Justin Blanchette

Men’s Ice Hockey Battles Back to Force 3-3 (OT) Tie at Assumption

WORCESTER, Mass. (January 15, 2019) – In what served as a nice bounce-back outing after surrendering a two-goal, third-period lead on Saturday, the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team was able to steal a point on the road in Northeast-10 Conference play on Tuesday night. The Ravens were outshot, 43-19, at Assumption, but were able to erase 2-1 and 3-2 deficits in the third period to forge a 3-3 tie at Buffone Arena. Sophomore forward Justin Blanchette (Monroe, Conn.) scored twice for Franklin Pierce, while freshman forward Chris Stevenson (Arvada, Colo.) netted the game-tying tally with just 70 seconds remaining in regulation.

With the tie, Franklin Pierce moves to 7-8-1 (2-3-1 NE10) on the season, while Assumption now stands at 10-5-1 (3-4-1 NE10). The two teams will wrap up their three-game season series with a weekend series at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon, Mass., on Jan. 25-26.

Assumption dominated the first period to the tune of a 14-2 advantage in shots on goal, but one of the two Franklin Pierce shots found the net, and the two teams were tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes. Blanchette opened the scoring with his third goal of the season at 8:39, off of an assist from junior forward Alex Lester (Methuen, Mass.). Freshman forward Michael Zampanti provided the answer for Assumption less than three minutes later, at 11:32, while freshman forward John Pigott and senior forward Ryan Loranger provided the assists.

The Greyhounds took a 2-1 lead into the third period by scoring the only goal of the second stanza. It was the seventh goal of the campaign and a power-play marker for freshman forward Devan Sheth at 12:16, unassisted.

Franklin Pierce evened things with a power-play tally at 8:24, as Blanchette completed his first collegiate multiple-goal outing, while freshman forward Sean Crowley (Sandown, N.H.) provided the lone assist. However, another power-play goal for Assumption at 14:29 gave the Greyhounds a 3-2 lead heading into the final five minutes, as senior forward Matt Damelio cashed in his seventh goal of the year, off of assists from junior defenseman John McDonagh and Sheth.

Franklin Pierce pulled sophomore goaltender Ian Wallace (West Islip, N.Y.) in favor of an extra attacker with 1:20 to play in regulation, and Stevenson played hero for the Ravens just 10 seconds later. His third goal of the season came off of a setup by senior defenseman Jack Williams (Suffield, Conn.) and stood as the game-tying goal after overtime went scoreless, and the two sides skated off with a 3-3 tie and a point apiece in the NE10 standings.

Wallace (5-7-1) piled up a season-best 40 saves against 43 shots – his second career outing of 40 or more saves – in front of the Franklin Pierce net. Junior netminder David Zulauf (8-4-1) stopped just 16 of 19 shots in the opposite crease for Assumption.

The Ravens return to the ice on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 18-19, when they meet intrastate rival Southern New Hampshire in a home-and-home series. The two teams will meet at the Ice Den in Hooksett, N.H., at 7:10 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 7:30 p.m. puck drop on Saturday at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. 

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). 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 hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).