WINCHENDON, Mass. (March 6, 2021) – The Franklin Pierce University men's ice hockey team took to the ice at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena on Saturday night and suffered a 4-2 loss, and a weekend sweep, at the hands of visiting UMass Dartmouth. Junior forward Jimmy Pelton broke a 2-2 tie at 12:48 of the second period with the eventual game-winning goal for the Corsairs in the non-conference contest.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 1-3-0, while UMass Dartmouth improves to 3-0-0.

UMass Dartmouth took the lead in the first period, 6:28 in, on a quick-developing 2-on-1 leaving the defensive zone. Junior winger Melker Kroon led the charge down the right side of the ice and into the Ravens' zone, before sending a pass to fellow junior Blake Harlow in the left circle. Harlow controlled the puck and scored the game's opening goal by firing the puck back to the right side of the net and under the glove of junior goaltender Kyle Martin (Westford, Mass.).

The Ravens would even the score nearly 10 minutes later, at 16:08, on a strong offensive possession. Junior defender Stephen Jacobs (Hingham, Mass.) received the puck on the blue line before turning and shooting towards the net. The shot was blocked by UMass Dartmouth senior winter Dillon Radin, and the puck popped up into the air. Freshman center Trevor Lawler (East Bridgewater, Mass.) grabbed it out of midair in the left-wing corner, put it to the ice and found freshman linemate Nick Weaver (Rio Rancho, N.M.) in front of the net with a backhand pass. Weaver one-touched the puck into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

The tie would last only 51 seconds, as the Corsairs took the lead back at 16:59, thanks to junior Derek Britner. Sophomore forward Clay Ellerbrock had the initial shot on the play, but was turned aside from the slot. A scramble for the rebound saw freshman Zach Tarantino tap the puck to Britner on the right side and the latter finished into a largely empty net for his first of the year.

The Ravens would tie the game back up early in the second, while on the power play. On the blue line, sophomore Josh Kippenhan (Hibbing, Minn.) sent the puck to the right-side boards for sophomore Jackson Dobek (Natick, Mass.). Dobek took a moment to survey his options before deciding to fire a slap shot, which went top shelf, over the shoulder of junior Chris Stangarone, for the first goal of his Franklin Pierce career.

The game remained tied longer this time, but 11 minutes later, the Corsairs reclaimed the lead, this time for good. With his team working on a line change, sophomore Justin Weinbrenner gained possession in the left-wing corner. He slipped a pass to an open Pelton out front for an easy finish on his third goal of the season.

UMass Dartmouth would score the final goal of the game at the 6:27 mark of the third. A defensive zone fumble of the puck by the Ravens allowed Radin to take control and move towards the net. After pulling Martin over to face a potential shot, Radin slid the puck across the crease to freshman Michael Mania for the latter's first collegiate goal to cap the scoring.

Both goaltenders made their first appearances of the season in their respective creases. Martin (0-1-0) made 39 saves on 43 shots in a losing effort for the Ravens. On the other side of the ice, Stangarone (1-0-0) made 25 saves on 27 shots to pick up the win.