WORCESTER – Ravens sophomore Conor Foley (Nahant, Mass.) scored a pair of goals, including one on the power-play, as the Franklin Pierce Ravens started their season with a 4-1 victory over the Becker Hawks on Friday night at the Worcester Ice Center.
The Becker men's ice hockey team was the first program to return to competition at Becker College, breaking a streak of 330 consecutive days with no athletic contests for any Hawks program.
On their own, the men's ice hockey team made their first appearance since Feb. 22, 2020, marking the end of a 350-day span since the last time the men's ice hockey program took the ice.
THE BASICS
February 5, 2020
Worcester Ice Center
Score: Franklin Pierce 4 – Becker 1
Records: The Becker College Hawks 0-1-0 | The Franklin Pierce University Ravens 1-0-0
GAME SUMMARY
Foley got the board midway through the opening period thanks to a pass from sophomore Jackson Dobek (Natick, Mass.) to set up the goal.
Sophomore Tyler Rudek (Woonsocket, R.I.) sent the puck into the Hawks zone, which was retrieved behind the net by Dobek. After winning the puck battle behind the net, Dobek sent a pass to the slot to Foley, who fired a shot past Hawks senior Zach Skop (Pittstown, N.J.) for a 1-0 lead.
FPU doubled their lead in the final minute of the first period on a combination passing play on a 3-on-2 rush. Freshman Nick Weaver (Rio Rancho, N.M.) found himself with the puck on his stick toward the left side of the slot and 20 feet from the net. He fired a wrist shot, low, blocker side, on Skop for his first career collegiate goal and a 2-0 lead.
The Hawks broke into the scoring column at 9:08 of the second period on a goal by junior Charles Costello (Philadelphia, Pa.), his first goal since Feb. 2, 2018.
After sustained offensive pressure, the puck found its way to freshman Tanner Coleman (Oswego, N.Y.) at the right point. Coleman made a short pass to Costello at the top of the right circle. From there, Costello performed a toe drag around a defender and fired a wrister past the blocker of Ravens junior Adam Carman (Vestal, N.Y.) to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Foley added his second goal of the night, a power-play tally just 2:54 after the Hawks made it 2-1. Scoring off a pass from below the goal-line by junior Ryan Gorbett (Cleveland Heights, Ohio), Foley scored from just outside the top of the crease to take a 3-1 lead.
Ravens junior Anthony Nikolopoulos (Burlington, Mass.) made it 4-1 on a breakaway chance, sliding a backhander through Skop's five-hole.
FOR THE HAWKS
- Sophomore Luke James (Moon Township, Pa.) also assisted on the Hawks lone goal.
- Costello had his first tally of the season and Coleman picked up his first career collegiate point.
- Skop made 25 saves for the Hawks, but falls to 0-1-0 with the loss.
FOR THE RAVENS
- Along with his two goals, Foley finished with a game-high seven shots on goal.
- Carman finished with 36 saves in his win, improving to 1-0-0.
UP NEXT
Both sides hit the ice Saturday night in the second portion of the home-and-home series as Franklin Pierce hosts Becker at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena with faceoff set for 7:00 p.m.
*A previous version of this story credited Ryan Gorbett for FPUs second goal (2-0), upon video review, that decision was changed to a goal by Nick Weaver.
