Corsairs score twice in each of the first two periods to earn the victory

Boxscore

WINCHENDON, Mass. (February 9, 2008) – The University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth scored the first four goals of the game in skating to a 4-1 victory over Franklin Pierce University on Senior Night in a ECAC Northeast Conference men’s ice hockey matchup on Saturday at the Winchendon School Ice Arena.

Four different Corsairs scored in the victory, led by first-period tallies by freshman Jason Stahl (Londonderry, N.H./Valley Jr. Warriors) and senior Jeff Grant (Burlington, Mass./Austin Prep). The team also received scores from seniors Mike McNulty (Hingham, Mass./The Winchendon School) and Jon Finn (Warwick, R.I./Boston Harborwolves), while freshman Billy Manning (Stoughton, Mass./Bridgewater Jr. Bandits) added a game-high two assists.

Freshman Collin Tracy (Medford, Mass./Medford) made his first career start for UMass Dartmouth and made 25 saves to earn his first collegiate victory. Franklin Pierce sophomore Jon Tuttle (Concord, N.H./Concord) made his third consecutive start for the Ravens and stopped 25 shots on 29 attempts.

Despite being out-shot by five (13-8) in the opening 20 minutes, UMass Dartmouth used an efficient power play to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Only 20 seconds after Raven sophomore Rob Perretta (Staten Island, N.Y./Brockville Tiki's) went into the box for elbowing at 6:35, Grant picked up a loose puck in front of Tuttle and stuffed it home for the game’s first goal. Later in the period, with Perretta again in the penalty box, Stahl picked up the rebound of a Graeme Bourne (Redlands, Calif./Campbell River Storm) and took a shot at the right post that found the back of the net.

Franklin Pierce looked to get on the board in the first minute of the second period, but a Raven goal was called off after the referees ruled that the puck was thrown into the UMass Dartmouth net.

The Corsairs then doubled the lead with the first two tallies of the middle frame. McNulty increased the lead to three 5:14 into the period after taking a pass from behind the net off the stick of Billy Carroll (Duxbury, Mass./Bridgton Academy) and scoring to the far side of the net. Then at the 10:42 mark, Finn fired a slap-shot from the right point that eluded Tuttle’s blocker high to the left corner.

Perretta got the Ravens on the board with his fourth of the season on the power play, as he picked up the rebound of a shot by senior captain Joe Fields (Towamencin, Pa./Green Mountain Glades) and beat Tracy. Freshman Sean Woodring (Rogue River, Ore./Eugene Generals) also assisted on the goal, which came at 16:15 of the second period.

In a game that matched up UMass Dartmouth’s national top-five penalty kill and Franklin Pierce’s nation-best power play, the Ravens could only score on one of its seven man-advantage chances on the evening. The Corsairs, meanwhile, scored twice on four power-play opportunities.

Franklin Pierce (6-15, 1-3-0 NE-10, 4-9-0 ECAC NE) will take to the road for its final three games of the regular season, beginning at Fitchburg State College on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. UMass Dartmouth (11-8-1, 9-3-0 ECAC NE) will return home to take on Wentworth Institute of Technology on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.