Second Period Stings Men’s Ice Hockey in 8-1 Loss at Wesleyan

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (November 27, 2016) – After tying the game at 1-1 early in the second period, the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team surrendered four goals over the remainder of the stanza, as the tide turned on the way to an 8-1 loss to Wesleyan in non-conference play at Spurrier-Snyder Rink on Sunday afternoon. Freshman forward James Morrissey (West Haven, Conn.) scored his first collegiate goal in defeat for Franklin Pierce.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 6-4-0, while Wesleyan improves to 3-1-0.

Wesleyan struck for the only goal of the first period on Sunday afternoon in the Nutmeg State. Sophomore forward Andy Espinoza put away his fourth goal of the season at the 13:07 mark, off of assists from sophomore forward Vincent Lima and senior forward James Kline.

Franklin Pierce drew even, with a power-play marker just 93 seconds into the second frame. It was the first career goal for Morrissey, with senior defenseman Alex Schleper (Sutton, Mass.) providing the lone assist, at the 1:33 mark.

Wesleyan had the answer just 2:19 later, on the second goal of the year for junior forward Cam McCusker, which would ultimately stand as the game-winning goal. Junior forward Dylan Holze and sophomore defenseman Chad Malinowski had the helpers at the 3:52 mark.

Things would snowball from there for the Cardinals, who poured in three goals in the final 5:51 of the middle frame. Junior defenseman Theo Tydingco scored a power-play goal for his first score of the season at the 14:09 mark, off assists from Kline and Espinoza. Sophomore defenseman Mike Yablong set up the first of the season for Holze at 18:05. Freshman forward Hunter Vannier followed with his first career score at the 19:45 mark, with Kline picking up the assist, as Wesleyan took a 5-1 lead in to the second intermission.

The Cardinals tacked on a trio of insurance markers in the third period to create the 8-1 final. Sophomore forward Luke Babcock struck first, with his first of the year at the 3:34 mark, off assists from freshman forwards Tyler Wyatt and Spencer Fox. Just 32 seconds later, freshman forward Tyler Kobryn notched his first collegiate goal, off a feed from junior forward Jordan Jancze. Finally, junior defenseman Marty Rubin set up Kline's first goal of the season at the 16:44 mark to cap the scoring.

Junior goaltender Tom McGuckin (Clayton, N.J.) played the first 44:06 in front of the Franklin Pierce net and took the loss (6-4-0) after making 15 saves against 22 shots on goal. Senior netminder Austin Christopher (Winthrop, Maine) took over for the final 15:54 and collected 12 saves against 13 shots. At the other end of the ice, Wesleyan senior Dawson Sprigings (2-1-0) made 21 saves against 22 shots to pick up the win, as the Cardinals outshot the Ravens 35-22 on the afternoon.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Dec. 3, when they return home to host Fitchburg State in a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon, Mass.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce men's ice hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).