Falcons Soar by Corsairs in a 4-2 Win on Jake Thibeault Day.
Matthew Smith
Staff Writer
On Saturday, Feb. 3, the Fitchburg State University Falcons Hockey team soared past the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Corsairs with a final score of 4-2 in the third annual Jake Thibeault Benefit Game, where all the proceeds from the game go to continued care and Rehabilitation of Thibeault. The game started with a ceremonial puck drop with Thibeault meeting lifelong friend Jermey Mailliet and Corsairs Captain Jake Maynard, to kick off the Conference matchup between the two teams.
The Falcons got on the board with the first and only goal in the first period with a goal by the freshman forward Kristopher Zapata with the help of the assist from Hunter Dunn and Jackson Collins. The goal marks Zapata’s sixth goal of the year tying him with Alexandre Bauvais for second on the team.
Graduate defenseman Antione Gignac became the next goal scorer for the Falcons scoring at the 5:07 mark in the second period making it a 2-0 game against a very talented UMASS Dartmouth team. Dartmouth answered very quickly after cutting the deficit into a one-point game off the goal of senior defenseman Cade Hanley. But the Falcons upped their lead to 3-1 off of the goal by junior forward Samuel Rennick making it his fifth goal of the season.
In the third and final period of play long time friend of Jake Thibeault, Jermey Malliet wanted to make sure he left him with a memory to remember netting a goal of his own making it a 4-1 game for the Falcons giving them a very comfortable lead at the 12:11 mark of the third period. Two minutes after Malliet’s impressive goal, UMASS Dartmouth’s graduate defenseman Stephon Perreault scored the final goal of the game making it a 4-2 victory for the green and gold.
A big factor and reason for the Falcon’s big win against the Corsairs was the incredible performance of freshman goalkeeper Frederick Soderberg. The freshman has been having a phenomenal rookie season in net for the Burg and Saturday night was just another night to add to his highlight reel. Soderberg racked up thirty saves and a .938 save percentage to cap off the great night for the goalkeeper.
This was a massive win for the Falcons, they jumped past UMASS Dartmouth in the MASCAC standings and the Falcons now hold the second spot in the conference behind Plymouth State. With just four games left in the regular season, this puts the Falcons in a fantastic position for a first-round bye with the playoffs right around the corner. The green and gold lace their skates up next on Thursday, Feb. 8, when they travel to play the number one-seeded team in the MASCAC Plymouth State.
