Federico collects three assists; Sweeney scores game-winner

WINCHENDON, Mass. (December 1, 2010) – Sophomore forward Dino Federico (Canton, Mass.) had three assists while sophomore forward Roscoe Sweeney (Falmouth, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal and added an assist on Wednesday night to lead the Franklin Pierce University ice hockey team to a 6-2 victory over Southern New Hampshire in Northeast-10 Conference play at The Winchendon School Ice Arena. Sophomore forward Chris Hickey and freshman defenseman Trevor Nelson scored in defeat for Southern New Hampshire.

With the victory, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-7-0 (1-1-0 Northeast-10), while Southern New Hampshire falls to 2-6-0 (0-2-0 Northeast-10). The game was the home-opener and the start of a four-game homestand for Franklin Pierce.

Though the back of the net would be hit often before the end of the night, the game started slow, with the Ravens scoring the only goal of the first period with just 2:17 to play in the stanza. Sophomore defenseman Brendan McCarron (Andover, Mass.) opened the scoring with his first of the season from the top of the left circle. He took a feed from Federico in the left corner and beat SNHU freshman goaltender Tyler Holske over the glove into the top-right corner. Junior forward Nate Schursky (Scottsdale, Ariz.) also picked up an assist on the play.

Franklin Pierce opened the second period with a pair of goals in the first 6:14 of the frame. Sophomore defenseman Tyler Cornele (Cape Coral, Fla.) struck first at the 3:54 mark on the power play with his second goal of the season. He took a pass from McCarron and unleashed a blast from the right point which hit the near pipe and found the back of the net, while Federico added the other helper to pick up his second assist of the night. Sweeney followed with the eventual game-winning goal at the 6:14 mark when he wrapped behind the net and stuffed a shot inside the right post for his first goal of the season. Junior forward Pat Shortt (New Haven, Conn.) and freshman forward Bryan Colella (Medfield, Mass.) added the assists.

The Ravens would make it 4-0 on Schursky's first goal of the season at the 12:18 mark of the middle stanza. He finished off a feed from Federico on a two-on-one break after a long feed through the neutral zone by junior forward Anthony Chighisola (Whitman, Mass.).

Southern New Hampshire cut the deficit to 4-1 with Hickey's second goal of the season on the power play with 2:53 to play in the second. Hickey buried a shot from the right point off assists from junior defenseman Frank O'Connor and sophomore forward Tautvydas Shalna.

Franklin Pierce popped a pair of goals 99 seconds apart in the early portions of the third period to put the game on ice. First it was sophomore forward Tom Mills (Oxford, England) who put home his first career goal at the 6:43 mark when he banged home a rebound from the bottom of the left circle. Senior forward Sean Woodring (Rogue River, Ore.) took the original shot from the top of the right circle, while junior forward Bill Sullivan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added an assist as well. Then, at 8:22, Colella put home a power-play rebound from the slot for his fourth goal of the campaign. Sweeney took the original shot from the right point and Cornele picked up the other helper.

The Penmen created the 6-2 final with a goal from the bottom of the right circle by Nelson at the 15:28 mark, while senior forwards Troy Maybury and William Toomey added the assists.

Freshman goaltender Dave O'Brien (Groton, Mass.) made 38 saves to pick up the win (2-2-0) in front of the Franklin Pierce net. Holske stopped 29 shots and took the loss (2-3-0) between the pipes for Southern New Hampshire.

Southern New Hampshire posted a 40-35 advantage in shots on goal in the game and went 1-for-3 on the power play. Franklin Pierce finished 2-for-3 with the man-advantage.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Dec. 4, when they remain home to host Assumption in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at The Winchendon School Ice Arena.

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).