BOSTON, Mass. (November 7, 2025) – The UMass Boston men's hockey team (1-1-0) started strong and showed resilience throughout its home opener against Fitchburg State (1-3-0), but ultimately fell after three periods by a final score of 5-2.

The first period ended in a scoreless stalemate, with the Beacons holding a 10-9 edge in shots. First-year goaltender Alex Koenig (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) stopped all nine attempts he faced to keep UMass Boston even after the opening 20 minutes.

The Falcons struck twice in the second period after more than 10 minutes of back-and-forth play, with both goals coming at even strength. First-year defenseman Kyle Isenberg (Anaheim, Calif.) put the Beacons on the board with his first collegiate goal — a power-play tally assisted by junior forward Matthew Sullivan (Hingham, Mass.) — marking UMass Boston's first special teams goal of the season. and cutting the game's deficit in half.

Fitchburg State regained a two-goal lead early in the third on a five-on-four advantage, but assistant captain Jude Kurtas (Hillsborough, N.J.) answered less than a minute later with his first goal of the year. Junior defender Zander Lizzotte (Scarborough, Maine) provided the setup on the play to make it 3-2 before the Falcons added two late goals to seal the win.

UMass Boston narrowly outshot Fitchburg State 33-30, while Koenig made 25 saves in the effort. Lizzotte led the team with two of the Beacons' seven total blocked shots. Jack Ford (Middletown, Del.) and Dylan Robbins (New York, N.Y.) paced the Beacons in the faceoff circle, as Ford finished 8-for-14 (57%) and Robbins went 14-for-25 (56%). Robbins has now recorded points in each of UMass Boston's first two games, establishing himself as an early offensive catalyst for the Beacons.

The Beacons wrap up this week's action before hitting the road again next Friday (Nov. 14) for their first-ever Little East Conference matchup, taking on New England College in Henniker, N.H.

--LIGHT THE LANTERN--