Tuttle turns away a career-high 35 shots to keep the Ravens close

Boxscore

FITCHBURG, Mass. (February 18, 2008) – Freshman Andrew Jones (Franklin, Mass./ Walpole Express) potted the game-winning goal 21 seconds into overtime as Fitchburg State College escaped with a 3-2 overtime win over Franklin Pierce University in an ECAC Northeast Conference men’s ice hockey matchup on Monday night at the Wallace Civic Center.

Jones sent everyone home on the first shift of the extra session, as he tipped home a shot attempt by classmate Chris Riggs (Sewell, N.J./Fort Vancouver Pioneers) from the right boards. Riggs played a role in all three Falcon goals, as he scored once and assisted on the team’s other two tallies. Freshman John Goffredo (Washingtonville, N.Y./Boston Harbor Wolves) added a goal and an assist for Fitchburg State.

Franklin Pierce received goals from junior Jay Stempniak (West Seneca, N.Y./Johnson & Wales) and freshman Sean Woodring (Rogue River, Ore./Eugene Generals). With his goal, Woodring tied Matt Clemente '06 for the program-record for points by a Raven freshman with 20. Four Ravens also recorded an assist on the night.

Sophomore goaltender Jon Tuttle (Concord, N.H./Concord) played superbly for the Ravens in a losing effort, making a career-high 35 saves on 38 shots. Fitchburg State’s Devan McConnell (Lake Stevens, Wash./St. Louis Jr. Blues) turned away 31-of-33 shots to earn the victory.

After Riggs scored the only goal of the opening period to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead after the first intermission, Stempniak and Woodring scored 4:14 apart early in the second frame to give the Ravens the lead. Stempniak skated in from the left point and received a pass from the left dasher off the stick of senior Ryan Strayer (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Enfield (Conn.)), and he fired a wrist shot into the far side of the net to knot the game at one. Woodring gave the Ravens the lead at the 8:21 mark on the power play, as senior captain Joe Fields (Towamencin, Pa./Green Mountain Glades) found the freshman at the left faceoff dot and Woodring wristed home his seventh of the year.

The Ravens controlled play for much of the second period, but Goffredo re-tied the game with 1:20 remaining in the period while the teams skated four-on-four. The freshman took the rebound of a Riggs shot and forced the puck past Tuttle.

Neither team found the net in the third period, but each team had plenty of chances. Franklin Pierce nearly regained the lead on two occasions, as junior Coursen Schneider (Stony Point, N.Y./Avon Old Farms) rung a shot off the left post from the high slot 4:30 into the frame and, 45 seconds later, a deflection by Stempniak skidded off the ice and caromed off the left post and out. The Falcons’ Billy Pescosolido (Framingham, Mass./Walpole Express) also found the iron midway through the period, but neither team could find the back of the net.

Franklin Pierce (6-16-0, 1-3-0 NE-10, 4-10-0 ECAC NE) returns to the ice on Wednesday night, as the Ravens take on Plymouth State University in Waterville Valley, N.H., at 6 p.m. Fitchburg State (12-8-4, 8-4-3 ECAC NE) finishes up its regular season slate on Saturday night at 7 p.m. against Salve Regina University.