Rams Rally Late to Tie Westfield, 4-4

WESTFIELD, Mass.  –  Framingham State scored three times in the final 3:21 of the third period to escape with a 4-4 tie against Westfield State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men's ice hockey game at Amelia Park Arena on Thursday evening.

Framingham defenseman Walker Smith netted the game-tying goal with 1:54 left in regulation time, with a wrister from low in the right face-off circle to the top left corner that appeared Owls' goaltender Valtteri Valtonen did not see until it was too late.  It was the second goal in a nine-second span for the Rams, as Jake Barcelou stuffed in a rebound at the right post seconds earlier to trim the lead to 4-3.

Westfield had jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second period, tallying three times in a 43-second span, with markers from Devin Garnett, Christopher Miraldo, and Emile Pichette with 11:59 remaining in the game.

Framingham answered late in the second with a marker Ashton Collazo scoring with 2:35 left in the period.

Westfield made it 4-1 with 12:47 left in the third period, as Nicolas Coppola took advantage of a miscue in the Rams defensive end to pick the puck up between the circles and bury it for an unassisted goal.

Framingham's Brady Rossbach tallied eight seconds into a powerplay to start the late rally for the Rams, netting the goal with 3:21 left in the third to start the improbable rally.

The game was key to playoff seeding as the two teams entered the game ranked fourth and fifth in the conference standings, with just three games left on the slate for the Owls before the conference tournament begins on Feb. 22.

Westfield is now 12-8-2, 9-7-2 in the MASCAC and holds on to fourth place in the conference, while Framingham is 8-12-2, 8-8-2 in the MASCAC, and remains three points back of the Owls in fifth place.

The game featured the Owls wearing special purple jerseys for Alzheimer's Disease Awareness.  The Owls program raised funds to support the Massachusetts-based Cure Alzheimer's Fund (www.CureAlz.org).

The first period was largely uneventful, with Framingham controlling the first few minutes and holding a 9-8 edge in shots on goal.  Westfield's best chance came with about five minutes left in the period when Ryan Moorhouse got off a shot on a 2-on-1 break, but Sternberg made the save and covered up with an Owl linemate crashing the back post.

Trevor Stenberg made 30 saves for Framingham.  Valtonen made 29 saves for the Owls. Coppola and Pichette finished with goal and an assist for the Owls, while Marini handed out a pair of assists. Collazo had a goal and an assist for the Rams.

Westfield will be back in action on Saturday, traveling to play MCLA at the Foote Arena in North Adams, Mass.

The Owls have just one home game remaining.  The Owls will host UMass-Dartmouth in a 5:35 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17, which will be Westfield State's senior day, and Westfield hosts its alumni earlier in the day for a 3:00 p.m. alumni game faceoff at Amelia Park.

Framingham will next travel to league-leading Plymouth State for a 6:00 p.m. face off on Saturday, February 10.