Dunn starts comeback, Federico finishes it

HOOKSETT, N.H. (February 14, 2013) – Junior defenseman Andrew Dadds (Mount Ephraim, N.J.) and senior forward Dino Federico (Canton, Mass.) scored 42 seconds apart in the final 3:29 of the third period on Thursday night to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory for the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team on the road at Southern New Hampshire in Northeast-10 Conference play at the Ice Den. The win was the eighth of the season for Franklin Pierce, tying the program record.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 8-10-3 (6-4-1 Northeast-10), while Southern New Hampshire falls to 7-14-2 (5-5-1 Northeast-10). The victory was the second in three days for the Ravens against SNHU, which earns Franklin Pierce the two points for winning the season series, despite losing the first of the three games. The points ensure Franklin Pierce will host a semifinal game in the upcoming Northeast-10 Championship; it is the fourth time in five years the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena will host a postseason contest.

The Ravens can finish no lower than second in the Northeast-10, and will achieve the highest finish in league play in program history. Franklin Pierce can claim the regular season title if Stonehill knocks off Saint Anselm in a game at Saint Anselm on Tuesday, Feb. 19. Regardless of the result of the Stonehill/Saint Anselm tilt, it will be SNHU which travels to Winchendon for the Northeast-10 semifinal, which will be the third meeting in 12 days between the two clubs. The semifinal round is slated for Feb. 23, with the time to be determined based on rink availability.

Trailing 2-1 with just eight minutes to play, Franklin Pierce set out on the comeback trail. At the 12:05 mark, senior forward Sean Dunn (Quincy, Mass.) pulled the Ravens within a goal at 2-1, putting away his third of the campaign off a feed from freshman forward Paddy Murphy (York, Maine). Only 14 seconds later, SNHU found itself shorthanded after junior defenseman Trevor Nelson was whistled for interference. The Penmen killed off the penalty, but the Ravens would draw even anyway, just 4:26 after the Dunn goal, when Dadds found his first of the season, off assists from senior forward Roscoe Sweeney (Falmouth, Mass.) and graduate student forward Anthony Chighisola (Whitman, Mass.). SNHU could not stop the bleeding long enough to get the game to overtime, as Federico picked up the game-winner 42 seconds later with his second of the season, after being set up by freshman forward Doug Usseglio (Waltham, Mass.) and senior defenseman Brendan McCarron (Andover, Mass.).

Chighisola's assist was the 87th point of his career (40-47-87), moving him out of a tie with Joe Fields (37-49-86 from 2004-08) and into sole possession of the program's career scoring record. It remains a race to the finish line however, as Sweeney's assist was the 86th point of his career (35-51-86).

Earlier in the game, the first 39 minutes of the proceedings went by the boards before sophomore forward Dane Caracino got SNHU on the board with just 12 seconds to play before the second intermission. His fourth of the season came off assists from freshman forward Joe Collins and sophomore forward John Humphrey. The Penmen doubled the lead to 2-0 at the 2:01 mark of the third period, as junior forward Brian Troy and sophomore forward Michael Settipani set up senior forward Michael Rotondi for the latter's third of the year. At the time, it appeared to be an important insurance goal heading into the game's latter stages, but instead, it proved to be not quite enough to put the Ravens away.

Junior goaltender Dave O'Brien (Groton, Mass.) made 28 saves to pick up the win (6-4-1) in net for Franklin Pierce. Junior Tyler Holske turned away 25 shots and suffered the loss (7-10-2) between the pipes for SNHU.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Feb. 16, when they travel to SUNY Brockport for a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport, N.Y.

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).