Men’s Ice Hockey Downed at Saint Anselm, 5-1

Oldaker nets lone Raven goal

MANCHESTER, N.H. (December 10, 2014) – Freshman goaltender Tom McGuckin (Clayton, N.J.) made 39 saves on Wednesday night -- his third straight outing of 30 or move saves -- but the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team was defeated, 5-1, in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sullivan Arena. Sophomore forward Nick Leonard assisted on the game-winning goal and later added an insurance marker in the win for Saint Anselm.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 2-9-0 (2-3-0 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm improves to 4-5-1 (1-1-1 Northeast-10). With the win, Saint Anselm earns the two Northeast-10 standings points for taking the annual meeting between the two squads.

Saint Anselm opened the scoring early in the first period en route to a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. Freshman forward Easton Miller was first to get on the board, at the 6:50 mark, with his second of the season, off assists from senior forward Sean Jenkins and sophomore forward CJ Blaszka. The Hawks made it 2-0 at 16:18, as freshman forward Kevin Dazkevich found his first collegiate goal, while senior forward Kody Grondin and Leonard provided the helpers.

Franklin Pierce quickly answered the Dazkevich score to cut the gap to one goal heading into the locker room. Sophomore forward Brett Oldaker (Canonsburg, Pa.) struck for his first goal of the year, off assists from freshman forwards Brett Becker (Devils Lake, N.D.) and Brad Riccardi (Scarsdale, N.Y.). For Riccardi, the helper was his team-leading fifth of the season, as well as his team-high eighth point (3-5-8).

Saint Anselm's special teams took control in the second period to stretch the lead to 4-1. At 5:37, the Hawks' power play struck, with junior defenseman Tyler Estee's first goal of the campaign, off an assist from senior forward Joey Agliato. Later, at the 12:59 mark, Saint Anselm's penalty kill came up with a shorthanded marker, as junior forward Mark Meads also put home his first goal of the season, off an assist from senior forward Johnny Daniels.

Saint Anselm created the 5-1 final with another power-play strike late in the final stanza, at the 18:30 mark of the third period. Leonard picked up his second point of the night by scoring his second goal of the season, with sophomore defenseman Lonnie Taylor and sophomore forward Vin D'Amato providing the assists.

McGuckin made his 39 saves against 44 shots while taking the loss (1-3-0), as the Ravens were outshot, 44-23. At the other end of the ice, freshman Shane Joyce made 22 saves to pick up the win (4-3-1) in front of the Saint Anselm goal.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Dec. 13, when they return home to host Framingham State in a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 3 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).