WINCHENDON, Mass. – Junior forward Nathan McDevitt tallied his first two goals of the season for Post University Men's Ice Hockey as the Eagles picked up their first road win since January 27th, 2023 against Saint Anselm College, snapping a 25-game winless streak in road matchups with a 4-3 victory over Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday night. 

THE BASICS

Post University 4, Franklin Pierce University 3

Post University (6-9-0, 4-5-0 NE10)

Franklin Pierce University (0-15-1, 0-9-0 NE10)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite holding an 18-4 edge in shots on goal after one period, Post would find themselves behind by a goal as sophomore forward Cooper Anderson beat junior goalie Benjamin Cunneen with the shot to put the Ravens ahead 1-0 just under 15 minutes into the frame. 

Sophomore forward Nicholas Tessier and senior forward Brendan Spinale each recorded assists on the goal while sophomore goalie Theo Jacobs made all 18 saves in net for Franklin Pierce to keep them in front. The Eagles would have one power-play opportunity in the first in which they rattled off four shots on Jacobs while the lone power-play chance for the Ravens resulted in no shots for them. 

However, a two-minute slashing penalty issued to sophomore forward Parker Norling in the second would lead to the second goal of the evening for Franklin Pierce as sophomore defenseman Todd Branish netted his second goal of the year as the man-up advantage neared its end. No sooner did Branish score, freshman forward Holden Beckett picked up his first collegiate goal only 18 seconds later to make it a 2-1 game less than halfway through the frame. 

That would be the start of a three-goal second period for the Eagles as junior forward Hugh McGuigan's game-tying goal with less than five minutes to go in the frame was followed by McDevitt's go-ahead goal only 52 seconds later which flipped a two-goal deficit into a one-goal lead for Post, 3-2, heading into the third. 

But the Ravens would not go quietly as their second power-play goal of the night, this time from junior forward Austin Pick just before the midway point of the third period tied the game back up at three all heading into the home stretch. In the game, the Eagles allowed Franklin Pierce to get on the power play a total of seven times, halting them on 5-of-7 attempts with none bigger than the one inside of two minutes to go. 

Before that last chance for Franklin Pierce, McDevitt's second goal of the game with under seven minutes to go in regulation would end up giving Post the lead for good en route to their second consecutive victory. It would not come without some tension as the Ravens went on a 5-on-3 power play after Norling's five-minute penalty just after the McDevitt goal threatened to give Franklin Pierce the momentum back.

Following a two-minute penalty to junior forward Conner Murray with under four minutes to go, Cunneen would have to make five stops in what would turn into a 6-on-3 power play with Jacobs pulled to help the Eagles hang on for the 4-3 win. Branish nearly tied the game with 2:12 left in regulation when his shot beat Cunneen but rang off the post and out, keeping Post ahead in a game where the junior finished with 27 saves in the victory. 

BY THE NUMBERS  

• This is the first time in which Nathan McDevitt has scored twice in the same game and it ties his career-high for most goals in a single season at two which he had last season in 11 games 
• Benjamin Cunneen moved to 6-3-0 on the season after picking up the win in his 27-save performance -- Cunneen is now tied for second all-time in program history for most single-season wins behind Brandon Brown who owns the record at 10 wins and is tied with him in second with six wins 
• The win for Post University on the road against Franklin Pierce University is their first since a 3-2 victory on February 6th, 2022, and marks only the third time in program history in which the Eagles have beaten the Ravens on the road 
• Post University snaps a 25-game road winless streak in which they were 0-23-2 since their last road win against Saint Anselm College on January 27th, 2023 in a 4-2 victory 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University faces off against Saint Michael's College on the road in a rematch from earlier in the season in Hamden, Connecticut this Friday and Saturday with games scheduled for 6:00 PM and 2:00 PM respectively. Earlier this season, the two teams faced off in the Louis Astorino Arena where the Purple Knights swept through the Eagles, 4-2 in regulation, and then 3-2 in overtime.