Fields ties career goals record and sets new all-time assists mark with two goals and an assist

Boxscore

WINCHENDON, Mass. (January 9, 2008) – Saint Anselm College jumped out to a 4-0 lead midway through the second period and then held off a hard-charging Franklin Pierce University squad to earn a 6-5 Northeast-10 Conference men’s ice hockey victory on Wednesday night at the Winchendon School Ice Arena.

Saint Anselm senior Shane Masotta (Woburn, Mass./Tilton School) scored his first goal of the season 8:16 into the third period to account for the game-winning tally, as he took a cross ice pass from Colin Fitzpatrick (Westwood, Mass./Kimball Union) and wristed the puck into the left side of the net.

Fitzpatrick was one of five Hawks to record at least two points on the evening, led by a three-point effort (a goal and two assists) from senior Pat Forshner (Natick, Mass./Avon Old Farms). Fitzpatrick and Tom Kerwin (Whitman, Mass./Boston Bulldogs) each had a goal and an assist on the night, while Mike Nunzianto (Guilford, Conn./Connecticut Wolves) and Mike Foley (Medford, Mass./Philips Andover) each had two assists.

Senior captain Joe Fields (Towamencin, Pa./Green Mountain Glades) once again led the Raven attack with a pair of goals and an assist for three points. The senior right wing became the school’s all-time leader in assists with a third-period helper, recording his 42nd career assist and breaking a tie with Mark Gibbons ’06. His two goals also moved him into a tie for first place on the program’s all-time goals scored list, tying the 34 tallies of former teammate Brian DelSavio ’07.

Fellow senior captain Pete Wilson (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) also had a three-point night for the second consecutive game, notching his seventh goal of the season and adding two assists. Freshman Eric Spalt (Barnstable, Mass./New Hampton School) chipped in with a goal and an assist for his first career multi-point game, while senior Ryan Strayer (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Enfield (Conn.)) added a goal for Franklin Pierce as well.

Saint Anselm jumped out to a 4-0 lead with 10:28 elapsed in the second period after scoring once in the opening period and then scoring three times in a span of 3:51 early in the middle frame. John Hennessey (Westwood, Mass./Thayer Academy) capped the flurry with his second of the year at 10:28, taking a pass from Foley in the high slot and deking past freshman netminder Jeremy Rossignolo (Rochester, N.Y./Springfield Pics) in a one-on-one chance.

The Ravens did not quit, however, as the team scored three consecutive power-play goals to get back into the game. Fields began the Raven run with 20 seconds left in the second period, tipping home a shot from the left point by Wilson. After Spalt began the third period with an unassisted tally after intercepting a clearing attempt at the blue line, Wilson beat Ryan Henry (Norwood, Mass./Kimball Union) through a screen from the blue line to make it a 4-3 game.

But Saint Anselm responded swiftly, scoring twice in 46 seconds to regain a three-goal edge at 6-3. Forshner tallied his fifth of the year at 7:30, taking a pass from behind the net by Nick Wheeler (Nashua, N.H./New England Jr. Huskies) and finding the net from the top of the crease. Less than a minute later, Masotta recorded the eventual game-winner at 8:16.

Franklin Pierce scored twice in the final five minutes to return the deficit to one, but the team could get no closer. Strayer scored his second of the year at 15:55 after a Wilson shot deflected off his skate and in, while Fields found the top right corner of the net from a tough angle with one minute remaining in the contest.

With Strayer’s tally, the Ravens were successful on 4-of-7 power-play attempts against the Hawks. On the season, the Ravens are second in the nation with a 32.7 success rate (33-of-101) with the man advantage. Nine of the team’s last 11 goals have come on the power play.

Henry earned the victory in his first collegiate game for Saint Anselm by making 23 saves. For Franklin Pierce, Rossignolo stopped 26 shots in a losing effort.

Franklin Pierce (4-10-0, 0-3-0 NE-10, 2-5-0 ECAC NE) will continue its four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon, when the team hosts Southern New Hampshire University in a non-conference matchup beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saint Anselm (5-1-3, 2-0-0 NE-10, 1-1-3 ECAC East) returns to the ice Friday at 1 p.m. against Colby.