Ravens in search of program’s first postseason victory

RINDGE, N.H. (February 26, 2010) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s ice hockey team will host a game in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship for the second consecutive season on Saturday night. The fourth-seeded Ravens will square off against fifth-seeded Stonehill at 7:30 p.m. at The Winchendon School Ice Arena.

Last season was the first time Franklin Pierce had hosted a postseason game. This time around, the Ravens will look for the program’s first postseason win and attempt to avenge last year’s 5-0 quarterfinal loss to Stonehill.

Admission will be charged at The Winchendon School Ice Arena on Saturday night. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $3 for children/seniors and $1 for college students with IDs.

Franklin Pierce (7-14-2, 4-6-1 Northeast-10) comes into the contest winners of three of its last four and set a new program record for wins in a season its last time out. The Ravens boast a trio of 20-point scorers, led by sophomore forward Anthony Chighisola (Whitman, Mass.), who set a program record with 17 goals this season and added 17 assists to tally 34 points thus far, which is also a program record. Chighisola leads the club in goals and points, as well as power-play goals (6). Also topping 20 points for Franklin Pierce are freshman forward Roscoe Sweeney (Falmouth, Mass.), who has totaled 12-18—30, and senior forward Phil LaBreck (Thornton, N.H.), who has posted 11-10—21.

Between the pipes, sophomore Ben Siok (Holden, Mass.) and senior Jon Tuttle (Concord, N.H.) have split time for the Ravens. Siok heads into Saturday’s contest with a 4-8-2 record, a 4.03 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage. Meanwhile, Tuttle holds a 3-7-0 record to go with a 4.23 goals-against average and an .862 save percentage.

On special teams, Franklin Pierce is clicking at 14.9% on the power play (25-for-168) and is killing 80.1% of its penalties (121-for-151). The Ravens are sixth in the conference on the power play and third on the penalty kill.

Stonehill (9-15-1, 2-9-0 Northeast-10) has lost three in a row, five of six and nine of its last 11 heading into Saturday’s quarterfinal. Two players have topped 20 points for the Skyhawks, led by senior forward Pete Roundy, who is tied for the team lead in goals (10) and leads the team outright in both assists (18) and points (28). Roundy has scored four power-play goals and three game-winning goals. Sophomore forward Pat Greene has also reached 20 points on six goals and 14 assists.

In net for the Skyhawks, sophomore Tyler Jackson and junior Mike Manna have both seen a fair share of the minutes. Jackson is 6-8-0 with a 3.59 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage. Manna heads into Saturday at 2-7-1 with a 4.19 goals-against average and an .877 save percentage.

In the special teams department, Stonehill is clicking at 20.0% on the power play (35-for-175) and is killing off 76.1% of its penalties (102-for-134). The Skyhawks are third in the conference on the power play and fifth on the penalty kill.

The two teams have met three times this year, with Franklin Pierce winning all three games. On Nov. 21, Chighisola scored twice and added an assist to lead the Ravens to a 6-2, home-ice victory. On Jan. 30, Sweeney piled up five points on three goals and two assists as Franklin Pierce skated to a 7-4 victory at Stonehill. Finally, just last Saturday, LaBreck scored the overtime winner as the Ravens squeaked out a 4-3 win.

The winner of Saturday night’s game advances to the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship and will play at either top-seeded Saint Anselm or second-seeded Assumption on Wednesday, March 3.