Reynolds leads Ravens with two goals in tie

ASHBURNHAM, Mass. (Jan. 7, 2006) - The Franklin Pierce Ice Hockey team skated to 6-6 tie with Western New England College in ECAC Northeast  Conference action tonight at the Theodore Iorio Arena. Freshman Jake Rinaldo (Union, N.J./New Jersey Jr. Rockets) led all scorers, totaling a game-high three points on three assists for the Golden Bears.

Franklin Pierce took an early 3-1 lead in the first period, as sophomore Ben Reynolds (Wallingford, Pa./Green Mountain Glades) notched his first goal of the game just 7:08 into the game off a Raven power play.  Junior Chuck Matthews (Needham, Mass./Bridgton Academy)  and senior tri-captain Jason Pierce (Maynard, Mass./Nashoba Regional) each added one goal apiece in the first period to give the Ravens the early advantage.

Western New England College would rally back early, scoring two goals in the first 1:30 of the second period. Freshman Hank Levin (Lido Beach, N.Y./New York Junior Apple Core) notched his sixth goal of the season just 53 seconds into the period  off a feed from Rinaldo. Junior forward Mike Amato (Mt. Laurel, N.J./ New Jersey Jaguars) would strike again for the Golden Bears just 30 seconds later to even the match at 3-3.

Franklin Pierce would add three more goals in the second period off scores by Reynolds, sophomore Joe Fields (Lansdale, Pa./Green Mountain Glades),  and freshman Jeff Kasper (South Boston, Mass./Catholic Memorial) to take a 6-4 lead into the third period.

In the third period, it was all Western New England as the Golden Bears found the back of the net twice to even the score at 6-6. Freshman Phillip Lamy (Manchester, N.H./Kents Hill Prep) scored his first collegiate goal just 7:46 into the third period, while classmate Mike Majesty (Chicago, IL./Toledo Cherokee) scored his second goal of the game to send the match into overtime.  

In overtime, both teams had scoring opportunities but neither team could capitalize. Franklin Pierce senior goaltender Dennis Millman (Billerica, Mass./Kimball Union) stopped 40 shots in net, including five in overtime, while Western New England goaltender Brian Essig (Saddle Brook, N.J./ Utah Valley Golden Eagles) notched 35 saves in the tie.

Franklin Pierce (1-9-3, 0-5-2 ECAC NE, and 1-3-0 NE-10) will be in action next Saturday as it hosts Salve Regina at 4:30 p.m. Western New England College (1-7-2, 0-4-1 ECAC NE) will be in action again tomorrow as it hosts Plymouth State College at 1:15 p.m.

GAME STATISTICS

Franklin Pierce 6, Western New England 6
Western N.E. (1-7-2, 0-4-1 ECAC NE)          1          3          2          0          6
Franklin Pierce (1-9-3, 0-5-2 ECAC NE)        3          3          0          0          6

Scoring Summary
First Period: FP:Ben Reynolds (Shawn Dooley, Courson Schneider), 7:08; WNE: Mike Majesty (Phillip Lamy), 7:51; FP: Jason Pierce (Joseph Fields), 12:27; Chuck Matthews (Jeff Kasper, Brian DelSavio), 17:49
Second Period: WNE: Hank Levin (Jake Rinaldo), 0:53; WNE: Mike Amato (Nick Sampson, Joe Balog), 1:25; FP: Reynolds (Mark Gibbons), 10:43; WNE: Pat Tamez (Amato), 11:02; FP: Fields (Pierce), 12:38; FP: Kasper (DelSavio), 19:49
Third Period: WNE: Lamy (Rinaldo), 7:46; WNE: Majesty (Rinaldo, Essig), 16:13
Goaltenders:
FP: Dennis Millman (65:00), 36 saves
WNE: Brian Essig (65:00), 39 saves
Stars
1^st Star - Mike Majesty (WNE)
2^nd Star- Jason Pierce (FP)
3^rd Star- Ben Reynolds (FP)