Shortt (2-1-3), Dunn (1-2-3) finish with three points each

WORCESTER, Mass. (February 8, 2012) – Senior forward Pat O'Kane scored his second goal of the game with 90 seconds to play in overtime on Wednesday evening to lift Assumption to a 6-5 win over the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team in Northeast-10 Conference play at Buffone Rink. Senior forward Pat Shortt (New Haven, Conn.) and junior forward Sean Dunn (Quincy, Mass.) tallied three points each in defeat for Franklin Pierce.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-11-4 (4-4-2 Northeast-10), while Assumption improves to 11-8-1 (7-2-1 Northeast-10). With the result, the two teams posted a 1-1-1 mark in the three-game season series and have each earned a point in the Northeast-10 standings.

Franklin Pierce has no further points up for grabs in its remaining schedule and currently sits a point in front of Stonehill for the fourth and final spot in the Northeast-10 Championship. Stonehill has single-game series remaining at Saint Michael's (Feb. 14) and home against Saint Anselm (Feb. 21), with two points up for grabs in each game. Any combination of two or more points for the Skyhawks in those games will eliminate the Ravens from postseason contention, while an 0-1-1 mark by Stonehill would force a tie for the final spot. As Franklin Pierce and Stonehill split their own season series, some tiebreaker criteria would depend on the finish of the Conference's other teams.

The teams traded the lead back and forth multiple times in a five-goal third period to open the evening. Junior forward Keven Meehan started the scoring with a power-play goal 3:07 into the contest to stake Assumption to a 1-0 lead. Senior center Taylor Larsen provided the lone assist on Meehan's seventh of the season.

Sophomore forward Bryan Colella (Medfield, Mass.) and Dunn struck in a span of 3:51 to vault the Ravens to a 2-1 lead. First, at the 9:25 mark, Colella notched his second of the season, as sophomore forward Brandon Dennis (Williamsport, Md.) and senior forward Justin Adams (Homer, Alaska) added the assists. At the 13:16 mark, Dunn and Shortt teamed up in a 4-on-4 situation, with the former scoring his fourth of the year and the latter providing the only assist.

In the final five minutes of the opening stanza, Assumption would score twice in a span of 2:28 to reclaim a one-goal lead at 3-2. With 4:03 to play in the period, sophomore defenseman Nick Mattiello notched his 11th of the season, an unassisted tally on the power play. With 95 seconds remaining until the intermission, O'Kane put the Greyhounds out front with his 10th of the season, while sophomore forward Kyle Zobler and senior defenseman Kevin Glanzman contributed the assists.

Things would not get much quieter in the second frame, as each team scored twice on the way to a 5-4 Assumption advantage heading into the second intermission. Zobler pushed the Greyhound lead to two goals with a power-play goal just 43 seconds into the period. Mattiello and Meehan added the helpers on Zobler's fourth of the season.

Franklin Pierce would re-tie the game, this time at 4-4, before six minutes had elapsed in the middle period, as junior defenseman Tyler Cornele (Cape Coral, Fla.) and Shortt struck just 3:19 apart. On the power play at the 2:29 mark, Cornele's fourth of the season came off an assist from Dennis. At the 5:48 mark, Shortt and Dunn teamed up again, this time with the latter assisting the former on Shortt's fifth of the campaign.

With the Ravens on the power play again later in the period, Larsen scored on an unassisted shorthanded surge to give the lead back to Assumption at 5-4. His first shorthanded goal of the season came at the 12:27 mark and was his 11th goal of the year.

After nine goals in the first two periods, the third would feature just one goal, as Shortt brought the Ravens even once more with his second goal of the season. Again, the assist came from Dunn at the 3:32 mark before the two clubs played the remaining 16:28 of regulation without another goal.

Over three minutes of overtime would go without a goal as well, before O'Kane potted the game-winner at the 3:30 mark. Zobler completed his three-point night (1-2-3) by picking up the lone assist on O'Kane's second of the evening.

Sophomore goaltender Dave O'Brien (Groton, Mass.) started in goal for Franklin Pierce and made 17 saves against 22 shots before being pulled after the Larsen shorthanded goal. Senior Ben Siok (Holden, Mass.) stopped 18 of 19 shots sent his way over the final 31:03, but was saddled with the loss (2-4-0) after allowing the overtime game-winner. Sophomore Bobby Bowden went the distance and made 59 saves to pick up the win (8-2-1) in front of the Assumption net.

Franklin Pierce posted a 64-41 advantage in shots on goal in the game and went 1-for-6 on the power play. Assumption finished 3-for-5 with the man-advantage.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Feb. 18, when they return home to host Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon.

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).