Courtesy Fitchburg State Sports Information

FITCHBURG, Mass.- Second-seeded Salem State College captured the 2009-10 MASCAC Men's Ice Hockey Championship in overtime fashion this afternoon, defeating Fitchburg State College,  2-1 in the Wallace Civic Center at Fitchburg State College.

Sophomore Mike Genovese (Hingham, Mass./Berkshire School) lifted the Vikings to its first MASCAC Tournament Championship, breaking  1-1 tie early in the first overtime period. Genovese found himself deep in the Fitchburg State zone, collecting a feed from Casey Terreri (Warwick, R.I./South Shore) for a top shelf, wrist-shot marker just 0:58 into extra time.

Genovese spoiled a remarkable game by Fitchburg State junior goaltender Robert Vorse (Leominster, Mass./Bay State Breakers), who was sensational in net with 36 saves. Vorse electrified the Falcons for the first three periods of play, making three diving saves throughout the first frame and several gloves saves over the final 40 minutes.

Salem State senior Brett Noll (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) opened the scoring, breaking a 49:17 scoring drought midway through the third period. The veteran defensemen settled nicely right in front of the crease and redirected freshman Nick Lampson's (Groton, Mass./Jersey Hitmen) blast from outside for his fourth score of the year.

The Falcons did not quit however as they continued pursue a dramatic comeback. With only 0:50 remaining in regulation and the Falcons on the power-play, Fitchburg State struck home, knotting the score at 1-1 on Thomas McAleer's (East Islip, N.Y./New York Bobcats) 12th goal of the season. McAleer gave the Falcons some offensive momentum, grabbing rebounds from Chris Riggs (Sewell, N.J./Fort Vancouver Pioneers) and Chris Costigan (Salem, N.H./Northern Cyclones) for a loose-puck goal at the 19:10 mark.

In the extra frame, Salem State had the final say, grabbing the only shot of the overtime period to seal the victory early. The Vikings outshot the Falcons by a slim 38-35 margin, while senior captain Damen Nisula (Gardner, Mass./Cushing Academy) earned Tournament MVP honors. Freshman Sam Avoine (Ste-Perpetue, Que./Laconia Leafs) stood toe-to-toe with Vorse throughout the contest, turning away 34 shots over his complete game effort.  

Fitchburg State concludes a very successful 2009-10 season with the MASCAC regular season championship and an overall record of 19-6-1 (14-4-0 MASCAC). Salem State ends its campaign with a 15-8-4 mark and an 11-3-4 clip in the MASCAC.