Men’s ice hockey conquers the Ravens in overtime

Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST

By Izabela Gage Sports Editor

The Framingham State Rams earned an on-the-road overtime 3-2 win over the Franklin Pierce University Ravens Nov. 25. This win brings their overall record to 3-4, while their conference record remains at 1-2. Despite the opening faceoff being won by the Ravens, sophomore Michael Kennedy took the first shot on goal of the game, followed by a shot by sophomore Devin Shepherd less than 40 seconds later, both of which were saved by Franklin Pierce’s goaltender, Theo Jacobs. Freshman goaltender Benjamin O’Keefe stopped the Ravens’ first goal attempt less than 3 minutes in. The Ravens tried to slot the puck past O’Keefe’s pads twice, but freshmen Jeremy Zecher and Jonas Oesterle blocked their attempts. After 2 minutes of fighting for possession, freshman Aidan Elbrecht won the following faceoff, and freshman Connor McLachlan tried to send the puck past the goal line, but Franklin Pierce’s Austin Pick blocked his shot. O’Keefe’s defense held strong despite the Ravens taking two shots on goal, and he saved both attempts. Framingham took control offensively in the next minute and a half, with Zecher, freshman Grig Kaagan, and Assistant Captain Scott Bugarin, a junior, taking a shot on goal each, and junior Nathan Gines tallying two, none of which could get past Franklin Pierce’s defense. FPU took the puck into FSU’s defensive zone, and junior Cameron Craig blocked a goal attempt before the Ravens were called for interference, giving the Rams their first power play. With a 5-on-4 advantage, Bugarin tried to find the back of the net, but the shot was wide. Senior Sam Larkin went for the rebound shot, but the puck went right past the goal post. Captain Jake Barcelou, a senior, remained aggressive on offense and shot the puck toward the goal, but it was blocked by Franklin Pierce’s Chase Leivian. Oesterle attempted to net the rebound shot, but it was saved by Jacobs. Freshman Cullen Lacey took two back-to-back shots after the next faceoff, both of which were blocked by the Ravens. Franklin Pierce kept possession of the puck for the remainder of the period despite Framingham’s efforts. The Rams were strong in their defensive zone, with O’Keefe making five saves, and senior Jack Ennis blocking a shot before the clock ran out. The second period started with FPU winning the faceoff and taking a shot on goal less than 15 seconds later, but it was blocked by Barcelou. Bugarin made a wide shot on net, and senior Robert Bernier tried to use the rebound shot to the Rams’ advantage with two back-to-back shots of his own, but Jacobs held up defensively. A hooking penalty on the Rams gave the Ravens a power play, and Franklin Pierce stayed hot in front of the net, firing off four shots in the next minute, but junior Brent Scott blocked two shots, McLachlan blocked one, and O’Keefe saved the last. The teams traded quick shots and blocks for several minutes, with O’Keefe tallying two saves and Jacobs tallying three. Following a shot by FPU that Lacey blocked, Franklin Pierce’s John Sterling went for the rebound shot, but it was deflected off O’Keefe’s pads. Sterling followed up, though, and found a gap in O’Keefe’s defense, giving the Ravens a 1-0 lead. Possession of the puck went back and forth between the teams, with O’Keefe stopping two goal attempts and Jacobs stopping one. Franklin Pierce gained momentum and made four back-to-back shots on goal, but three were wide, and one was blocked by Bugarin. The Rams were put on the power play following a boarding penalty by the Ravens, and Oesterle tried to find the back of the net, but Jacobs didn’t let up. The game was back to even strength after Scott was called for a hooking penalty, and Bugarin made a shot on goal, but was unsuccessful. Another penalty on Framingham made the game 5-on-3, and Franklin Pierce was able to find three possible scoring opportunities, but came up empty-handed after O’Keefe stopped two, and the last was sent wide of the net. After a shot by Kaagan, a penalty was called on Franklin Pierce for slashing, and one was called on Framingham for high-sticking, and the game was even strength with 4-on-4. Both teams tallied two shots on goal, but neither could earn a point by the time the penalties were complete. The Rams took the puck down the ice, where Bernier attempted to put the Rams’ first point on the board, but it was blocked by FPU’s Drew White. FSU was put on the power play after a boarding penalty on FPU, and Ennis made two attempts to net the puck, but one was blocked, and the other was wide. The second period ended with one last shot by Oesterle, which Jacobs didn’t let past the goal line. Franklin Pierce won the first faceoff in the third period, but Framingham didn’t falter. The Rams took possession of the puck and Larkin took two back-to-back shots on goal, both of which were blocked by the Ravens. Kaagan tried to shoot the puck past Jacobs’ pads, but was unsuccessful, and Shepherd collected the rebound before passing it to Barcelou, who slipped the puck past the goal line to tie the game 1-1. The Rams used this momentum, and Craig took three consecutive shots on net, all of which were blocked by Franklin Pierce’s Liam Crowley. O’Keefe and Franklin Pierce’s subbed-in goaltender, Jeffrey Reda, both tallied a save before a hooking penalty left FSU shorthanded again. O’Keefe made two saves, and junior David Hassell blocked a shot during the kill. Just 24 seconds before the end of the penalty kill, Franklin Pierce scored to take the lead 2-1. The Ravens kept consistent pressure on offense, but O’Keefe stayed strong, making five consecutive saves. After a series of wide shots from both teams and two more saves by O’Keefe, Framingham was back on the power play after a cross-checking penalty was called. The Rams set up in their offensive zone, and Bugarin passed the puck to Craig, who broke through Reda’s defense to tie the score once again. Both teams fought for control of the puck, but Franklin Pierce was assertive in the offensive zone and tested O’Keefe’s defense with five shots over the next minute and a half. Kaagan and Barcelou each tried to break through Reda’s defense, but were unsuccessful. O’Keefe stopped four more goal attempts by the Ravens before the Rams took the puck into Franklin Pierce’s defensive zone, where Larkin, Bugarin, and Bernier all tried to find the back of the net. The third period ended with one last save by O’Keefe. Overtime opened with Bugarin’s 11th clean faceoff win of the game. Craig passed the puck to Bugarin, who broke away and only 17 seconds into overtime, he shot through a narrow lane and scored the game-winner, ending the game 3-2. Bugarin said his mindset going into overtime was “to get my team possession and use my speed to generate an odd-man chance going up ice.” Bugarin said, “With some adversity in the way of penalties, our team’s penalty kill stepped up in a big way to keep up in that game, and that includes our freshman Ben O'Keefe, who made some huge stops.” O’Keefe said the team was locked down on their penalty kill, and they were strong with blocking shots, which was a “huge factor” in their defense against the Ravens. Bugarin was named MASCAC Player of the Week Dec. 1 for his overtime game-winning goal, as well as tallying an assist and five shots on goal in the win against the Ravens. Bugarin said the conference recognizing him “speaks a lot to our preparation as a team going into this season. I definitely push my teammates hard to be the best they can be, and they have done the same for me all season. I owe my success to the guys I get to battle with every day.” O’Keefe earned a spot on the MASCAC Weekly Honor Roll Dec. 1 for making 43 saves on 45 shots in the win, recording a .956 save percentage. O’Keefe said, “It feels good to be recognized by the league. The whole team has been working hard since day one, so any recognition I get goes to every member of the team as well. “Our defense did a great job keeping all the shots to the outside and from deep, allowing me to make easier saves,” he added. Bugarin said being 3-4 in the season now is “huge for us. Every point counts, and it helps to feel some wind under our sails after a few wins in a row. Now we have the ability to reach above .500 before Christmas break.” As of press time, the Rams traveled to Worcester State and fell to the Lancers 5-1 Dec. 4. This loss brings their conference record to 1-3 and their overall record to 3-5. The Rams face the Salem State Vikings on their home ice for another conference matchup Dec. 6.