WORCESTER, Mass. (February 5, 2021) -- Unexpectedly, it took 335 days for the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team to return to the ice after the team's appearance in the Northeast-10 Conference title game last spring. The Ravens barely missed a beat though, as sophomore forward Conor Foley (Nahant, Mass.) and freshman forward Nick Weaver (Rio Rancho, N.M.) scored in the first period and Franklin Pierce never looked back. Foley would add a second tally later on, and the Ravens rolled to a 4-1 road win over Becker at Worcester Ice Center on Friday night.

With the win, Franklin Pierce opens its abbreviated 2021 season at 1-0-0, while Becker falls to 0-1-0. The two teams will meet again on Saturday at Franklin Pierce to wrap up the weekend series. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon.

After nearly 11 months between games, the Ravens needed just 6:45 to get on the board on Friday night. In the neutral zone, sophomore forward Tyler Rudek (Woonsocket, R.I.) sent the puck to sophomore forward Jackson Dobek (Natick, Mass.), who tipped it deep into the Becker end. Dobek raced to track down the puck behind the net on the left side and slipped it back to the top of the crease for the trailing Foley, who popped home the season's first goal.

Franklin Pierce followed up in the final minute of the first and took a 2-0 lead at 19:08. Sophomore forward Dom Norris (Thurmont, Md.) led a partial 3-on-2 into the offensive end and junior forward Ryan Gorbett (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) had a hand in the play as well, before the puck wound up on the stick of Weaver at the top of the left circle. The freshman buried his shot from there for his first collegiate goal.

Becker halved the deficit at the 9:08 mark of the second, on a give-and-go play on the right-wing side of the offensive zone. Junior forward Charles Costello tracked a loose puck down on the right half-wall and sent it back to the point for freshman defenseman Tanner Coleman. Coleman held for a couple beats, then sent it back to Costello at the top of the right circle. Costello used a toe drag to open his shooting lane and picked the top-left corner.

Franklin Pierce answered just 2:54 later, with a power-play marker at 12:02. From the left point, Gorbett sent the puck to Norris, who was along the goal line to the left-wing side of the goal. Norris slipped a pass to the top of the crease for Foley, who finished off his second goal of the night on a second-chance opportunity out front.

Just 71 seconds later, at 13:13, the Ravens pushed the lead out to the 4-1 final. Freshman forward Trevor Lawler (East Bridgewater, Mass.) blocked a shot at the right point and the puck ricocheted away into the neutral zone, which sprung junior forward Anthony Nikolopoulos (Burlington, Mass.) the other way on a breakaway. Nikolopoulos went to his left and finished on the backhand to cap the scoring.

Junior goaltender Adam Carman (Vestal, N.Y.) made just his third career start and picked up the win (1-0-0) in net for the Ravens with 36 saves against 37 shots. Senior Zach Skop (0-1-0) stopped 25 of 29 shots and suffered the loss for Becker at the other end of the ice.