Penmen advance to ECAC Division II Championship Semifinals with victory over Ravens

HOOKSETT, N.H. - Sophomore Kurt Lytle and freshman James Crank both netted two goals to lead third-seeded Southern New Hampshire University to a 7-2 victory over sixth-seeded Franklin Pierce tonight at The Ice Den in opening round action of the 2003 ECAC Division II hockey championship.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring just 2:38 into the game when freshman Matt Clemente's (Middletown, N.J./Laconia Leafs) wrist shot from outside the blueline snuck past SNHU goaltender Tim Fewster. It marked his team-leading 13th goal of the year. The Penmen answered just 26 seconds later when Lytle scored on a breakaway, and the Penmen took the lead for good 1:32 later following a powerplay goal by junior Dan Brown. The Penmen took a 3-1 lead into the second period and held a 5-1 lead after two periods.

Junior John Lavery and freshman Howell Smith also scored for the Penmen, while senior Vin Forgione and freshmen Chris White and Brent Bousquet each recorded two assists. Junior Mike Sabini (New Paltz, N.Y./Newburgh Polar Bears) scored Franklin Pierce's second goal. Fewster went the distance in net for the Penmen and stopped 20 shots. Freshman Dennis Millman (Billerica, Mass./Kimball Union) made 23 saves over the first two period and finished with 30 saves for the Ravens.

The Penmen improved to 12-10-3 following their fourth-straight win, while the Ravens closed out their first season as a varsity program at 0-22-1. SNHU advances to face second-seeded Saint Anselm College (8-13-3) in the tournament semifinals Wednesday, March 5. Game time is 6 p.m. at Tri Town Arena. The Hawks and Penmen battled to a 1-1 OT tie earlier this year in the opening round of the PAL Cup. Top-seeded Saint Michael's College (9-13-2) will host fifth-seeded Assumption College (11-14-1) in the other semifinal game. The highest remaining seed will host the tournament championship game Saturday, March 8.

-Courtesy of Southern New Hampshire University Sports Information-

Southern New Hampshire 7, Franklin Pierce 2