By Sophia Oppedisano Sports Editor The Framingham State men’s ice hockey team tallied a draw against the Franklin Pierce University Ravens in a gritty non-conference matchup at home Nov. 26. The Ravens scored four goals late in the game to force overtime before losing an inconsequential shootout 1-0. The NCAA requires regular-season games that are still tied after the 5-minute overtime period to end in a shootout. However, for non-conference matchups, the outcome of the shootout does not count toward the result of the game. The Rams entered the game with only one win this season, which came against Franklin Pierce Nov. 12. Their overall record after their most recent matchup with the Ravens stood at 1-5-1. The Ravens entered the game seeking their first win of the season. Franklin Pierce won the opening face-off but quickly dropped a pass that landed on the stick of senior Johnny Baker, who ran the puck into the Rams’ offensive zone and attempted a one-timer shot on goal that ricocheted off the pads of Ravens’ goalie Jeffery Reda. The Ravens took control of the rebound, sweeping the puck across the ice right into the glove of goalie Owen Swanbon, a sophomore, for their first shot attempt 2 minutes into the game. Swanbon started in goal for the second time this season and saved each of the 13 shots on goal from the Ravens in the first period. The pace of the first period was quick, with infrequent whistles. Neither team spent over 30 seconds in their offensive zones before Jerry Duckett, a junior, carried the puck across the red line and passed it into the corner for Captain Ashton Collazo, a senior. Collazo flicked a pass to junior Jake Barcelou, who fed the puck back out to center ice for Duckett to hit a one-timer goal at the 5-minute mark of the period. This was Duckett’s first goal of the season. Duckett said, “Scoring that first goal of the year always lifts a weight from your shoulders - it’s a huge confidence-builder.” He added whenever a teammate scores their first goal, “the momentum is in our favor.” Head Coach Michael Bailey said he “made a few changes” on his lines, switching things up with Duckett and sophomore Brady Rossbach “to get the lines going a bit. “It worked with Jerry scoring against [Franklin Pierce],” he said. The Rams were in penalty trouble throughout the match, and senior Tyler Westfall was the first to go to the box for tripping. The Ravens only managed one shot on goal as the Rams cleared the puck on a faceoff and kept the pressure off Swanbon in the slot. Framingham held their 1-0 advantage and a Raven was sent to the penalty box for boarding 13 minutes into the period. The power-play special team featured junior Bobby Bernier, who was named MASCAC Player of the Week Dec. 2. Bernier did not waste time with a man advantage as junior Sam Larkin and sophomore Scott Bugarin connected on a pass for Bugarin to feed Bernier the puck. Bernier slid the puck between the post and Reda for a goal and the buzzer sounded. The Rams took a 2-0 lead. To begin the second period, a Raven penalty for cross-checking put the Rams back on the advantage with just over a minute elapsed. Assistant Captain Devante Dixon, a senior, fired the lone shot on goal but the Rams could not capitalize on the power-play opportunity. At the conclusion of the penalty, the Rams and Ravens traded shot opportunities before trouble befell the Rams. Larkin was called on coinciding major penalties, including illegal contact to the head and game misconduct. He was subsequently ejected and departed the ice. Freshman Michael Kennedy served 5 minutes in the penalty box for Larkin. Even with a golden opportunity, Franklin Pierce struggled and the Rams were able to repeatedly clear the puck before the Ravens could get a decent shot on net 4 minutes into their power play. The Rams' special teams played through the major penalty kill with flawless defense before turning momentum over to the offense. After four shots on goal, Bugarin coaxed Reda out of the crease and got the puck in the corner of the net for a goal assisted by Bernier and Baker. The goal forced Reda to the bench and he was substituted for by goalie Riley Mastowski. The Rams finished out the period with a 3-0 advantage over the Ravens. After two periods of smooth sailing for the Rams, the Ravens stormed back with a vengeance. Just under 3 minutes into the third period, Franklin Pierce was called for too many players on the ice, sending the Rams back on the power play. On a bad bounce from the faceoff, Franklin Pierce took control of the puck and sent a stinging shot past the outstretched stick of Swanbon for a short-handed goal. The Ravens’ small fan section lit up and did not let up as Framingham seemed to take their foot off the gas. The goal fueled a spark of animosity between the two teams as a Raven slammed sophomore Nathan Gines into the boards. Just over 10 minutes into the period, Swanbon misread a pass and the Ravens capitalized to knock on Framingham’s door, now down only 3-2. The Rams rallied quickly in an attempt to steal the momentum from the Ravens as Bernier snuck one by Mastowski in the crease for a goal. Bernier was assisted by Bugarin and Kennedy. He tallied two goals and an assist to support the Rams throughout the game. Both teams traded shot opportunities before running into penalty trouble - a Raven for boarding and Bugarin for slashing. Franklin Pierce committed another infraction for handling the puck. All three penalties were served concurrently. Each team committed six infractions - with the majority occurring in the third period, which became more contentious as the clock wound down. The energy at Loring Arena became frenetic for both sides. The referees broke up multiple scrums between whistles, and checks and hits became more frequent on both sides. Framingham failed to capitalize on any of their power-play or penalty opportunities but the Ravens came up with another short-handed goal with 5 minutes to play, bringing the score to 4-3. Unwilling to relinquish their rally, Franklin Pierce skated with more fervor in the final 5 minutes and didn’t waste another moment before burying the puck to tie the game 4-4. The tie fueled the energy of the visiting crowd, which directed pointed chirps at Swanbon and the Rams. Bailey said there were two “hometown kids” from Holliston and Ashland playing for the Ravens - the reason for the packed fan section on the Franklin Pierce side. With 3 minutes remaining in regulation, the Rams got three shots on goal in a hurried attempt to avoid overtime. Rossbach tried for a last-ditch attempt with the puck loose in the crease with 10 seconds remaining but could not find the back of the net. Senior Jeremy McDonald and a Raven were called to their respective penalty boxes with 0.7 seconds remaining after a fight that resulted in cross-checking penalties during the final faceoff of the period. Regulation ended in a 4-4 tie and the game went into overtime. The Ravens had one worthy opportunity on a breakaway up open ice with no one but Swanbon in their path. The referees called the play offsides and a sigh of relief from the Rams’ fans was drowned out by the outrage of Ravens’ fans across the ice. The Rams snagged control of the puck off the next faceoff and Bugarin got on his own breakaway, but the puck was quickly smothered by Mastowski. Bugarin got two more shots on goal before the clock ran out and the teams set up for a shootout - during which it would come down to Swanbon and a few of the Rams’ best skaters. The bulk of Franklin Pierce’s chirping was directed at Swanbon throughout the game. Leading into the shootout, Swanbon said, “I just try to have fun with it. … I have a lot of experience playing in [shootouts], and I've gotten to be pretty good at them, and I just try to challenge the shooter and make them make a decision and react.” He said the keys to his success in a shootout are staying patient and getting the skater to make the first move. “As long as I don't react to their fake or I can get them to run out of room - I can kind of smother the puck a little bit and take up the net, and it really gives them nothing to shoot at,” Swanbon said. The first skater for Franklin Pierce wove his way up the ice, came in wide on the left and shot straight for Swanbon’s pads. Swanbon deflected the shot up and out of play, keeping the Rams alive. Collazo was up for the Rams and came straight up center ice, making an arc to the left to fake out Mastowski, but his shot deflected off Mastowski’s shoulder. The Ravens’ next skater came up the near side and swung wide to the right. Swanbon shut the door on a shot that was buried in his chest. The Franklin Pierce fans were ruthless as Baker came up to the line for the Rams. During a heated game, Swanbon said, “I just try not to think about it. I do a lot of meditation outside the rink, which helps a lot. I just try to stay in my own head and just focus on the puck and the players in the play, and try not to focus on what else is going on.” Baker didn’t bother with a display on his shot attempt as he slowly came up center ice and shifted the puck a few times before landing his goal in the top corner of the net. With one more chance, the last Raven shooter came at Swanbon on the near side and tried for a fake, but Swanbon was ready and put his pad in the way of the gap in the net to shut down the Ravens for good. Bailey said, “Owen is so athletic - it's impressive to watch him as he always gives 110 percent between the pipes. He came up huge during the shootout.” Swanbon came up with 32 saves on 36 shots throughout the game. As the Rams put Franklin Pierce behind them, Bailey said, “We are looking to tighten up our D-zone coverage and do a better job with our power play, especially in our own zone.” Most recently, the Rams fell to conference opponent Anna Maria College 7-2 on the road Dec. 5. Their conference record is now 0-3. The Rams have one more conference matchup at Fitchburg State University Dec. 7 before winter break.