WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 28, 2022) -- The Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team opened its season on the road on Friday night, and the penalty kill opened things with a bang. The Ravens struck for a pair of shorthanded goals on the opening day of the Western Massachusetts Invitational, as Franklin Pierce scored a 5-2 victory over co-host Western New England, at Olympia Ice Center. Senior Conor Foley (Nahant, Mass.) opened his final collegiate campaign with a pair of goals, including the game-winner while shorthanded early in the third period.

With the win, Franklin Pierce opens the season at 1-0-0, while Western New England falls to 0-1-0. The Ravens will face the other co-host, Westfield State, in the tournament's championship game on Saturday, after the Owls erased a 2-0 second-period deficit to defeat Johnson & Wales, 3-2, in Friday's early game. Saturday's title game is set for a 7:35 p.m. faceoff at Amelia Park Ice Arena in Westfield, Mass. Franklin Pierce will be looking to claim its first in-season tournament title since winning the 2019 Steve Hoar Invitational, at Becker College.

Franklin Pierce had the only goal of the first period on Friday, after senior Jackson Dobek (Natick, Mass.) worked the puck to freshman Declan House (Roselle Park, N.J.) at the middle of the blue line. House bombed a shot wide of the left post from there, but the rebound came off the end boards and directly to freshman Devin Rohrich (Pittsburgh, Pa.) at the bottom of the left circle. Rohrich batted home a backhand at the 4:57 mark, for his first collegiate goal.

The first of the two shorthanded tallies came at 2:24 of the second, and doubled the lead to 2-0. Junior Trevor Lawler (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was able to chip the puck ahead on the right-wing side of the neutral zone, and junior Cody Rumsey (York, Pa.) tracked it down in the offensive zone. The latter picked the top corner on the short side for his second career shorthanded goal.

Western New England got one back before the second frame was done, at 19:40. Franklin Pierce graduate student goaltender Kyle Martin (Westford, Mass.) reached out of his crease and attempted to clear a loose puck to the side boards. Instead, he put it right to the stick of junior Colby Audette in the right-wing circle, and Audette snapped it right back into the net to make it a 2-1 game headed for the third.

The third period was busy at the start, as another shorthanded tally reclaimed the two-goal lead at 2:11. On the forecheck, Foley deflected and intercepted a pass inside the attacking blue line. He went behind the net from the left side and had a wraparound attempt blocked near the right post. However, he was able to re-collect the puck in the right circle and wire it to the top-right corner for his second career shorthanded tally, which would ultimately stand as the game-winner.

WNEU answered on the power play just 53 seconds later, at 3:04. From the top of the left circle, junior Kyle Knight found a seam for a cross-slot pass to junior Billy Hefferle in the middle of the right circle. Martin got a piece of the ensuing shot, but it ultimately slipped between his pads to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Franklin Pierce was able to collect insurance markers at 8:51 and 17:56 to see out the 5-2 victory. On the first of the pair, senior Vito Carlo (Las Vegas, Nev.) cleared the puck down the ice and Rohrich was able to chase it down behind the WNEU net. After wrapping behind the goal from right to left, Rohrich found a crashing Lawler at the bottom of the left circle for the one-time finish. Later, graduate student Chris Stevenson (Arvada, Colo.) led a rush into the zone on the right side. From the right circle, he found a lane to slip a pass out front for Foley, who deked to the right post and capped the night with his eighth career multiple-goal game.

Martin (1-0-0) collected 34 saves against 36 shots to pick up the win in the Franklin Pierce crease. Senior Colten Lancaster (0-1-0) made 22 saves against 27 shots at the other end for Western New England.