FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 20, 2021) – A night after a penalty-filled and misconduct-marred third period short-circuited a comeback attempt, the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team was hurt by undisciplined play again on Saturday night at Fitchburg State. A pair of power-play goals late in the third turned the tide, as the host Falcons erased a 1-0 deficit on the way to a 4-1 non-conference win at Wallace Civic Center. Franklin Pierce was shorthanded on five occasions over the final two periods and, at least partially as a result, was outshot 31-8 over the game's final 40 minutes.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce drops to 0-7-0, while Fitchburg State stays perfect at 4-0-0.

Neither team could find the net in the first period, though they traded high-quality scoring opportunities. The Falcons found ways to get rushers past the Raven defense, with a pair of 2-on-1 opportunities and a breakaway in the opening frame, though graduate student netminder Ian Wallace (West Islip, N.Y.) was able to stymie the advances. Meanwhile, the Ravens were able to hold the puck inside the Fitchburg State zone and create opportunities with fluid puck movement, and enjoyed an 11-8 advantage in shots in the frame.

Franklin Pierce broke the scoreless tie only 50 seconds into the second frame. Junior Conor Foley (Nahant, Mass.) gained possession in the right-wing corner of the Falcons' zone and carried the puck below the goal line and around the back of the cage. Rather than continuing around the boards, Foley cut tight around the net and tucked the puck between the post and the outstretched pad of senior goaltender Christopher Mattone to give the Ravens a 1-0 lead.

The lead held through the middle of the period, before a parade to the penalty box eventually caught up with the Ravens in the final six minutes of the stanza. The first of two power-play goals for Fitchburg State came at 14:58 from junior Gene Bouthiette, who found the puck at the side of the net in a scrum and slid it into the goal. The second, just 1:42 later, was scored by junior Joshua Miller. He received a pass at the blue line from fellow junior Wyatt Wilmshurst and shot the puck under the pad of Wallace to give the Falcons the lead for good.

Franklin Pierce's penalty kill is operating at only 69.2% (27-for-39) over the first seven games of the season.

Franklin Pierce was looking at extended power-play time early in the third period, after Bouthiette was given a major and a game misconduct for checking from behind at 4:40. However, just 49 seconds into the five-minute man-advantage, junior Josh Kippenhan (Hibbing, Minn.) was whistled for hooking to negate two minutes' worth of power-play time. In the end, the Ravens would manage just one shot against the Bouthiette major over two stints on the truncated power play.

The Falcons added a pair of empty-net goals in the final 70 seconds to balloon the final score to 4-1. The first came on a breakaway by junior Hunter Fortin with 1:09 remaining. Freshman Toivo Kramer added the second with 17 seconds to play.

Wallace (0-4-0) finished with 35 saves against 37 shots while under siege much of the night, but was stuck with a loss anyway. Mattone (1-0-0) had little to do after the first period and ultimately made 18 saves against 19 shots at the other end of the ice for Fitchburg State.

The Ravens are back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 23, for a home game against non-conference opponent Framingham State University. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon, Mass.