Riccardi nets first collegiate goal

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (October 31, 2014) – The Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team jumped to a 2-0 first-period lead on Friday night, but Johnson & Wales followed with five unanswered goals over the final 40 minutes to hand the Ravens a 5-2 loss in non-conference play at Lynch Arena. Senior forward Alex Porrier scored twice and had an assist in the win for Johnson & Wales. The game was the season opener for both squads.

Franklin Pierce got the new season started on the right foot by putting home the only two goals of Friday night's first period. First, at the 6:50 mark, junior forward Matt Batis (Lakewood, N.Y.) notched an unassisted tally to score the season's first goal. Later, with just 2:01 to play in the opening stanza, the Ravens struck while shorthanded. It was the first collegiate goal for freshman forward Brad Riccardi (Scarsdale, N.Y.), with assists going to freshman forward Jonathan Lee (Staten Island, N.Y.) and sophomore defenseman Matthew Geib (Cleveland, Ohio).

Trailing 2-0 after the first period, Johnson & Wales cooked up a comeback in the second period. The Wildcats outshot Franklin Pierce 16-4 in the middle frame and scored three times in the opening 6:04 to surge to a 3-0 lead they would never relinquish. Just 85 seconds into the period, Porrier struck for his first of the night, off assists from senior forward Jason Healey and sophomore defenseman Matt Lanzillotti. At the 3:11 mark, sophomore forward Stefan Brucato tied the game at 2-2, while sophomore defenseman Michael Mazzotta and junior forward Cody Sarmiento added the assists. Finally, at 6:04, JWU took the lead for good on Porrier's second of the period, this time off assists from sophomore forward Drew Kariofiles and freshman defenseman Luke Veitch.

Franklin Pierce was able to find its legs again in the third period, as the JWU shots advantage was just 13-9 in the final frame, leaving the Wildcats with a 36-23 edge for the game. The only scoring over the final 20 minutes came in the form of a pair of insurance markers for the home team. At 7:24, Mazzotta and Brucato each picked up their second points of the night, by assisting on a goal by junior forward Josh Obregon. Later, at 14:21, Veitch found his first career goal, while Kariofiles and Porrier tallied assists, with the latter rounding out his three-point effort.

Junior goaltender Kyle Moran (Marshfield, Mass.) made the season-opening start in net for Franklin Pierce and finished with 31 saves, but suffered the loss (0-1-0). Sophomore Joey Ballmer made 21 saves to pick up the win (1-0-0) in goal for Johnson & Wales.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Nov. 1, when they return home to host their home opener against Nichols in a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon, Mass.

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).