Penalty Kill Struggles as Men’s Ice Hockey Falls at Suffolk, 4-1

Murphy nets fourth of season

BOSTON (January 17, 2015) – Suffolk sophomore forward Simon Leahy and freshman forward Jack Jenkins scored a pair of power-play goals each on Saturday night, as the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team fell on the road, 4-1, in non-conference play at Steriti Memorial Rink. Junior forward Paddy Murphy (York, Maine) scored the lone goal in defeat for the Ravens.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 3-11-0 (2-3-0 Northeast-10), while Suffolk improves to 9-5-1 (4-0-1 ECAC Northeast).

Special teams was the name of the game on Saturday night in Beantown, as Suffolk scored all four of its goals with the man-advantage (4-for-8), while the Franklin Pierce power play came up empty on seven attempts. Suffolk scored the first period's only goal at the 5:31 mark, as Leahy netted his third of the season, unassisted.

Franklin Pierce evened things at 1-1 just 55 seconds into the second stanza, on the fourth of the season for Murphy, while sophomore defenseman Taylor Fletcher (Leominster, Mass.) and senior defenseman Brendan FitzPatrick (Winthrop, Mass.) dished out the assists. Suffolk reclaimed the lead for good just 13 seconds later, on the power play at 1:08, as Leahy's second of the night stood as the eventual game-winner. Senior defenseman Andrew Ball added the lone assist.

The Rams struck for a pair of insurance markers in the third period to create the 4-1 final. Jenkins netted both power-play scores, his second and third goals of the campaign. Sophomore defenseman Connor Lawrence and sophomore forward Stanton Turner provided the assists on the first at 3:59, while Leahy and Turner had the helpers on the second at 13:59. For Leahy, two goals and an assist marked his third career three-point game, as well as his first of the season.

Freshman goaltender Étienne Roy (Saint-Henri, Quebec) made 27 saves against 31 shots and took the loss (1-2-0) in the crease for Franklin Pierce. Junior goaltender Brandon Smolarek finished with 26 saves against 27 shots to pick up the win (8-4-1) in goal for Suffolk.

The Ravens return to the ice on Tuesday, Jan. 20, when they return home to host Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon.

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).