O'Brien nearly holds down fort with 38 saves

BOSTON, Mass. (January 8, 2013) – Graduate student forward Anthony Chighisola (Whitman, Mass.) scored twice in the opening 11:42 on Tuesday night, as the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey built up a 4-0 first-period lead, only to see Suffolk fight all the way back for a 4-4 tie in non-conference play at Steriti Rink. Freshman forward Mike Cherpark scored the final two goals to cap the comeback for Suffolk in the tie.

With the tie, Franklin Pierce now stands at 4-5-2 (2-1-0 Northeast-10), while Suffolk moves to 4-6-3 (2-2-1 ECAC Northeast). Suffolk held a 42-30 edge in shots on goal in the game, including a 14-5 advantage to complete the rally in the pivotal third period.

Franklin Pierce scored four times in the opening 11:42 to stake itself to a 4-0 lead. Junior forward Ted Walsh (Quincy, Mass.) got things started just 67 seconds into the proceedings when he put home his third goal of the campaign off the first of two assists for freshman forward Matt Batis (Lakewood, N.Y.). Just 87 seconds later, Chighisola would double the lead to 2-0 with his third of the season, as senior forward Adam Dallaire (Waltham, Mass.) and sophomore forward Tim Sullivan (Rye, N.H.) added the helpers.

From there, Suffolk was able to slow the bleeding, but was unable to fully clot it, as freshman forward Paddy Murphy (York, Maine) made it 3-0 at 7:57 with his fourth of the year, while Walsh and Batis added assists as each contributed their second point of the night. At the 10:50 mark, a trio of penalties left the Ravens on the power play and Chighisola capitalized at 11:42 to push the lead to its acme at 4-0. Senior forward Roscoe Sweeney (Falmouth, Mass.) dished out his team-best eighth assist of the season as Chighisola notched his first multiple-goal game since Dec. 11, 2010 against Saint Michael's.

However, the second Chighisola marker would be the final score of the contest for the Ravens and Suffolk showed a sign of things to come when it converted on a two-man advantage with 55 seconds to play in the stanza. Freshman forward Tyler Murray scored his first career goal off assists from freshman forward David Lazaro and sophomore defenseman Creg Cook.

A pair of goals in the second period would pull the Rams within a goal at 4-3. At the 6:30 mark, the third of the season from Tim Benedetto came from junior defenseman Jon Stauffer and Murray to make it 4-2. Just 3:40 later, Cherpark put away his seventh of the season off assists from freshman forward Carmen Mastrangelo and sophomore forward Robert Woodworth.

The Franklin Pierce defense then found itself under siege for most of the third period. Each team took its timeout shortly after the midway point of the frame, as Suffolk tried to complete the comeback and Franklin Pierce tried to find a way to make the clock run faster. With only 3:21 to play in regulation, junior defenseman Kyle Craig (Quincy, Mass.) took a penalty for cross checking which gave Suffolk its third power play of the game. With 2:49 to play, tempers flared for a host of hitting after the whistle penalties, though each team took two minors, preventing any further adjustments to the manpower on the ice. The Ravens came hauntingly close to killing off the penalty, but Cherpark struck again with 14 seconds remaining in the power play to tie the game at 4-4. Lazaro and sophomore defenseman Andrew Ball picked up the assists.

Each team would collect three shots on goal in overtime, but neither could produce the game-winning goal.

Junior goaltender Dave O'Brien (Groton, Mass.) made 38 saves along the way, but was ultimately credited with only a tie (2-1-1) in front of the Franklin Pierce net. Sophomore Brett Roman started, made eight saves for Suffolk and lasted just 11:42, as we was pulled following the fourth Franklin Pierce goal. Freshman Brandon Smolarek played the remaining 53:18 and turned aside 18 shots as the Rams rallied to earn him a tie (1-2-3).

The Ravens return to the ice on Friday, Jan. 11, when they travel to SUNY Geneseo for a non-conference contest and the front end of a two-game weekend set. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena in Geneseo, N.Y. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, Jan. 19 against Stonehill 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).