Ravens host playoff game for first time

RINDGE, N.H. (February 27, 2009) – The third-seeded Franklin Pierce University ice hockey team will host a postseason game for the first time in program history on Saturday afternoon, when it plays host to sixth-seeded Stonehill in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. Faceoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at The Winchendon School Ice Arena in Winchendon, Mass. The winner advances to play in a semifinal contest on Wednesday, March 4.

Franklin Pierce (5-17-2, 2-3-0 NE-10) will also look to capture the first postseason victory in program history. The Ravens has been eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament in each of the past five seasons, though it has dropped those five games by only a combined 10 goals, including a pair of one-goal defeats. A win by the Ravens would also match the program record for victories, set a season ago.

Franklin Pierce is led offensively by a pair of players who have racked up just over a point per game through the 24-game regular season. Freshman forward Anthony Chighisola (Whitman, Mass./Williston Northampton) is a Freshman of the Year candidate in the Northeast-10 and has chalked up 26 points, leads the team with 12 goals and ranks second on the squad with 14 assists. His three game-winning goals are the most on the team and his five power-play goals ties for the team lead. Tied with Chighisola for the team scoring lead is junior forward Phil LaBreck (Thornton, N.H./John Stark Regional). LaBreck has also collected 26 points on nine goals and a team-best 17 assists. He has also tallied one game-winning goal and three power-play tallies.

Four other Ravens join the leading pair with double-digit point totals. Senior forward Shane Murphy (Tolland, Conn./The Gunnery School) has amassed 17 points on eight goals and nine assists, while adding a game-winning goal and three power-play scores. Fellow senior forward Jeff Kasper (South Boston, Mass./Catholic Memorial) has notched 14 points with four goals and 10 assists as the third Raven to post double-digit assists this season. Junior forward Casey Goodell (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) has tallied 10 points on seven goals and three assists. Five of Goodell’s seven goals have come with the man advantage. Sophomore forward Sean Woodring (Rogue River, Ore./Rogue River) rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10 points on an even split of five goals and five assists.

In net, junior Jon Tuttle (Concord, N.H./Concord) and freshman Ben Siok (Holden, Mass./St. John’s Shrewsbury) have nearly split the workload so far this season. In 15 games, Tuttle has put together a 4-7-1 record with a 3.89 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage. He also secured the first shutout in program history, with 30 saves in a 4-0 victory at Southern New Hampshire on Jan. 15. In 13 games of his own, Siok has posted a 1-8-1 record with a 4.44 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage. As a team, Franklin Pierce’s 4.53 goals-against average is over a tenth of a goal lower than last season’s performance (4.69).

For Stonehill (8-12-1, 2-3-0 NE-10), senior forward Brendan O’Brien (Braintree, Mass./Deerfield) leads the way with 30 points on seven goals and a team-best 23 assists. He is joined above 20 points by fellow senior forward Paul Reissfelder (Plymouth, Mass./Tilton), who has chalked up 23 points, leads the Skyhawks with 11 goals and is tied for third on the team with 12 assists. Four of his 11 goals have come on the power play, which puts him second on the club, while his three game-winning goals are the most on the team.

Three more Skyhawks have reached the 15-point plateau this season. Senior defenseman James Florentino (West Roxbury, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) has amassed 19 points on six goals and 13 assists. A team-best five of his goals have come on the power play. Senior forward Frank Amato (West Springfield, Mass./Springfield Cathedral) has tallied 17 points on five goals and 12 assists. Junior forward Peter Roundy (Simsbury, Conn./Kimball Union) has posted 16 points on six goals and 10 assists and is one of four Skyhawks, along with Reissfelder and Amato) to find the net while shorthanded.

Sophomore Derek Chapdelaine (Granby, Mass./Springfield Cathedral) has seen about half the action between the pipes for Stonehill this season. In 11 games, he has put together a 6-5-0 record with a 3.69 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage. Chapdelaine has split duties with sophomore Mike Manna (Framingham, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) throughout the year. Though he has been hit with a 2-6-1 record, Manna’s numbers are nearly identical, with a 3.61 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

In the regular season meeting between the two teams, O’Brien tallied a goal and an assist to lead Stonehill to a 6-3 victory on Feb. 14 at The Winchendon School Ice Arena. Six different players scored in the game for the Skyhawks. Murphy tallied a goal and an assist for Franklin Pierce in the loss. The win was the eighth straight in the all-time series for Stonehill, which has defeated Franklin pierce 12 times in 13 tries. The lone Franklin Pierce victory came on Nov. 13, 2003.

The Skyhawks and the Ravens have met twice previously in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships with Stonehill winning at home each time by just a single goal. A year ago, Matt Curran scored 32 seconds into overtime to give Stonehill a 5-4 victory. Florentino caused plenty of problems for the Ravens in that contest, as he chalked up four points on two goals and two assists for Stonehill. The other postseason meeting between the two squads was a 4-3 Stonehill victory on Feb. 29, 2003. Matt Pollara scored twice and added an assist for Stonehill in that game, while Matt DePuydt scored a pair of goals for Franklin Pierce.

If Franklin Pierce wins Saturday’s first-round game, the Ravens will travel to second-seeded Southern New Hampshire for a semifinal contest on Wednesday, March 4. If Stonehill is victorious, the Skyhawks’ semifinal game will be at top-seeded Saint Anselm.

As determined by the Northeast-10 Conference, entrance to the facility will be controlled, with only those who purchase tickets at the main entrance allowed inside. Ticket prices are $6 for adults and $3 for senior citizens, children and students at Northeast-10 Conference institutions. Franklin Pierce students, faculty and staff will be admitted free of charge with their university ID, courtesy of the Franklin Pierce University Department of Athletics.