WINCHENDON, Mass. (November 12, 2022) -- With the game tied at 2-2 and 20 minutes to play, the Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team took care of business in the third period on Saturday afternoon, to ensure they left their weekend Northeast-10 Conference series with a split against Saint Michael's. The Ravens scored twice in the final frame at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena, including a crucial power-play marker in the middle of the frame, to send the visiting Purple Knights away with a 5-2 defeat. Five different players scored for Franklin Pierce, including the first collegiate tally for freshman Tyson Springer (East Palestine, Ohio).

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-2-0 (2-2-0 NE10) and forces a split of the weekend series. With the loss, Saint Michael's falls to 3-3-0 (2-2-0 NE10). Franklin Pierce will make the return trip to Saint Michael's for a weekend pair on Jan. 20-21.

With things all level at 2-2, Springer's first career goal would serve as the game-winner, just 3:26 into the final frame. Multiple Ravens had a hack at the puck out front on the play, with Springer eventually putting the puck home from the top of the crease to break the tie.

Clinging to the one-goal lead in a period it was outshot 14-9, Franklin Pierce capitalized on its only third-period power play with an important insurance marker at 11:07. The play went right around the horn, as senior Stephen Jacobs (Hingham, Mass.) started things on the right side and sent the puck up high for fellow senior Vito Carlo (Las Vegas, Nev.). Carlo swung the puck over to the left side for senior Jackson Dobek (Natick, Mass.) who wired a shot through traffic for his first of the season.

Graduate student goaltender Kyle Martin (Westford, Mass.) was at his best in the third period. He stopped all 14 shots on his goal in the stanza, including seven in a span of two-plus minutes between when Saint Michael's pulled the goalie at 16:39 and when graduate student Anthony Nikolopoulos (Burlington, Mass.) iced the game with a 150-foot shot into the empty net at 19:13, for his second of the season.

Earlier in the day, the two teams each struck once apiece in the first and second periods, with all four goals being finished off right in the vicinity of the crease. In the first period, Saint Michael's opened things with the first of the season for sophomore Jack Macdonald at the 2:20 mark, and Franklin Pierce answered on the power play at 19:04, with the second of the year for sophomore Michael Flaherty (Rockland, Mass.). In the second, freshman Matt Horan (Methuen, Mass.) scored his second in as many days at 9:26, while Saint Michael's senior Owen Rudicus popped his second of the campaign on the power play just 72 seconds later, at 10:38.

In all, Martin (4-2-0) made 29 saves against 31 shots to pick up the win in the Franklin Pierce crease. Freshman Cole Manahan (1-2-0) stopped just 23 of 27 shots at the other end for Saint Michael's.