MANCHESTER, N.H. (February 11, 2022) -- For the second straight outing, the third period turned a close game into a significantly-less-close loss for the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team. On Friday night at Sullivan Arena, it was a three-goal third for host Saint Anselm, as the Ravens were bested in Northeast-10 Conference play, 5-1. Sophomore Cody Rumsey (York, Pa.) had the lone goal for Franklin Pierce, while five different Hawks found the net in the victory.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce moves to 6-14-1 (3-8-1 NE10) and is winless in its last five (0-4-1), while Saint Anselm improves to 10-10-2 (7-5-2 NE10). Saint Anselm posted a 48-20 advantage in shots on the night. The two teams will meet again at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Sullivan Arena, in the rubber match of the three-game season series.

The two teams traded goals in the first period. The Hawks started strong and capitalized on a failed clear to open the scoring at the 11:14 mark. Senior Sean Healy found fellow junior Matt Hayes with a slick cross-zone pass, and the latter buried his seventh of the year from the left circle. However, the Ravens were able to tie the game up just 3:59 later, after junior Vito Carlo (Las Vegas, Nev.) cannoned a shot wide left from the middle of the blue line on the power play. Rumsey was on the scene at the left post as the puck clattered off the end boards and put away his eighth of the year on the rebound.

Saint Anselm notched the only goal of the second, a power-play tally with just 40 seconds to play in the frame. Junior Jack Murphy produced the goal, his fourth of the campaign, with a wrist shot through traffic from the high slot.

The Ravens went to the power play early in the third, but instead saw the deficit grow, as Saint Anselm notched a shorthanded tally just 45 seconds into the stanza. On a partial odd-man rush, Hayes toe-dragged his way around a sliding defender and put a shot on net, which was saved. Senior Kilian Hammersmith crashed the net though and finished the rebound for his fifth of the season.

The Hawks cashed in insurance tallies at 2:44 and 15:39 to create the 5-1 final. First, another 2-on-1 led to another rebound goal, as sophomore Tommy Schwartz popped his ninth of the season after freshman Max Burum was denied on his initial shot. Later, Burum provided another assist, as he forced a turnover and set up a one-time finish for senior Anthony Iacullo in the left circle to cap yet another 2-on-1 rush.

Senior Kyle Martin (Westford, Mass.) faced a barrage of 48 pucks and stopped 43 of them in the loss (1-5-0) for Franklin Pierce. Junior Nick Howard (10-9-2) made 19 saves against 20 shots to pick up the win for Saint Anselm.