Haun dishes out two assists

FITCHBURG, Mass. (December 5, 2015) – Sophomore forward Sean Gargin (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored twice on Saturday afternoon, but it was the only two goals the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team could muster in a 6-2 loss to Fitchburg State in non-conference play at Wallace Civic Center. Six different players scored in the victory for Fitchburg State.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 1-9-0, while Fitchburg State improves to 5-4-1.

Gargin got the scoring started just 2:28 into the proceedings on Saturday, to give the Ravens the early 1-0 lead. Sophomore forward Jonathan Haun (Buffalo, N.Y.) provided the lone assist on Gargin's third goal of the season. The lead would last just 49 seconds however, as sophomore forward James Gordon answered for Fitchburg State at the 3:17 mark. Junior forward Jon Johannesson and senior forward Paul Falanga had the helpers on Gordon's second of the season.

Fitchburg State would score twice in a hurry after the midpoint of the period, before ultimately taking a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. At the 12:03 mark, freshman forward Nick DiNicola put home his third of the campaign, off of assists from senior forwards Max Lorenzen and Tim Genova. Just 40 seconds later, at 12:43, junior forward Mike Fish and senior forward Ryan Connolly set up the second of the season for sophomore forward Corey Hayashi, which would ultimately stand as the game-winning goal.

The Ravens got into penalty trouble in the second stanza, as six penalties led to five Fitchburg State power plays. Ultimately, Franklin Pierce would surrender a pair of 5-on-3 goals in the frame, which allowed the Falcons to stretch the lead to 5-1 and all but put the game away. At the 6:38 mark, senior forward Nat Rojas picked up his third goal of the year, while junior forward Cameron Snyder and senior forward John Celli provided the assists. At the 13:59 mark, it was Connolly putting home his fifth of the season, while Rojas and freshman defenseman Ricky Kramer provided the assists.

Much like the first period, the two teams traded goals in the third period to create the 6-2 final. Franklin Pierce picked up a power-play marker at the 2:50 mark, as Gargin finished off his first career multiple-goal game, with Haun and sophomore forward Brad Riccardi (Scarsdale, N.Y.) picking up the assists.

Fitchburg State got into some penalty trouble of its own late in the game, including a five-minute boarding major to Lorenzen with four minutes to play. Franklin Pierce pulled the goaltender for an extra attacker in an attempt to generate some quick offense on the power play, but it would only lead to a shorthanded, empty-net goal by Fish at the 19:33 mark to cap the scoring. Freshman defenseman Josh Victor had the lone assist on the game's final goal.

Sophomore goaltender Tom McGuckin (Clayton, N.J.) played the opening 12:43 for Franklin Pierce, made just four saves against seven shots on goal and would eventually take the loss (0-4-0). After the Hayashi goal, McGuckin gave way to sophomore Étienne Roy (Saint-Henri, Quebec), who made 27 saves against 29 shots the rest of the way. Freshman netminder Charles Jakobsson (2-2-0) finished with 38 saves against 40 shots at the other end of the ice for Fitchburg State.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Dec. 12, when they travel to Suffolk for a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at Steriti Memorial Rink in Boston.

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). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce men's soccer apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).