Mills tallies goal, assist

WINCHENDON, Mass. (December 3, 2011) – Junior forward Tom Mills (Oxford, England) recorded a goal and an assist on Saturday night, but it would not be enough for the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team, which dropped a 6-3 decision to Stonehill in Northeast-10 Conference play at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Junior forward Dana Borges dished out four assists for Stonehill in the victory.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 1-4-2 (1-1-1 Northeast-10), while Stonehill improves to 3-6-0 (2-1-0 Northeast-10). The two teams will meet later this season on Jan. 23 at Stonehill and on Feb. 4 back in Winchendon. The Skyhawks hold the advantage in the season series now, forcing the Ravens to win both remaining games to pick up the two Northeast-10 standings points for the series victory.

The goals came early an often in the first period, with each team striking twice. Junior defenseman Min Seong Kim opened the scoring for Stonehill at the 4:42 mark with his first of the season after Borges forced a turnover in the attacking end. Franklin Pierce answered 2:15 later, when Mills fed the puck into the slot to senior forward Kevin Quinn (West Linn, Ore.), who snapped home his first career goal.

Stonehill would jump back in front only 1:50 after the Quinn goal, when junior defenseman Tyler Gordon tracked down a loose puck in the left circle and slipped a shot through traffic and into the net for his first of the season. Freshman forward Kevin Aufiero and Borges added the assists.

Stonehill would retain the lead until the latter stages of the first period, when sophomore forward Brandon Dennis (Williamsport, Md.) brought the Ravens level heading into the intermission with his second goal of the season. With Franklin Pierce on the power play, sophomore defenseman Kyle Craig (Quincy, Mass.) sent the puck toward the net, leading to a scramble in the high slot. Dennis found the puck first and put it home, while junior defenseman Tyler Cornele (Cape Coral, Fla.) picked up an assist as well.

The two teams would trade goals in the second period, leaving the game tied at 3-3 heading to the third stanza. In the second, freshman defenseman Brendan Greene's first career goal put Stonehill back out front at the 7:27 mark, as he put home the rebound of a shot by sophomore forward Garrett Lessard. Mills drew the Ravens even with 2:57 to play in the frame, as he put away his first of the season amidst a scramble in front of the crease. Junior forward Sean Dunn (Quincy, Mass.) and senior forward Bill Sullivan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) picked up the helpers.

Stonehill would take control in the third period, as the Skyhawks outshot Franklin Pierce 12-5 over the final 20 minutes. With the goaltender pulled for the extra attacker in a delayed-penalty situation, sophomore forward Bill Carey's second of the season would prove to be the game-winner at the 3:55 mark. Junior goaltender Pat Dunn (Quincy, Mass.) made the initial save on a shot by Stonehill senior forward Pat Greene, but the rebound went to Carey just inside the faceoff dot in the left circle, and he converted before the goalie could recover.

The Skyhawks potted a pair of insurance markers just 52 seconds apart in the final five minutes of regulation to put the game away. First, at 15:01, Pat Greene sprung junior forward Christopher Gorovitz on a partial breakaway inside the blue line. Though Pat Dunn stayed with Gorovitz's deke to the right post and got a piece of the puck, the shot popped into the air and fell into the net for Gorovitz's fifth of the season. Then, at 15:53, Borges sent sophomore forward Bryan Rooney on a clean breakaway with a feed from the neutral zone. Rooney snapped a shot from the slot that beat the goaltender cleanly for his third of the season to create the 6-3 final.

Pat Dunn made 21 saves and took the loss (0-2-1) between the pipes for Franklin Pierce. Freshman Chris Tasiopoulos stopped 25 shots to pick up the win (3-5-0) in front of the Stonehill net.

Franklin Pierce posted a 28-27 advantage in shots on goal in the game and went 1-for-6 on the power play. Stonehill finished 0-for-4 with the man-advantage.

The Ravens return to the ice on Wednesday, Dec. 7, when they travel to Nichols for a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. at Levy Rink in Harrisville, R.I. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Friday, Dec. 9 against University of New England at 7 p.m.

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).