Keene State Men’s Ice Hockey came back from an early deficit with six goals in the second period to defeat Franklin Pierce University (FPU) in a close 8-6 game on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Keene ICE Arena. The win improved the Owls to 2–0 on the season, while the Ravens fell 0–1.
FPU started strong, going up 2–0 in the first period with goals from forwards Chris Foster and Nick Fish. However, Keene State’s offense exploded in the second period of play, led by junior forward Marcus Chrisafideis and sophomore defender Sean Hoffman, who each scored two times. The two schools went back and forth throughout the middle portion of the game combining for nine tallies in the period.
After FPU briefly tied the game 6–6 early in the third period on John Sterling’s goal, Keene State pulled away late. Hoffman’s power-play marker put the Owls ahead for the win, and sophomore forward Peter Unger sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.
Keene State had six different scorers, including sophomore forwards Joe Fontaine, Thor Hansen, and Michael Boschetto. The Owls went one for five on the power play, while FPU converted three of eight on power plays.
Sterling led the Ravens with two goals, while Foster, Fish, Josh Tisdell and forward Mario Paganini also had each one goal a piece. Despite Franklin Pierce’s strong start and special teams success, Keene State’s second period surge proved crucial.
The KSC Men’s Ice Hockey team will return with a loaded weekend slate and take on Babson College at home on Friday, Nov. 7. The Owls will be back in action the next night to play another LEC school, Southern Maine University, at Keene Ice Arena to shake up the conference early.
Jonathan Smyers can be contacted at
