Men’s Ice Hockey Falls to Franklin Pierce, 4-2

WINCHENDON, Mass. (January 10, 2020) – The Western New England University men's ice hockey team fell to Franklin Pierce, 4-2, on Friday afternoon at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena.

Top Performers
The Ravens had four different goal scorers. Sophomore Chris Stevenson (Arvado, Colo.), senior Alex Lester (Methuen, Mass.), freshman Jason Ladzinski (Norcross, Ga.), and sophomore Stephen Jacobs (Hingham, Mass.) each scored for Franklin Pierce. Lester also added an assist.

The Golden Bears received goals from freshman John D'Aniello (Toms River, N.J.) and senior Dom Blad (Springfield, Mass.).

Game Review
After a scoreless first period, the Golden Bears found the back of the net first at the 13:46 mark in the second period. Senior Andrew Green (Plainview, N.Y.) took the initial shot that was saved by Ravens goaltender Ian Wallace (West Islip, N.Y.). The rebound fell perfectly to D'Aniello to tap into the back of the net.

Franklin Pierce found the equalizer with roughly 2:30 left in the second period. Lester crashed to the net with the puck, which fell to the top of the crease for Stevenson to pick up and score to tie the game.

The Ravens took the lead with just under 0:30 to go in the second period. Junior Patrick Gagliardi (Bedford, N.H.) played the puck to the left side for senior James Morrissey (West Haven, Conn.), who then passed it across the top of the crease to Lester for the tap-in finish 

The Golden Bears tied the game at the 5:37 mark in the third period. Junior John O'Brien (Staten Island, N.Y.) played the puck across the ice to sophomore Connor Geshan (Oakton, Va.), who played it back across to Blad for the one-time finish.

The Ravens took the lead again at the 8:47 mark of the third period. Ladzinski took a shot from the right circle that snuck past Golden Bear goaltender Colten Lancaster (Kelowna, B.C.) for the lead. 

Franklin Pierce added to the lead with under four minutes left in the game. Senior Jonathan Busolin (Goose Creek, S.C.) took the initial shot that was saved Lancaster, but the rebound fell nicely for Jacobs, who fired it into the back of the net for Franklin Pierce's fourth goal of the evening. 

Notes
• Western New England held a 39-35 shot advantage.
• This wraps up Western New England's non-conference schedule.

Up Next
Western New England (3-9-2) will return to action on January 18 when they travel to Wentworth for a CCC matchup. Franklin Pierce (9-5-1) will host Post on Tuesday evening.