Barcelou, each saved but keeping MCLA pinned deep in their defensive zone. O’Keefe continued to stand firm, stopping three goal attempts in the next minute and a half, protecting Framingham’s lead. At 14:43, the Rams increased their lead. Junior Brent Scott netted the puck, assisted by Bugarin and senior Bobby Bernier. MCLA found the back of the net on a power-play goal just under 4 minutes later, but the first period ended 2-1 in favor of the Rams. The second period began with freshman Jeremy Zecher trying to shoot the puck past Stoltz’s pads less than 2 minutes in, but he was unsuccessful. Freshman Grig Kaagan and junior Nathan Gines both tried to find the back of the net, followed by O’Keefe stopping five MCLA goal attempts in the following 4 minutes. The Trailblazers broke through the Rams’ defense, bringing the score to 2-1. After a tripping call on MCLA, Framingham was on the power play, and Stoltz stopped two back-to-back shots by Scott. Framingham was strong on offense for the remainder of the second period. The clock ran out following a shot on goal each by freshmen Aidan Elbrecht and Jonas Oesterle, and junior David Hassell, all of which were saved by Stoltz, and the period ended 2-2. The third period started with Shepherd firing the first shot on goal less than 2 minutes in, followed by Larkin, Hassell, and junior Storm Davis all taking shots of their own. The Trailblazers tried to break through O’Keefe’s defense, but were unsuccessful. The Rams remained aggressive on offense, with Elbrecht, Bugarin, and freshman Connor McLachlan all trying to find the back of the net, but Stoltz didn’t let the puck get past the goal line. Both teams fought for possession of the puck for the next 5 minutes, but only the Trailblazers were able to take shots on goal, with O’Keefe stopping all four of them. After MCLA was called for an interference penalty, the Rams battled through the power play with Scott, Barcelou, and senior Jack Ennis all trying to regain the lead for the Rams. The Trailblazers scored in the final minute to take the lead 3-2, and the Rams were unable to respond before the buzzer sounded through the arena. Scott said, “We just focus as a team to try to get 30 shots a game. … The forwards did a great job on the forecheck and getting the puck up to the defensemen so we could get those point shots.” He added, “We have such a young group of really talented guys, and they’re starting to really get their confidence up and taking those shots they might not have in the beginning of the year.” Barcelou said, “Despite the loss, I thought the effort was there from the team and everybody battled hard until the final buzzer. It is tough to go into winter break with a loss, but it will fuel us to come back stronger in the second half of the season.” Scott said the team is already prepared for the first game in January. “Going into break losing a game that we should've won left a bad taste in our mouths. … We’re a family on this team, and we’re just waiting until we can get back on the ice and play again.” The Rams host the Roger Williams University Hawks for a non-conference matchup Jan. 3. ¶