Northeast-10 Conference Men's Ice Hockey Championship

RINDGE, N.H. (February 28, 2020) – For the first time in seven years, the Franklin Pierce University men’s ice hockey team returns to the postseason on Saturday night. The fourth-seeded Ravens will travel to top seed Assumption for the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, at Buffone Arena in Worcester, Mass. Opening faceoff is set for 8:30 p.m.

Saturday’s winner will advance to the league title game, which will be contested on Saturday, March 7. 

Northeast-10 Championship
(Seeds in parentheses) 

Saturday, Feb. 29 -- Semifinals
Game 1: (3) Stonehill at (2) Saint Michael’s -- 4 p.m.
Game 2: (4) Franklin Pierce at (1) Assumption -- 8:30 p.m. 

Sunday, March 7 -- Final
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner

Scouting the Ravens

For Franklin Pierce (15-11-4), Saturday represents the long-awaited return to the postseason. The Ravens last qualified for the NE10 Championship in 2012-13, when they advanced to the title game for the only time in program history. All-time in NE10 Championship play, Franklin Pierce is 1-9, with the 2013 semifinal standing as the only victory. Prior to the 2012 tournament, all of the league’s teams advanced to the postseason every year.

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 (17-31-38). Though both were left out of the All-NE10 selections, sophomore forward Chris Stevenson (Arvada, Colo.) is currently second in the NE10 in scoring (16-19-35), while senior forward James Morrissey (North Haven, Conn.) is tied for sixth (11-15-26).

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 fifth in the NE10 in save percentage (.914) and sixth in goals-against average (2.91). The Ravens have seen immensely improved special teams play in 2019-20, as they currently boast the NE10’s leading penalty kill (83.9%) and its second-best power play (24.0%).

Scouting the Greyhounds

Assumption (15-8-4) is the NE10 regular-season champion and returns to the NE10 Championship for the sixth straight season. It marked the first ever regular-season crown the Greyhounds, in a league which has traditionally been dominated by Saint Anselm. A year ago, Assumption suffered a heartbreaking loss in a marathon, three-overtime semifinal affair at Saint Anselm, as the Greyhounds outshot the Hawks, 57-32, but were beaten, 2-1, on a goal by Anthony Iacullo 2:25 into the third extra session. Assumption is 8-17 all-time in the NE10 Championship, with one title (2017) and one runner-up finish (2010).

Assumption boasts its own very-productive top line, made up of a trio of sophomores who all rank in the top 15 in the NE10 in scoring. All-NE10 Second Team pick Robert Holyoke leads the way with 14-11-25, while Dante Maribito follows with 15-8-23 and Michael Zampanti has added 11-11-22. Fourth on the team in scoring is the Greyhounds’ All-NE10 First Team selection, senior defenseman Robert Roche, who ranks third among NE10 defensemen in points (6-14-20).

In net, the Greyhounds have split time between senior David Zulauf and junior David Altman, with both logging just shy of 40% of the team’s minutes. Zulauf’s .926 save percentage is second in the NE10, while Altman’s .917 ranks third, and the duo is one-two in the league in goals-against average, though some of the latter is surely a result of Assumptions league-leading scoring defense (2.52 goals per game). The Greyhounds lead the NE10 by half a goal per game in that department. While Assumption ranks third in the league on the penalty kill (81.7%), it is last on the power play (14.5%).

Earlier This Season

The two teams have played three tightly-contested contests so far in 2019-20, with Assumption taking two of the three. In the opener of the season series, on Jan. 21 at Assumption, the Greyhounds used an empty-net goal to create the 5-3 final, as they won on the strength of a two-goal night from Zampanti. Lester scored twice in defeat for the Ravens.

The two then met in a home-and-home series just last weekend. On Friday evening at Assumption, the Greyhounds held a 2-1 lead late and tacked on a pair of empty-netters for a 4-1 victory with a score which was more lopsided than the game itself. Maribito scored twice in the victory. On Saturday afternoon, at Franklin Pierce, the Ravens had their backs to the wall in terms of securing a postseason berth. Wallace responded with a 21-save shutout, the first of his collegiate career, and freshman forward Jason Ladzinski (Norcross, Ga.) provided the only goal at 5:40 of the third period.

All-time, Assumption holds a 26-15-6 edge in 47 meetings between the two.

Previously in the Postseason

The Ravens and Greyhounds have met only once previously in the postseason, in the quarterfinal round in 2005, in one of the wildest games in NE10 Championship history (box score). The third period alone featured eight goals, four for each side, as Assumption twice saw a three-goal second-intermission advantage reduced to one. In the end though, in a game which saw 74 shots and 90 penalty minutes, the Greyhounds held on for an 11-8 victory.

Headed to the Game?

If you plan on making the trip to The City of the Seven Hills on Saturday, directions to Buffone Arena can be found on page 13 of Assumption’s visitors’ guide, which is located here: https://assumptiongreyhounds.com/athletics/Assumption_College_Visitor-s_Guide_2018.pdf

Ticket prices are set as follows: 

Adults - $6
Children/Seniors - $4
Students (with valid NE10 ID) - $1

Per NE10 policy, no complimentary admissions will be issued.

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/20200229_qk8q.xml
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/assumption/

Up Next

The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to play in the NE10 title game, which will be contested on Saturday, March 7. The advancing team will meet the winner of Saturday’s other semifinal, between second-seeded Saint Michael’s and third-seeded Stonehill, which is set for 4 p.m. at Saint Michael’s. Due to seeding, Assumption would host either opponent in the championship game, while Franklin Pierce would be on the road against either opponent.

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).