Men’s Ice Hockey Hangs in for Much of Night, Ultimately Falls to No. 8 Hamilton, 4-2

WINCHENDON, Mass. (January 21, 2017) – In what was a 1-0 game through 45 minutes, the third period turned into a goal bonanza at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena on Saturday night. The Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team struck twice, but No. 8 nationally ranked Hamilton countered with three goals of its own, as the latter came away with a 4-2 victory in non-conference play.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 7-12-1, while Hamilton improves to 12-2-2.

Hamilton opened the scoring with the only goal of the first two frames, on a power-play marker at the 6:30 mark of the first. Junior forward Neil Conway provided the centering feed from the left-wing corner, setting up junior forward Brandon Willett, who was at the top of the crease, cutting from left to right. Willett's initial chance was stopped, but he put a second-chance effort inside the right post to put the Continentals out front, 1-0. Freshman defenseman Bennett Morrison added an assist as well, on Willett's ninth goal of the season.

After the remainder of the first and the entirety of the second went without another goal, Hamilton kicked off the scoring in a wild third period at the 5:29 mark, to make it 2-0. Senior forward Robbie Murden led a 2-on-1 into the offensive zone, as he took the puck down the right-wing side. Murden sent a pass to the left side for Willett, who held briefly and then sent the puck back across the slot for Murden, who had an easy finish at the right post for his fourth goal of the campaign. Conway picked up his second assist of the night on the play.

Franklin Pierce halved the deficit less than three minutes later, at 8:13. Junior forward Jonathan Haun (Buffalo, N.Y.) controlled the puck and brought it into the offensive end on a rush on the left side. Haun cut to his right, into the high slot and pulled the trigger on a wrist shot. The shot was deflected by the stick of the defenseman on the scene, and the puck wound up in the top-right corner, over the shoulder of Hamilton senior goaltender Charlie Fennell. Senior forward Connor Mauro (Shrewsbury, Mass.) had the lone assist on Haun's fifth of the year.

Hamilton had the immediate answer just 27 seconds later, pushing the lead back to 3-1 at the 8:40 mark. Junior forward Tyler Bruneteau jammed home a rebound from the top of the crease, in front of the right post, for his sixth goal of the season. Freshman forward Sterling Bray and senior defenseman Conor Lamberti contributed the assists on the play.

Franklin Pierce again cut the gap to one goal as time began to wind down, making it a 3-2 game at 16:05. Freshman forward Alex Lester (Methuen, Mass.) sent a shot through traffic from the top of the right circle. Fennell was likely screened on the play, as the shot appeared to beat him cleanly from distance. Assists came from sophomore forwards Lucas Luppino (Wyckoff, N.J.) and Nate Indelicato (Pembroke, Mass.) on Lester's fourth score of the year.

Franklin Pierce pulled junior goaltender Tom McGuckin (Clayton, N.J.) in favor of an extra attacker in the final minutes, but it would lead only to Hamilton recording an empty-net tally to create the 4-2 final. Junior forward T.J. Daigler took control in the neutral zone and rushed into the offensive end on the right-wing side, sending the puck into the yawning cage before he reached the top of the circle. Senior forward Xavier Morin and senior defenseman Jon Carkeek chalked up the helpers at 19:06.

McGuckin (7-12-1) finished the night with 32 saves against 36 shots on goal and suffered the loss, as Franklin Pierce was outshot on the night, 36-18. At the other end of the ice, Fennell (3-0-0) stopped 16 of 18 shots to pick up the win for Hamilton.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Jan. 28, when they travel to Stonehill for a pivotal Northeast-10 Conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 6:10 p.m. at Foxboro Sports Center in Foxborough, 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' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).