WINCHENDON, Mass. (January 16, 2018) – With the game even at 1-1 through two periods, the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team and Assumption were locked in a battle for what could ultimately be two pivotal Northeast-10 Conference standings points on Tuesday night. After killing a penalty early in the third, the Ravens upped the pressure at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena, with extended attack-zone time, but could find a tiebreaking goal. As the period began to wind down, Assumption put together a stretch of time in the attack zone of its own and was able to convert. Senior forward Tommy Mahoney redirected home the game-winning goal with just 91 seconds remaining, as the Greyhounds pulled out a 2-1 victory.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 4-11-1 (1-4-1 NE10), while Assumption improves to 7-6-2 (3-3-1 NE10). The two teams will meet for a weekend series at Assumption on Jan. 26-27 to wrap up the three-game season series.

Each period featured just one goal on Tuesday, on a night where Assumption would finish with a 33-27 advantage in shots on goal. The Greyhounds opened the scoring early, just 54 seconds into the opening stanza. Winning a battle in the left-wing corner, junior forward Matt Damelio threw the puck out front, where junior forward Peter McDonagh got a stick to it, but could not corral it. Senior forward Cam Laughlin was on the scene as well, however, and he was able to find the handle at the top of the crease. He immediately put his team-leading ninth goal of the season between the pads of Franklin Pierce senior goaltender Tom McGuckin (Clayton, N.J.) from point-blank range.

Franklin Pierce got the only goal of the second period, with a power-play tally at 8:08. The goal came just three seconds after the expiration of a two-man advantage. From the right point, sophomore forward Shepheard Stahel (Plano, Texas) sent the puck to fellow sophomore forward Cameron Shepardson (Albany, N.Y.) on the right half wall. Shepardson passed the puck into the right-wing corner for senior forward David Wilcox (Stillwater, Maine), who quickly sent a return pass to Shepardson, as the latter drifted out into the right circle. Shepardson held for a beat to get the look he wanted and then snapped his sixth of the season into the top-right corner of the net to even the score. It was Shepardson's fourth goal in the last two games and gave him nine points in his last four appearances (5-4-9).

After the majority of the third period went scoreless, Assumption struck for the game-winner at 18:29. The Greyhounds won a battle in the left-wing corner and sent the puck to the slot, where it was deflected out to the point by Damelio. Junior defenseman Dante Tomassini was on the receiving end of the deflection and teed up his shot from the center of the blue line. With a figurative freeway's worth of traffic in the path of the shot, it was Mahoney who got a piece of the blast in front of the right post to tip it past McGuckin and tally his sixth goal of the campaign, which would stand as the game-winner.

Franklin Pierce got McGuckin to the bench for an extra attacker in the final minute, but sophomore forward Matthew Toombs (Pleasanton, Calif.) received a penalty for charging the goalie at the 19:16 mark, which effectively eliminated any chance for the Ravens to generate pressure in the game's closing moments.

McGuckin (2-8-1) finished with 31 saves against 33 shots in a losing effort in the crease for Franklin Pierce. At the other end of the ice, freshman netminder David Altman (3-1-1) stopped 26 of 27 shots to pick up the win for Assumption.

The Ravens return to the ice on Friday, Jan. 19, when they visit Southern New Hampshire for the front end of an NE10 home-and-home weekend series. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Ice Den in Hooksett, N.H.

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 ice hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).