The Raiders had reason to celebrate getting their first MASCAC points with a shootout win at Worcester State on Thursday night. (Courtesy photo by Kyle Prudhomme/Rivier Athletics)

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Rivier men’s ice hockey team earned its first Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) points after tying the game late and winning the shootout against Worcester St. on Thursday night at the Worcester Ice Center.

The Raiders moved to 2-1-1 (0-1-1 MASCAC) while the Lancers shifted to 1-4-1 (0-1-1 MASCAC).

Rivier got on the board after 15:17 of action as sophomore forward Jake Laville tipped in a shot from senior Jon Tavella on the powerplay to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The Lancers potted a pair in the first 4:23 of the second frame to flip the script and take a 2-1 advantage. Four minutes later, Laville took the puck from a Worcester St. defender in the Rivier end and turned up ice with a burst of speed, eventually beating the Lancers goalie on a backhanded shot on the breakaway, leveling the score at two apiece. A Rivier penalty called with 1:30 left in the period resulted in the Lancers’ second lead of the contest as Brian Clougherty scored one minute later to make it 3-2.

Riv pulled its netminder in the final minutes and used a 6-on-4 man advantage to its benefit as junior defenseman Carter Poulin found the back of the net with 21 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and force overtime.

Neither team could find twine in the extra five minutes of 3-on-3 play, resulting in a best-of-three shootout.

Junior Matt Horan tucked in a deke on the Raiders’ second attempt, scoring the lone goal of the shootout to secure the second point for the MASCAC standings.

Rivier outshot Worcester St. by a margin of 52-37, as senior netminder Luke Newell made 34 stops for the Raiders. Laville (2-0-0) and Poulin (1-1-2) each registered two points.

Rivier is back on home ice on Saturday in a MASCAC matchup against Anna Maria on Youth Hockey Night at Conway Arena. Faceoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

RIVIER 91, LESLEY 87

Graduate Kyler Bosse scored 33 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Raiders over Lesley on Thursday evening at Minuteman Gymnasium in Lexington, Mass.

The Raiders improved to 4-1 for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign, while the Lynx fell to 2-4.

The Raiders found themselves down 19-14 midway through the first half, but back-to-back three-pointers from Bosse and junior Matt Constant gave Rivier a 20-19 lead with 8:08 remaining. Lesley responded with a bucket, but consecutive layups from senior Ra’quan Groves forced a timeout at the 6:52 mark. A barrage of three-pointers, followed up by a layup from graduate Joey Merrill, extended the Raiders lead to 36-28 with just over three minutes to play in the half. The Raiders struggled to score in the closing moments, but Constant hit his fourth three-pointer of the half to give Rivier a 41-38 advantage at the break.

Rivier began the second half with three straight and-one layups from Bosse and Merrill, pushing their lead to 50-38 with just over 17 minutes remaining. Lesley continued to fight back, narrowing the deficit to just four points with 10:13 on the clock. The Raiders answered with a 12-7 run, capped by an acrobatic finish from senior Odarius Cade, extending their lead to 70-63 with 7:37 left in the closing frame. However, the Lynx battled back and refused to go away, cutting the lead to just one point with one minute remaining. Back-to-back layups from Groves and Constant put the game out of reach and the Raiders clinched a 91-87 win.

Bosse led the Raiders with 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting (68.4%), including 3-of-4 (75%) from beyond the arc, while also grabbing eight rebounds. Constant contributed 22 points on 5-of-10 shooting (50%), finishing a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line and adding six assists. Groves added 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting (53.3%) off the bench. Merrill chipped in nine points and five rebounds, while Cade played the role of playmaker, dishing out nine assists to five different Raiders.

The Raiders return to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 as they host Brooklyn at the Muldoon Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

TRINITY 91, RIVIER 82

Despite a combined 70 points from senior classmates Lyric Grumblatt, who matched her career high with 44 points, and Hannah Muchemore, who set a new career-high with 26 points, the Rivier women’s basketball team fell short in a non-conference game against Trinity (Conn.) at Ray Oosting Gymnasium in Hartford, Conn.

With the loss, the Raiders fell to 0-4 while the Bantams improved to 4-0.

Muchemore set the tone early for the Raiders, scoring 10 of the opening 12 points. With the Raiders trailing 15-12 at the 5:25 mark in the first quarter, Grumblatt sparked an individual 11-point scoring streak to give Rivier their first lead at 24-22. Despite the individual efforts, Rivier ended the first quarter trailing 30-26.

The teams traded baskets to open the second quarter, highlighted by a three-pointer from sophomore Emily Coleman that brought the Raiders within three, 40-37, at the 5:22 mark. Rivier used back-to-back buckets from Grumblatt and a Muchemore pull-up jumper to tie the game at 44. However, The Bantams responded with a 9-2 run to close the half, taking a 53-46 lead into the locker room.

Both sides struggled to find a rhythm in the second half, with only 15 points combined in the first six minutes of the third quarter, as Trinity (Conn.) held the score a 61-51 advantage. Free throws by Muchemore and Grumblatt narrowed the gap to six before a late 7-2 surge by the Bantams gave them a 68-57 lead into the final quarter.

A 14-8 run gave the Bantams their largest lead of the night at 82-65 with 4:52 remaining. Despite an 18-point quarter from Grumblatt the Raiders were unable to mount a comeback, as Trinity (Conn.) took the contest by nine.

The Raiders return home to take on non-conference opponent, Suffolk, on Saturday at the Muldoon Center. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.