WORCESTER, Mass. (January 27, 2018) – The Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team struck first on Saturday night at Buffone Arena, but the Ravens would later trail Assumption at both intermissions. Down by two with 10 minutes to play, Franklin Pierce struck to cut the gap to one goal in the final six minutes, but could get no closer in a 4-3 loss in Northeast-10 Conference play.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-14-1 (2-7-1 NE10), while Assumption improves to 10-8-2 (6-5-1 NE10). The victory allowed Assumption to complete a sweep of the three-game season series between the two teams.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring in a first period where the two teams combined for three goals. Playing in just his seventh game of the season, junior forward Lucas Luppino (Wyckoff, N.J.) potted his first goal of the season at the 8:50 mark, unassisted.

The lead was short-lived, as Assumption evened things at 1-1 just 45 seconds later. Senior forward Tommy Mahoney had the finish on his 11^th goal of the season, off of assists from junior forward Matt Damelio and senior forward Brian Farrell, at 9:35.

The Greyhounds would claim a 2-1 lead less than a minute before the first intermission, at 19:02. The same line struck again, with Damelio notching his eighth of the campaign this time, while Mahoney and Farrell tacked on the assists on the power-play marker.

The Ravens tied things up at 2-2 as the game neared its midway point, with a power-play goal of their own. At 6:21 of the second stanza, junior defenseman Jack Williams (Suffield, Conn.) notched his fourth goal of the year, with assists credited to junior forward Nate Indelicato (Pembroke, Mass.) and sophomore forward Cameron Shepardson (Albany, N.Y.).

Again, Assumption claimed the lead shortly before the intermission, this time at the 18:05 mark, with another power-play score. Junior forward Peter McDonough found the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season, off of a setup from senior defenseman Matt Cowles and senior forward Cam Laughlin.

Assumption added an insurance marker just shy of the midway point of the third period. McDonough provided an assist this time, as he combined with senior defenseman Brian Pickett to set up the sixth score of the season for freshman forward John Chamberlain, at 8:18

The insurance goal proved extremely important for the Greyhounds, as Franklin Pierce found the net again at the 14:17 mark. Senior forward David Wilcox (Stillwater, Maine) tallied his fifth goal of the campaign, off of an assist from freshman defenseman Paul Antkowiak (Salem, N.H.) to cut the gap to 4-3.

The Ravens -- who were outshot on the night, 36-18 -- got senior goaltender Tom McGuckin (Clayton, N.J.) to the bench in favor of an extra attacker for the final 51 seconds, but could get no closer. Chamberlain's third-period goal stood as the game-winner, as Assumption skated away with a 4-3 win and the series sweep.

McGuckin (3-11-1) finished with 32 saves against 36 shots on goal in the losing effort in the crease for Franklin Pierce. At the other end of the ice, sophomore netminder David Zulauf (6-4-1) needed just 15 saves against 18 shots to pick up the win in front of the Assumption net.

The Ravens return to the ice on Tuesday, Jan. 30, when they return home to host Post in a non-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 ice hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).