Assumption Knocks off Franklin Pierce, 11-8
Ravens eliminated from Northeast-10 Tournament; finish season with program record for wins
WORCESTER, Mass. (February 26, 2005) - The fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce ice hockey team suffered an 11-8 loss to fourth-seeded Assumption College tonight in quarterfinal action of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament at the Charles Buffone Rink in Worcester, Mass.
In a scoring explosion, 25 players contributed points, including 13 members of the Ice Dogs. Junior Kevin Cotter (Franklin, Mass./Catholic Memorial) poured in five points on a goal and four assists, while classmate Steve Snizek (Harrisville, R.I./Mt. St. Charles) tallied a hat-trick, and senior Greg Bigelow (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) dished out four assists. Freshman Jim Trahon (Needham, Mass./Salisbury School) totaled two goals and an assist, and junior Brain Blanchette (Woonsocket, R.I./Mt. St. Charles) chipped in with three helpers.
Franklin Pierce got solid production out of a pair of freshmen. Joseph Fields (Lansdale, Pa./Green Mountain Glades) and Trevor Clark (Randolph, Mass./Randolph) each contributed three points on two goals and an assist. Sophomore Brian DelSavio (Orangeburg, N.Y./Pearl River) and junior Mark Gibbons (Quincy, Mass./Archbishop Williams) chipped in with two assists apiece, while junior Jason Pierce (Maynard, Mass./Nashoba Regional) notched two points on a goal and an assist. Pierce became the program's all-time single-season points leader with 21.
Snizek took advantage of a power-play opportunity 5:47 into the contest to give the hosts an early 1-0 advantage. Franklin Pierce evened things less than two minutes later, when sophomore Duke Kelley (Bedford, N.H./Tupelo T-Rex) beat Ice Dogs junior goaltender Sean O'Leary (Windham, Maine/Westbrook).
Assumption ran off the next three consecutive goals. Trahon started the rally, as he intercepted a pass at the Ravens blue line, broke in all alone and netted a short-handed goal at the 8:37 mark of the first period. Junior Geno DeAngelis (Wintrop, Mass./Wintrop) and senior Scott Hersom (Gardiner, Maine/Hebron Academy) tallied in the 18th and 19th minutes of the opening stanza to give the hosts a 4-1 advantage heading into the first intermission.
Clark and Fields connected twice to open the scoring in the second frame. Clark took a feed from Fields just 1:06 into the period, and returned the favor 3:20 later, bringing Franklin Pierce to within a goal. The Ice Dogs answered with their second three-goal rally of the contest, opening up a 7-3 lead.
Franklin Pierce clawed their way back with straight markers of their own. Fields scored the first of these late in the second period, and Franklin Pierce cut the lead to 7-6 on goals by junior Shawn Dooley (Rockland, Mass./Archbishop Williams) and Pierce early in the third period.
Trahon gave Assumption a two-goal cushion in the fifth minute of the final frame, but the visitors refused to go away as sophomore Chuck Matthews (Needham, Mass./Bridgton Academy) found the cage less than two minutes later to reduce the lead to a goal once again.
Franklin Pierce could get no closer though, as Cotter collected the game-winner at the 6:34 mark of the third stanza, and Snizek completed his hat trick with two late goals. Assumption held off a pesky Ravens squad down the stretch to preserve an 11-8 victory.
The hosts out-shot Franklin Pierce 45-29. O'Leary saved 21 shots en route to earning the victory. Junior Dennis Millman (Billerica, Mass./Kimball Union) started the game for the Ravens, stopping 12 shots before giving way to classmate Robert Arduini (Fulton, N.Y./G. Ray Bodley) after the first period. Arduini played the next 27:37, saving 15 shots in a losing effort. Millman played the remainder of the game and stopped an additional seven shots.
Fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce (6-15-2, 1-4-1 NE-10, 5-12-1 ECAC NE) wrapped up its season with a program record six wins overall. Fourth-seeded Assumption (12-11-3, 2-3-0 NE-10, 9-8-2 ECAC NE) advances to the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. They will visit top-seeded Saint Anselm College on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.