Mason Rudrud had one of Rivier's two goals on Thursday night vs. Framingham State on the road Thursday night. (Courtesy photo by Kyle Prudhomme/Rivier Athletics)

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – The Rivier University men’s ice hockey team was downed 5-2 by Framingham St. in Massachusetts Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Thursday night at Loring Arena.

With the result, the Raiders moved to 2-21-1 (2-11-0 MASCAC), while the Rams moved to 4-18-1 (4-9 MASCAC).

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Rams took a 1-0 lead at the 13:17 mark of the opening frame.

First-year Mason Rudrud linked up with classmates Brayden Deschamps and Payton Kender to level the score at the 18:06 mark.

Framingham St. reclaimed the lead 53 seconds into the second period.

Kender answered for the Raiders at 4:22, cashing in off a junior Tyler Sitnikov feed to lock it up at 2-2.

Framingham St. found twine once more midway through the second to take a 3-2 advantage and carried that lead through the closing stretch of the period.

The Rams pushed the lead to 4-2 with 5:59 remaining and sealed the game with an empty-net goal in the final 58 seconds to cap the scoring at 5-2.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

The Rams outshot the Raiders 33-29…Kender led the offense with two points, tallying a goal and an assist…Sophomore Josh Kirton turned aside 28 shots in the outing…Rivier controlled faceoffs 31-27.

UP NEXT

The Raiders return home on Saturday, February 21, for a MASCAC showdown against Worcester State. Before the 7:00 p.m. puck drop, the program will honor its four senior Raiders in a Senior Night ceremony.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

RIVIER 3, WHEATON 0

With the non-conference win at Emerson Gymnasium in Norton, Mass., the Raiders improved to 7-8, while the Lyons fell to 6-6

Rivier opened the match with a kill from sophomore Cody Fitzpatrick and utilized a block by junior Tyler Dickinson and first-year Kenji Clark to establish an early presence at the net. Wheaton pulled even at 10-10 following a kill and tied the frame again at 12-12 and 13-13. The Raiders took the lead for good on a kill by senior Matthew McCloskey, sparking a 3-0 run including a Clark ace and a shared block by sophomore Cade Barron and McCloskey. Rivier closed the set 25-19 after back-to-back attacking errors by the Lyons.

The second set featured an early tie at 4-4 before a series of errors helped Rivier move ahead. After Wheaton narrowed the gap to 13-12, the Raiders responded with a 5-1 run, fueled by kills from Fitzpatrick and Dickinson. Rivier secured the 25-17 victory following four individual Raiders finding the floor down the stretch.

The Lyons held a brief 2-1 lead early in the third set, but Rivier quickly regained control with back-to-back kills by Clark. The Raiders’ lead grew to 10-6 after kills by Clark, McCloskey, and Barron. Wheaton used a 3-0 run to cut the deficit to 15-14, but Rivier answered immediately with a kill from Clark and three consecutive attack errors by the Lyons to push the score to 19-14. The Raiders ended the match 25-20 on a Wheaton service error after the Raiders established a 24-20 lead on a Barron kill.

As a team Rivier outhit with Lyons .418 to .163. Clark led the offense with 10 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Dickinson and Barron followed with behind with eight kills each, with Dickinson hitting a match-best .727 and Barron following close behind hitting .636. Fitzpatrick and McCloskey added six and five kills respectively. Barron and junior Justin Barish each assisted 15 times in the contest.

The Raiders return to the court Wednesday, Feb. 25 for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Regis (Mass.). The opening serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Higgins Court.