Westfield State Skates Past Fitchburg State, 8-3
Sophomore John Goffredo (Washingtonville, N.Y./Boston Harbor Wolves) and classmate Chris Riggs (Sewell, N.J./Fort Vancouver Pioneers) posted two points apiece as Fitchburg State suffered a tough 8-3 setback to Westfield State in the 44th Annual Codfish Bowl Championship match.
Westfield State Skates Past Fitchburg State, 8-3
Goffredo and Riggs tally four points in Codfish Bowl Championship match
BOSTON, Mass. (December 30, 2008) - Sophomore John Goffredo (Washingtonville, N.Y./Boston Harbor Wolves) and classmate Chris Riggs (Sewell, N.J./Fort Vancouver Pioneers) posted two points apiece as Fitchburg State suffered a tough 8-3 setback to Westfield State in the 44th Annual Codfish Bowl Championship match.
CHRIS RIGGS |
The Owls collected their third Codfish Bowl title and first since 1982 when they defeated American International, 14-4. The 26-year span marks the longest time between Codfish Bowl trophies in the tournament's history. Westfield State is unbeaten in eight of its last nine contests and improves to 8-2-2, while the Falcons fall to 5-4-0.
Riggs and Goffredo led the Fitchburg State with one goal and one assist apiece as Riggs collected his team-leading 12th point of the season. Junior Chris Brecken (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) chipped in with one goal for the Falcons.
Junior forward Casey Mignone (Ramsey, NJ) netted a pair of goals and added an assist to lead the Westfield State attack. Sophomore Ted Battaglia (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) was also solid with two points on one goal and one assist, while junior Nic Power (Bixby, OK) and freshman Brandon Castro (Cranston, R.I.) added one score and one helper each.
Both teams played to an even 1-1 score after one period as Riggs and Powers traded goals over a 1:27 span. Riggs connected for his fifth goal of the season, while Powers netted his first score of the year.
The Owls grabbed a quick 2-1 lead early in the second period on a Mignone goal, but Goffredo responded for the Falcons, taking a feed from Riggs on the power play and registering his third goal of the year to knot the game at 2-2 at 10:56 mark. Westfield State charged back as junior Mike Muolo (Stoneham, Mass.) recorded his second goal of the season less than three minutes later to give the Owls a 3-2 edge.
In the third period, Westfield State notched five consecutive goals to secure the victory. Brecken snapped the Westfield string of goals with the Falcons' third tally of the evening and his first of the season with just 51 seconds left in the contest. Freshman goalie Ian Wilson (Tulsa, OK) turned away 29 shots to earn the victory for the Owls, while freshman Bobby Leiser (Monroe, N.Y./New York Applecore) made 24 saves for the Falcons.
Fitchburg State (5-4-0, 2-2-0 ECAC NE) will be in action again on January 2nd as it travels to Saint Michael's College for the Purple Knight's Holiday Tournament at 7 p.m. Westfield State (8-2-2, 0-0-0 ECAC NE) will face Fitchburg State again on January 10th at 7 p.m.
CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
Westfield State 8, Fitchburg State 3
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Teams |
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
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Westfield State (8-2-2, 5-1-1 ECAC NE) |
1 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
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Fitchburg State (5-4-0, 2-2-0 ECAC NE) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
Scoring:
1st Period: FIT: Chris Riggs (Thomas McAleer,
John Goffredo), 5:22; WES: Nic Power (Brandon Castro, Mike Young),
6:49
2nd Period: WES: Casey Mignone (Jimmy
Alexander), 10:33; FIT: Goffredo (Riggs), 10:56; WES: Mike Muolo
(Costi Hinn), 13:06;
3rd Period: WES: Ted Battaglia, 0:39;
WES: Pat Nelson (Dennis Zak, Battaglia), 6:47; WES: Alexander
(Mignone), 16:12; WES: Castro (Mike Young, Power), 18:33; WES:
Mignone (Drew LaCombe), 18:47; FIT: Chris Brecken, 19:09
Goaltending: FIT: Bobby Leiser(60:00), 24 saves;
WES: Ian Wilson (60:00), 29 saves;
Stars:
1st Star - Casey Mignone
2nd Star - Ted Battaglia
3rd Star - Chris Riggs