Recap by student-staff writer Colin Struckman  

WORCESTER, Mass. (11/15/24) –  Despite a spirited third-period rally, the Franklin Pierce men's ice hockey team couldn't overcome a sluggish start and fell 6-3 to Assumption in Northeast-10 conference play on Friday night. The Ravens scored twice in the final frame, but early defensive lapses and a strong offensive showing by the Greyhounds sealed their fate.

Score: Assumption 6, Franklin Pierce 3 

Records: Assumption (3-3, 3-0 NE-10), Franklin Pierce (0-6, 0-3 NE-10) 

Location: Worcester, Mass. 

Date: Friday, November 15, 2024 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• The Greyhounds struck first 13:59 into the 1st period. Ronny Paragallo whipped a shot from the right side of the goal line that snuck past junior netminder Jeremy Connor (Hazlet, N.J.) to give the Greyhounds the 1-0 lead.  

• With just :26 left in the period; the Greyhounds padded their lead. Ryan Decker snuck free in the slot and slipped it in the back of the cage to give the Greyhounds the 2-0 heading into the first intermission.  

• It took just 7:27 for the Greyhounds to pick up right where they left off. Gavin Dach cleaned up a rebound in the slot and slid it into the right side of the net, giving them the commanding 3-0 lead.  

• A late goal plagued the Ravens again, this time at the end of the 2nd period. Ronny Paragallo added his 2nd goal of the night off a deflection in front to make it a 4-0 Greyhounds lead.  

• The Ravens responded nicely to begin the 3rd period. Senior forward Brendan Spinale (Canton, Mass.) dished a pass to the top of the blue line to freshman defenseman Ryan Dutcher (Milford, Mass.) who fired a shot on goal and sophomore forward Nick Tessier (Beaver Falls, Pa.) cleaned up the loose change and tucked it in to make it 4-1 Greyhounds. The goal was Tessier's 1st of the season. 

• The Ravens capitalized off this momentum, striking again about 7 minutes later in the period. Sophomore forward John Sterling (Centreville, Va.) raced off to a breakaway and his shot was denied, but junior forward Austin Pick (Troutdale, Ore.) tucked home the rebound along the right post for a shorthanded goal, giving the Ravens some more life, making it a 4-2 Greyhounds lead. 

• Unfortunately, the Ravens momentum would be short-lived. The Greyhounds countered just 1:53 after Pick's goal courtesy of Sean Donoghue.  

• The Greyhounds added another about 5 minutes later on the power play off the stick of Jake DiNapoli to give them the dominant 6-2 lead.  

• The Ravens ended the game on a positive note despite things not going their way. Freshman forward Trent King (Malone, N.Y.) stripped the puck from the goalie behind the net and connected with freshman forward Sam Mitchell (Pittsburgh, Pa.) who slotted it home with an empty cage. The Greyhounds finished with the 6-3 victory. 

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS: 

• The Greyhounds outshot the Ravens 43-33.  

• Jeremy Connor started the game for the Ravens and made 25 saves and allowed 3 goals but had to exit and was replaced for freshman Jeffrey Reda (Larchmont, N.Y.) who recorded 12 saves and allowed 3 goals. 

• The Greyhounds won 43 face-offs compared to 28 from the Ravens. 

• The Ravens went 0-4 on the power play compared to the Greyhounds going 2-4 on the power play. 

NEXT UP FOR THE RAVENS: The Ravens square off against the Greyhounds again tomorrow afternoon (11/16) in Worcester in Northeast-10 conference play. Puck drop is at 3:50 p.m.