Walsh caps career with pair of goals

WINCHENDON, Mass. (February 19, 2014) – Senior forward Ted Walsh (Quincy, Mass.) scored twice in his final collegiate game on Wednesday night, including a goal with 4:50 to play which gave the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team a 4-3 lead at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Southern New Hampshire would answer with a pair of late power-play goals to pull out a 5-4 Northeast-10 Conference victory, however, including the game-winner off the stick of freshman forward Jay Sylvia with four-tenths of a second remaining on the clock.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce wraps up its season at 4-17-3 (2-8-1 Northeast-10), while Southern New Hampshire improves to 15-8-1 (7-4-0 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce honored its nine-player senior class in conjunction with the final game of the season.

Franklin Pierce held a 3-2 lead heading into the final period, before the teams combined for four goals in the third stanza as SNHU rallied for the victory. The Penmen scored first, with their first of three third-period power-play strikes, at 10:23, to tie the game at 3-3. Freshman defenseman Sean McTiernan started things from the point with the man-advantage and sent the puck over to the right circle for sophomore forward Joe Collins. Collins found a seam across the slot and slipped a pass over to fellow sophomore forward Jim Gabrione in the left circle and Gabrione snapped his second goal of the night, and team-leading 17th of the season, over the stick shoulder of Franklin Pierce senior goaltender Dave O'Brien (Groton, Mass.).

The Ravens, who had led most of the way on the evening, found the lead again at 4-3 with 4:50 to play in the third, after the puck came to senior defenseman Kyle Craig (Quincy, Mass.) high on the left-wing side of the attacking zone. Craig was able to feather a pass into the slot for Walsh, who deked to his backhand to beat SNHU senior goaltender Tyler Holske. The goal gave Walsh his second two-goal game of his senior season and was his seventh of the season, tying him for the team lead.

As Franklin Pierce was clearing its own zone less than a minute after the Walsh goal, senior forward Ilester Little (Dallas, Texas) made an ill-advised hit from behind just outside his own blue line. Little was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding, which proved to be the pivotal point of the game.

SNHU struck for the equalizer 91 seconds into the ensuing power play, as senior defenseman Nick Riccio put away a shot from the top of the left circle for his second of the season at 17:34. Fellow senior defenseman Trevor Nelson picked up the lone assist on the play.

A late elbowing minor to freshman defenseman Alex Schleper (Sutton, Mass.) gave the Penmen a two-man advantage for the final 22 seconds of regulation, which wound up being just enough time to find the game-winning goal. With time winding down on the third period, McTiernan sent the puck to sophomore forward Dave Caracino on the right side. Caracino's initial shot from the bottom of the right-wing circle was sent aside by O'Brien, but the rebound fell in front of the left post for Sylvia, who jammed home his 11th of the season with just 0.4 seconds showing on the clock to send SNHU home a winner.

Earlier in the game, Franklin Pierce struck for the only two goals of the first period to claim a 2-0 lead. The Ravens opened the scoring at the 3:12 mark on a quick-developing play on a rush into the zone. Working down the right-wing side, sophomore forward Paddy Murphy (York, Maine) sent the puck towards the net, looking for streaking freshman forward Connor Mauro (Shrewsbury, Mass.). Mauro, who was making a beeline for the net, arrived at the top of the crease at the same time as the puck and jammed home his second goal of the campaign.

Later, with the puck just inside the blue line on the left-wing side, senior forward Roman Malyshev (Moscow, Russia) made a nifty play to chip the puck off the boards and around a defenseman heading his way. Malyshev had freshman forward Brett Oldaker (Canonsburg, Pa.) on the other side, and the chip sprung him on a partial breakaway from the top of the left-wing circle. Oldaker was able to finish off his fifth of the season between Holske's pads, while freshman forward Aaron Blaker (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) picked up an assist on the play as well.

SNHU cut the lead in half with its first goal of the night, just 58 seconds into the second period. Sylvia picked up his first of two assists in the game as he dug the puck out of the left-wing corner and sent a pass into the slot, where sophomore forward Joe Collins one-timed home his 16th of the season.

Franklin Pierce reclaimed the two-goal lead at the six-minute mark on Walsh's first score of the night. Mauro took control of the puck in the neutral zone and made a quick pass which sent Walsh away on a breakaway. In all alone against Holske, Walsh picked the top-left corner for his sixth goal of the campaign.

SNHU again pulled within a goal, this time at 3-2 to set the stage for the wild third period, at the 8:28 mark. Working the puck into the zone on the left side, Sylvia left a drop pass for Gabrione at the top of the left circle. From there, Gabrione quickly fired a laser of a wrist shot to the top-left corner for his 16th of the season.

O'Brien finished with 31 saves in his collegiate finale, but took the loss (2-13-1) between the pipes for Franklin Pierce. Holske collected 18 saves to pick up the win (12-8-1) in front of the Southern New Hampshire net.

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).