FITCHBURG, Mass. -- Senior forward Anthony Monte (Chicago, Ill.) scored two goals as the Nichols College men's hockey team remained perfect in league play with a 4-2 win over Fitchburg State fell, 4-2 in ECAC Northeast action Wednesday evening at the Wallace Civic Center.

Monte and classmate Cole Ruwe (Pekin, Ill.) paced the Nichols attack with Ruwe tallying helpers on both of Monte's goals. Freshman Andrew Ella (Schomberg, Ont.) was also solid with one goal scored.

Fitchburg sophomore Chris Carey netted his first collegiate goal  and teamed up with sophomore Chris Riggs to lead the Fitchburg State offense with one goal apiece, while senior captains Bob Kaloustian and Matt Arsenault chipped in with one assist each.

Nichols opened the contest with an early 2-0 advantage through two periods of play. Sophomore Matt Roberts (Merrimac, Mass.) ignited the scoring for the Bison early in the first period, posting his third goal of the season just 0:29 into the contest. Ella followed suit in the second period, putting through his second goal of the year off an assist from sophomore Matt Sayer (Lowell, Mass.) at the 17:07 mark.

Fitchburg State fired back midway through the third period as Riggs cut the Nichols lead to 2-1. Riggs took a dish sophomore John Goffredo and blasted a shot from the left face-off circle for his fourth score of the season. Nichols quickly responded as Monte notched his first score of the game just 1:06 later.

In the closing minutes of the match, the Falcons again inched closer, cutting the Nichols lead to only one, as Carey registered his first collegiate goal at the 16:44 mark. But, with 0:34 remaining in regulation, the Bison secured their tenth victory of the season as Monte deposited an empty-netter.

Nichols out-shot Fitchburg State 34-28 in the contest, while both teams converted one power-play attempt. Freshman Bobby Leiser 30 saves in net for the Falcons, while senior Keith Fink (Easton, Md.) stopped 26 shots for the Bison to improve to 8-0-0 on the season.

Nichols (10-1-0, 7-0-0 ECAC NE) will host Southern New Hampshire University on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. to close out the semester. 

Story courtesy Fitchburg State Sports Information

Box Score