Northeast-10 Conference Tournament First Round #5 Franklin Pierce (6-15-2, 1-4-1 NE-10) at #4 Assumption (11-11-3, 2-3-0 NE-10 Saturday, February 26 7:35 p.m.

RINDGE, N.H. (Feb. 24, 2005) - The fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce ice hockey team will visit fourth-seeded Assumption College in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament on Saturday, February 26 in Worcester, Mass.

Franklin Pierce rounded out its regular season slate with an overall mark of 6-15-2, setting a new program record for wins in a season. The Ravens collected their first ever win in Northeast-10 Conference play, defeating Stonehill College 5-3, and their record of 5-12-1 in ECAC Northeast Conference competition was their best of all-time.

Assumption finished with an overall record of 11-11-3, while going 2-3-0 in Northeast-10 play and 9-8-2 in ECAC Northeast competition.

Saturday will mark the first postseason meeting between the squads and sixth overall. The Ice Dogs own a 4-1-1 advantage in the all-time series, and the two clubs met twice this season. Assumption defended its home ice on November 17, 2004, defeating the Ravens 3-2, while the teams battled to a 2-2 tie on January 29 at Franklin Pierce.

Juniors Jason Pierce (Maynard, Mass./Nashoba Regional) and Mark Gibbons (Quincy, Mass./Archbishop Williams), along with freshman Ben Reynolds (Wallingford, Pa./Green Mountain Glades) and senior Matt DePuydt (Houghton, Mich./SUNY-Canton) lead the Franklin Pierce offensive attack.

Pierce leads all Ravens with 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists. His three power-play markers are tops on the team, and he netted the game-winner in a 6-5 win versus Castleton. Pierce also registered the game-tying goal with just under ten seconds remaining in regulation in the teams' most recent meeting.

Gibbons has been a strong contributor on the offensive end from his defensive slot, totaling six goals and a program record 12 assists. He has one power-play goal and notched the game-winner in a 6-5 win at Suffolk. Reynolds has made an immediate impact on the program in his first year, posting five goals and ten helpers for 15 points. The freshman has also taken advantage of three-power play opportunities for the Ravens. DePuydt is next with 14 points on four goals and ten assists. He has also tallied three power-play goals in his final collegiate campaign.

The Franklin Pierce defense is anchored by senior Chris Pryputniewicz (Berlin, Conn./Fitchburg State) and junior Matt Berthiaume (Rochdale, Mass./St. John's of Shrewsbury) along with sophomores Mike Anderson (Keene, N.H./Laconia Leafs) and Duke Kelley (Bedford, N.H./Tupelo T-Rex). The quartet has helped limit Ravens opponents to 4.78 goals per contest.

Junior Dennis Millman (Billerica, Mass./Kimball Union) has been the featured goaltender for Franklin Pierce. He has posted a record of 5-12-2, a goals against average of 4.54 and a save percentage of .884 in 1083 minutes played this season.

Senior Scott Hersom (Gardiner, Maine/Hebron Academy) had racked up 31 points to lead the Ice Dogs. He has recorded team-highs in all major categories, including goals (14), assists (17) and power-play goals (4). Junior Jeff Illoven (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) is next with 27 points on 10 goals and a team-best 17 assists, while classmate Bobby Fanciullo (Medford, Massachusetts/Arlington Catholic) has netted ten goals and assisted on ten others for 20 points. His two game-winning goals are tops on the squad. Fellow junior Geno DeAngelis (Wintrop, Mass./Winthrop) has chipped in with 11 goals and six assists. He has two game-winners this year, one of which came versus the Ravens.

Juniors Mike Sweeney (Plymouth, Mass./BC High) and Sean O'Leary (Windham, Mass./Westbrook) have shared time between the pipes for Assumption. Sweeney has contributed a goals against average of 5.34 and a save percentage of .841 en route to a record of 4-6-2 in 663 minutes played, while O'Leary is 2-4-1 with a goals against average of 4.75 and a save percentage of .868 in 568 minutes played.

The winner of Saturday's tilt will go on to visit top-seeded Saint Anselm College for a semifinal clash on Wednesday. Second-seeded Saint Michael's awaits the winner of Saturday's other quarterfinal matchup between third-seeded Southern New Hampshire University and sixth-seeded Stonehill College. The Northeast-10 Championship is set for Saturday, March 5 at the home rink of the highest remaining seed.

Links

-Assumption 3, Franklin Pierce 2 - November 17, 2004
-Assumption 2, Franklin Pierce 2 - January 29, 2005

-Franklin Pierce Statistics
-Assumption Statistics
-Northeast-10 Individual and Team Leaders

Northeast-10 Conference Tournament
Quarterfinals - Saturday, February 26
Game 1 - #6 Stonehill at #3 Southern New Hampshire - 7:30 p.m.
Game 2 - #5 Franklin Pierce at #4 Assumption - 7:35 p.m.
Semifinals - Wednesday, March 2
Game 3 - Game 1 winner at #2 Saint Michael's - 7:00 p.m.
Game 4 - Game 2 winner at #1 Saint Anselm - 7:00 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, March 5 - at highest remaining seed
Game 5 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner

Northeast-10 Final Standings