HARRISVILLE, R.I. (Nov. 14) – The Nichols College men's ice hockey team skated to a 2-2 overtime draw with Franklin Pierce Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at June Rockwell Levy Rink. The Bison stand at 1-0-1 on the season, while the Ravens snap a three-game losing streak to improve to 1-3-1 on the year.
Nichols struck on the power play just over the midway point of the opening frame as Bryan Gill (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) nailed a one-timer from the high slot. Dustin Skinner (Andover, Minn.) won the draw back to the left side for Zach Kohn (Hartland, Wisc.), who fed Gill for the score at 11:39.
The Ravens evened the game less than three minutes later when Jonathan Schanke bounced a loose puck at the near post past Nichols goaltender Ryan Casey (Pelham, N.H.).
Franklin Pierce carried a 2-1 lead into the second intermission with a late second-period score from Anthony Chighisola. Bill Sullivan picked up a Nichols turnover just outside the Bison zone and skated in unopposed with Chighisola to his right. Sullivan slipped the puck across the slot to Chighisola who roofed a backhander past Casey for the 2-1 lead with 1:01 left in the frame.
Zach Hendrickson (Farmingdale, N.Y.) knotted the game early in the third, tipping in a blast from JD Gordon (Belchertown, Mass.). Matt Roberts (Merrimac, Mass.) controlled the puck along the sideboards before finding Gordon at the left point. Gordon fired a slapshot just wide to the left of the net, but Hendrickson skated in to tip the puck up into the right corner for a 2-2 game at 5:47.
Nichols held a slim shot advantage in the third, but got its groove going in the extra session, peppering Ravens' netminder Ben Siok with five shots in the frame. In the final play, Eric Cremer (Chelsea, Mich.) and Zeke Costello (Shelby Township, Mich.) attacked with slapshots from opposite circles, but Siok stood tall to preserve the tie.
Siok finished with 41 saves to snap a three-game skid, while Casey stopped 29 shots for the Bison. The overtime game marked the first for Nichols since February 16, 2008, and was the first tie in almost two calendar years (November 10, 2008).
The Bison return to action on Wednesday to open ECAC Northeast play in a 6:30 p.m. home game against Becker. Franklin Pierce hosts Southern New Hampshire Tuesday at 7 p.m. to open a three-game homestand.
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