By Danielle Achin
The Rams Hockey team traveled to Fitchburg State where they fell in a 5-2 defeat against the Falcons on Jan. 25.
FSU came out strong and was the first to make it on the board just 13 seconds into the game when Junior Zach Bettmeng buried a slap shot into the net for the 1-0 lead.
The Rams gained a power play against the Falcons and attempted to capitalize on the advantage, but Fitchburg kept composure and held FSU back.
Just under three minutes later, the Rams doubled the score after sophomore Ethan Cervonayco tucked the puck in the slot from the left side for the goal making it a 2-0 lead for Framingham State.
The Falcons managed to break through the Rams’ defense and with a little over Hve minutes left in the first, Fitchburg slipped through Framingham’s goalie for a power play goal.
With the score now 2-1, the Falcons were determined to tie the game and they knotted the score with just over a minute left in the first, ending the period at a 2-2 standoff.
Coming back into the second period, Fitchburg immediately gained a power play advantage over the Rams and scored less than two minutes into the period taking the 3-2 lead.
The Rams attempted many power play shots to advance their score, but were unsuccessful against the Falcons’ defense, leaving the score 3-2 going into the final period.
Just over two minutes into the frame, the Falcons extended the score 4-2 after the Rams were called on a power play penalty once again.
Within the final minutes, Fitchburg managed to score the final goal of the game on another power play against the Rams for a 5-2 victory.
Although the Rams were bested by Fitchburg on the ice, the men say this defeat was just another learning experience in preparation for the next game.
Junior Brian Kozek said he’s noticed a “lack of confidence” in his team and is determined to bring the spark back.
“It’s up to us to simplify our game, control what we can control, create our own luck, and build back our confidence,” Kozek said. “I believe in the group that we have, but it’s up to us to dig ourselves out of this hole.”
Sophomore Blake Carslson also commented on his team’s performance, noting the good things to come from losses like this one.
Carlson said, “Even though we weren’t able to get the win, I think we saw a few good things out of the game. We can score on a team like Fitchburg and some guys that normally aren’t looked at to produce for us really stepped up and made a difference in the game.
“For the next game, we are really going to be looking to work on our power play and penalty kill in practice,” he added.
The Rams are back on home ice Jan. 29 when they host their MASCAC conference game against Salem State.