Teams combine for five goals in second period

WINCHENDON, Mass. (November 8, 2014) – Junior forward Matt Batis (Lakewood, N.Y.) tallied a goal and an assist on Saturday night, but the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team surrendered five goals over the final 30 minutes of a 5-3 loss to Assumption in Northeast-10 Conference play at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Junior forward Alex Erban scored three goals in the victory for Assumption.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 0-3-0 (0-1-0 Northeast-10), while Assumption improves to 1-2-0 (1-0-0 Northeast-10). Assumption now holds a 1-0-0 advantage in the three-game season series between the two teams and will need just one win in the final two meetings to claim the two points in the Northeast-10 standings which come from winning the season series. The two teams will meet again on Nov. 19 at Assumption and Jan. 27 back in Winchendon.

Franklin Pierce put home the first period's only goal on Saturday night, on the power play, at the 8:20 mark. With Assumption senior defenseman Matt Dalton in the box for interference, Franklin Pierce sophomore defenseman Shane Dowd (Holden, Mass.) wound up with the puck on the left side. He fed it to the middle of the point for Batis who stepped into his shot from there. There was plenty of traffic between Batis and the goal, but the puck found its way to the back of the net untouched for Batis' second goal of the campaign.

The floodgates opened in the second period, as the two teams traded five goals, often in rapid succession. First, Assumption drew level at 1-1 at the 11:22 mark. Senior defenseman Ben Kuzma had the initial shot on the play, as his blast from the right point was turned aside by Franklin Pierce junior goaltender Kyle Moran (Marshfield, Mass.). The rebound caromed to the left-wing circle, where Erban corralled it and quickly sent it to the back of the net before Moran could slide across his crease. For Erban, it was his first goal of the year.

The Ravens reclaimed the one-goal lead at 2-1 just 31 seconds later, on the first of the season for senior defenseman Brendan FitzPatrick (Winthrop, Mass.). The goal came immediately after a faceoff in the left-wing circle, as senior forward Tim Sullivan (Rye, N.H.) won the draw back to FitzPatrick at the left point. FitzPatrick let fly from there, and his drive found the net.

Assumption again tied the game, this time at 2-2, with 2:25 to play in the middle stanza. Freshman forward Tommy Mahoney sent a pass to freshman defenseman Matt Cowles at the middle of the blue line, and Cowles teed up a shot from there. The puck was deflected by a defensive stick en route and wound up behind Moran for Cowles' first collegiate goal.

Again Franklin Pierce had the answer nearly immediately, as the Ravens took a 3-2 lead just 50 seconds later. Freshman forward Jonathan Lee (Staten Island, N.Y.) was the trailer on the play and wound up with the puck in the high slot and the goaltender out of position after Franklin Pierce's initial offensive foray. Lee quickly snapped a shot into the open side of the net for his first career goal. Freshman forward Brad Riccardi (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Batis had the helpers, as the whole line figured in on the goal.

The lead was short-lived, as Assumption struck 31 seconds later, with 1:04 to play in the frame, to even the score at 3-3. Erban finished off his second of the game from the left-wing circle, while senior forwards Brennen Shaw and Trevor Plante provided the assists.

Assumption would score the only two goals of the third period to skate away with the 5-3 victory. The eventual game-winner came at the 8:44 mark, when senior defenseman Joe Arcieri put away his first of the season, from the bottom of the right circle. Sophomore forward Ryan Gomez had the lone assist on the play.

Franklin Pierce came up empty, despite pressure, on a power play after the midpoint of the period, the stanza's only power play for either side. Later, with 45 seconds to play, the Ravens pulled Moran in favor of the extra attacker in a last-ditch effort to tie the game. Ultimately the puck popped out of the attacking zone and into the neutral zone. Erban was the first man to track it down, on the right-wing side, near the opposite blue line and fired into the empty net to complete his first career hat trick with just one second to play.

Moran finished with 33 saves and suffered the loss (0-3-0) in goal for Franklin Pierce. Junior goaltender Chris Hemhauser made 31 stops to pick up the win (1-1-0) in front of the net for Assumption.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Nov. 15, when they travel to SUNY Geneseo for a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 3 p.m. at Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena in Geneseo, N.Y. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Tuesday, Nov. 25 against Westfield State at 7 p.m.

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' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).