Dallaire hat trick leads way for Ravens

FOXBOUROUGH, Mass. (February 19, 2011) – Sophomore forward Adam Dallaire (Waltham, Mass.) scored three times to record his first career hat trick on Saturday evening, as the Franklin Pierce University ice hockey team posted a 5-2 win over Stonehill in Northeast-10 Conference play at Foxboro Sports Center. With the victory, Franklin Pierce set a new program record for most wins in a season and clinched the third seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 Championship.

With the win, Franklin Pierce concludes the regular season at 8-17-0 (7-4-0 Northeast-10), while Stonehill falls to 5-16-1 (3-5-1 Northeast-10). The third-place finish is the highest Northeast-10 placement in the history of Ravens ice hockey, which elevated to the varsity level for the 2002-03 season. The 7-4-0 finish marks the first time the team has finished above .500 in Northeast-10 play. Franklin Pierce will host a game in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship on Saturday, Feb. 26, against the sixth seed, which will be either Southern New Hampshire or Stonehill. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon, Mass.

Special teams was the name of the game on Saturday, as the Ravens scored once shorthanded and three times on the power-play, beginning with Dallaire's eighth of the season at the 7:23 mark of the first period. Sophomore forward Dino Federico (Canton, Mass.) and sophomore defenseman Brendan McCarron (Andover, Mass.) provided the assists to give Franklin Pierce a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the night. Junior forward Bill Sullivan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) put home his fourth of the season, shorthanded and unassisted, at 17:47 to make it 2-0 heading into the first intermission.

Franklin Pierce ran the lead to 4-0 with two more goals in the second period. Dallaire struck for the eventual game-winning goal on a five-on-three advantage at 5:35 of the middle stanza off a feed from freshman forward Bryan Colella (Medfield, Mass.). Junior forward Pat Shortt (New Haven, Conn.) followed 3:23 later with his eighth of the season on assists from senior forward Sean Woodring (Rogue River, Ore.) and freshman goaltender Dave O'Brien (Groton, Mass.) to give the Ravens a four-goal lead through two periods.

Stonehill popped home two power-play goals in the first five minutes of the third period to make the game interesting again. Sophomore defenseman Tyler Gordon got both goals, his fourth and fifth of the season, at the 26-second and 4:43 marks, respectively. The first came off assists from senior forward Angelo Todesca and junior forward Pat Greene, while freshman forward Bryan Rooney and sophomore forward Christopher Gorovitz provided the helpers on the second.

A parade to the penalty box began after the second Gordon goal, as Franklin Pierce got five of the next seven power plays over a span of just over 10 minutes, earning numerous chances to put the game out of reach. The Ravens finally capitalized at the 15:47 mark, when Dallaire capped the hat trick with his third goal of the night on assists from Woodring and sophomore defenseman Tyler Cornele (Cape Coral, Fla.).

O'Brien made 45 saves to pick up the win (7-5-0) in net for Franklin Pierce. It was his second 40-save performance of the season. Senior goaltender Derek Chapdelaine stopped 24 shots and took the loss (1-8-1) between the pipes for Stonehill.

Stonehill posted a 47-29 advantage in shots on goal on the night and went 2-for-9 on the power play while surrendering a shorthanded goal along the way. Franklin Pierce finished 3-for-9 with the man-advantage.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).