Ravens hold second-period lead against second straight SUNYAC opponent

WINCHENDON, Mass. (January 15, 2014) – Junior forward Tim Sullivan (Rye, N.H.) put home a power-play goal in the first period to stake the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team to a 1-0 lead on Wednesday afternoon, but SUNY Fredonia ultimately came away with a 3-2 win in non-conference play at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Junior forward Jared Wynia scored twice in the victory for Fredonia.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 2-11-1 (1-3-1 Northeast-10), while SUNY Fredonia improves to 3-8-2 (2-3-2 SUNYAC). Fredonia posted a 17-6 edge in shots in the first period, but play was fairly even the rest of the way, with the final tally standing at 35-26 in favor of the Blue Devils.

Despite being under siege for parts of the first period, Franklin Pierce struck for the stanza's only goal, with a power-play marker at the 5:59 mark. Sophomore forward Matt Batis (Lakewood, N.Y.) sent the puck to freshman defenseman Alex Schleper (Sutton, Mass.) at the center of the blue line, and the latter let a shot fly from there. The shot went wide of the left post, but Sullivan was first on the scene and wrapped around behind the net towards the right-wing corner. He couldn't find the angle to stuff the puck inside the right post, but instead spun to the bottom of the right circle and snapped his fourth goal of the season past Fredonia freshman goaltender Christopher Eiserman.

Fredonia would bookend the middle period with goals to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. First, at the 2:16 mark, Wynia found some space in the slot to get open and put away his eighth of the campaign. He finished off a one-timer off a feed from the right corner by sophomore forward John DeFeo, while junior defenseman Cory Melkert added an assist as well. Later, at 19:19, Wynia jammed home a rebound on the power play for his second of period, with the assists going to freshman defenseman Zach White and sophomore forward Taylor Bourne.

The score remained 2-1 until after the midway point of the third frame, with the Ravens trying to find the equalizer. Fredonia freshman forward Travis Fernley was whistled for cross checking at 12:34, which put Franklin Pierce on the power play looking to even things up. However, with the Ravens trying to work the puck through the neutral zone, junior forward Stephen Castriota forced a turnover and sprung himself on a breakaway. Castriota deked right, then cut to the left and snapped his sixth goal of the year past Franklin Pierce senior goaltender Dave O'Brien (Groton, Mass.) for the eventual game-winning goal.

Franklin Pierce would answer just 64 seconds later, after the power play expired, on the sixth goal of the season for senior defenseman Tyler Cornele (Cape Coral, Fla.). He stuffed home the rebound of a shot by senior forward Ted Walsh (Quincy, Mass.) at 14:59. The Ravens got O'Brien to the bench in favor of the extra attacker over the final 1:22, but were unable to find the game-tying goal.

O'Brien finished with 32 saves -- his third straight outing with at least 30 stops -- but suffered the loss (1-8-1) between the pipes for Franklin Pierce. At the other end of the ice, Eiserman made 24 saves to pick up the win (3-5-3) in net for SUNY Fredonia.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Jan. 18, when they travel to Suffolk for a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 4:40 p.m. at Steriti Rink in Boston, Mass. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, Feb. 1 against Stonehill at 8 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).