Northeast-10 Conference Men's Ice Hockey Championship
Warrior Ice Arena
Stonehill preview

RINDGE, N.H. (March 6, 2020) – For only the second time in program history, the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team will make an appearance in the Northeast-10 Conference title game on Saturday night. The fourth-seeded Ravens will travel to take on third seed Stonehill in the final round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston. Opening faceoff is set for 6:40 p.m. 

Northeast-10 Championship
(Seeds in parentheses) 

Saturday, Feb. 29 -- Semifinals
Game 1: (3) Stonehill 4, (2) Saint Michael's 3 (OT)
Game 2: (4) Franklin Pierce 4, (1) Assumption 3 (OT) 

Sunday, March 7 -- Final
Game 3: Franklin Pierce vs. Stonehill -- 6:40 p.m.

Scouting the Ravens

For Franklin Pierce (16-11-4), Saturday represents a return to the NE10 title game for only the second time, as the 2012-13 squad played for the league crown as well, but suffered a 5-2 loss at the hands of Saint Anselm. The Ravens will be looking to secure the program's first-ever conference championship on Saturday night. Franklin Pierce advanced the title game on the strength of a 4-3, overtime win at top seed Assumption last weekend.

The Ravens -- who have already well-eclipsed the program's previous record for wins in a season -- boast the NE10's biggest offensive threat and its most-productive line. Two-time NE10 Player of the Year and senior captain Alex Lester (Methuen, Mass.) leads the way as the league's leading scorer (18-22-40). Though both were left out of the All-NE10 selections, sophomore forward Chris Stevenson (Arvada, Colo.) is currently second in the NE10 in scoring (17-20-37), while senior forward James Morrissey (North Haven, Conn.) is tied for eighth (11-15-26). Stevenson was the overtime hero last Saturday, as he netted the game-winner 8:25 into overtime.

Between the pipes will be junior goaltender Ian Wallace (West Islip, N.Y.). Among netminders who have played at least one-third of their team's minutes in goal, Wallace ranks fourth in the NE10 in save percentage (.914) and sixth in goals-against average (2.89). The Ravens have seen immensely improved special teams play in 2019-20, as they currently boast the NE10's leading penalty kill (84.3%) and its second-best power play (24.2%).

Scouting the Skyhawks

Stonehill (12-11-5) was just 1-7-1 at the semester break, but has been on fire ever since, compiling an 11-4-4 record since the calendar turned to 2020. The Skyhawks have been even hotter down the stretch, as they went 6-2-1 in the month of February, including a 4-3, overtime win on the road at second-seeded Saint Michael's in last week's semifinal round. Senior forward Ryan Meade provided the game-winner 2:44 into overtime. Stonehill is an NE10 finalist for the fifth time, though, interestingly, the Skyhawks will be playing in just their fourth NE10 title game. Stonehill was the league's champion in 2007 and finished as the runner-up in 2009 and 2012. In 2016, the scheduled title matchup was Stonehill and Saint Anselm, but the game was canceled due to health concerns, and the Skyhawks were named NE10 champion as the highest remaining seed.

The 2019-20 Stonehill squad boasts a quartet of 20-point scorers and is led by a pair of players who rank in the top 10 in the NE10 in scoring. Senior forward and All-NE10 First Team pick Cameron Wright is third in the league in points (16-13-29) and is the league's leading non-Franklin Pierce scorer. Meanwhile, junior forward Kayser Raei is tied for sixth in the league in scoring (9-18-27). The Skyhawks got balanced scoring in their semifinal win, as 12 different players tallied a single point each.

In net, the Skyhawks have the NE10 Goaltender of the Year and an All-NE10 First Team selection in senior Matthew Schoen. Schoen leads the NE10 in save percentage (.931) and is third in the league in goals-against average (2.69). Stonehill leads the league in offensive output (3.54 goals per game), but is just fifth in the seven-team league in scoring defense (3.11 goals per game). The Skyhawks have struggled on special teams, with a power play which ranks sixth in the NE10 (17.4%) and a penalty kill which is dead last (73.3%).

Earlier This Season

The two teams have played a pair of overtime games already in 2019-20, plus a third game which decidedly did not go to overtime. The first of the three meetings was at Franklin Pierce on Nov. 9, when the Ravens outshot the Skyhawks 36-20, but still needed a pair of power-play goals in the final 5:07, including an extra-attacker tally from Lester with 73 seconds to play, to force overtime. Stevenson cashed in the game-winner on another power play -- Franklin Pierce went 4-for-7 on the man-advantage in the game -- 1:43 into overtime.

The two squads then met for a home-and-home weekend series on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. On Friday night at Franklin Pierce, it was a 3-3 tie, with Lester again forcing overtime, this time with a power-play marker with 6:13 to play, after Stonehill had claimed a 2-1 lead with a pair of goals in the opening 5:20 of the third. On Saturday night at Stonehill, Franklin Pierce posted a 48-33 shots advantage, but the wheels fell off on the back end. After a scoreless first, the game was tied at 2-2 with 6:48 to play in the second, but the Skyhawks rattled off the final five goals of the night to chalk up a 7-2 victory and kick start their red-hot February.

All-time, Stonehill holds a 14-30-3 edge in 47 meetings between the two.

Previously in the Postseason

The Ravens and Skyhawks have met four times in the postseason, all in NE10 quarterfinals, but have not clashed in the tournament since 2010. Unfortunately for the Ravens, the most recent postseason meeting between the two stands as one of the more epic games in the history of Stonehill's men's hockey program. In the 2010 quarterfinal (box score), Franklin Pierce held a 4-0 lead on home ice with just nine minutes to play, but Stonehill staged a furious comeback to tie the game at 4-4 on an extra-attacker goal by Zachary Cantin with 49 seconds to play. Angelo Todesca capped the rally with the winner on a shorthanded breakaway 16:38 into overtime to send the Skyhawks through to the semifinals.

The game finished a run of three straight wins for Stonehill over Franklin Pierce in the quarterfinal round, as the Skyhawks also took a 5-0 win at Franklin Pierce in 2009 (box score) and a 5-4, overtime win on home ice in 2008 (box score). In the 2004 quarterfinal meeting, it was a 4-3 win for Stonehill at home (box score).

Headed to the Game?

If you plan on making the trip to the City of Notions on Saturday, you can get directions to Warrior Ice Arena by clicking on this Google Maps link and plugging in your starting location. 

Ticket prices are set as follows: 

Adults - $10
Seniors (65+) - $5
Youth (6-18) - $5
Students (with valid NE10 ID) - $2
Children under 6 - Free

Per NE10 policy, no additional complimentary admissions will be issued.

Warrior Ice Arena has an on-site parking garage with limited spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis. The parking rate for events is $5. In addition, street parking is available in the vicinity of the arena. All City of Boston street parking regulations are in full effect.

How to Follow Along

If you prefer to follow the action from home, from work or from elsewhere, both live video and live stats will be available. 

Live stats: https://www.fpuravens.com/sports/mice/2019-20/boxscores/20200307_fn7v.xml
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/stonehill/

Up Next

The winner of Saturday's game will claim the NE10 title. For Stonehill, it would be the third championship in program history (2007, 2016). Franklin Pierce is in search of its first league title.

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 ice hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (https://www.shopfpuravens.com).