Men’s Ice Hockey’s Comeback Attempt Comes Up Short in 4-3 Loss at Westfield State

WESTFIELD, Mass. (November 21, 2017) – After falling behind 3-0 in the opening period, the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team twice cut the gap to a single goal on Tuesday night. The Ravens could never get over the hump at Amelia Park Ice Arena, however, as they dropped a 4-3, non-conference decision to host Westfield State. Senior defenseman Donovan Gardiner led the way with a goal and two assists for Westfield State, while sophomore forward Alex Lester (Methuen, Mass.) scored twice in defeat for Franklin Pierce.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 2-5-0, while Westfield State improves to 2-5-0. Franklin Pierce held a 37-25 shots advantage on the night, including 27-12 over the final two periods, but could not dig out of the early hole.

Westfield State struck three times in the opening 16 minutes to build a 3-0 lead it would never relinquish. Gardiner opened the scoring with his second goal of the season at 7:09, off of assists from sophomore forward Rob Neuwirth and freshman defenseman Chavis David. Senior forward Jeremy Young followed up just 1:57 later, at 9:06, with his third of the campaign, off of a setup from sophomore forward Francis-Xavier Girard. Sophomore forward Pearce Vance capped the early outburst at 15:14, as his second of the year came off of helpers from sophomore defenseman Gerard Colpoys and Gardiner.

The Owls had a chance to make it 4-0 at 16:55, as they earned a penalty shot as a result of a hooking infraction against junior defenseman Blaise Kilroy (Spring City, Pa.). Senior goaltender Tom McGuckin (Clayton, N.J.) was up to the challenge, however, as he turned aside the attempt by Neuwirth.

The Ravens struck before the intermission to cut the deficit to 3-1. Slick puck movement on the power play led to Lester's team leading fifth goal of the season at 17:25, while senior forward Evan Marek (Enfield, Conn.) and sophomore forward James Morrissey (West Haven, Conn.), each of who ended up with a pair of assists on the night, added the helpers.

Lester had the only goal of the second period, which was another power-play marker, to close the gap to 3-2. Sophomore forward Shepheard Stahel (Plano, Texas) and Marek provided the assists at the 7:34 mark.

Just before the midpoint of the third period, Westfield State struck for an important insurance goal, which would ultimately stand as the game-winning goal. David fired a shot from the left point, which senior forward Nik Passero was able to re-direct into the top-right corner of the net at 9:16. Gardiner added an assist as well, on Passero's second goal of the year.

Westfield State got into penalty trouble in the latter stages of the period, and Franklin Pierce capitalized on a two-man advantage to close to within 4-3 at 16:39. Sophomore forward Cameron Shepardson (Albany, N.Y.) popped home his first goal of the season amid a scramble in front of the net, while Morrissey and Stahel each contributed their second assists of the contest.

The Ravens would get McGuckin to the bench in favor of the extra attacker for the final 56 seconds, but could do no further damage, as Westfield State held on for the 4-3 win.

McGuckin (1-4-0) tallied 21 saves against 25 shots and suffered the loss in net for Franklin Pierce. In the opposite crease, sophomore goaltender Kameron Limburg (1-4-0) picked up his first win of the season with a 34-save outing, against 37 shots, for Westfield State.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Nov. 25, when they travel to Wesleyan (Conn.) for a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m. at Spurrier-Snyder Rink in Middletown, Conn.

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).