WINCHENDON, Mass. - Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey senior Matt Egan (Hingham, Mass./Kimball Union Academy) and sophomore Zach Taylor (Hanover, Mass./South Shore Kings) both netted hat tricks to help the Purple Knights down Franklin Pierce University, 8-3, on Tuesday afternoon during Northeast-10 Conference play at The Winchendon School's Ritchie Ice Arena.

Egan and Taylor became the first Saint Michael's teammates with hat tricks in the same game since Jason Harrington '01 and Chad Lauze '03 on Feb. 19, 2000, against Assumption University. The Purple and Gold vaulted from seventh place in the NE10 to fourth with the win.

RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (4-11, 4-7 NE10), Franklin Pierce (6-11, 3-6 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Egan, 3 goals
• Taylor, 3 goals, 14-for-25 faceoffs
• Junior Matt Schreiner (Falmouth, Mass./Walpole Express), 1 goal, 2 assists, 10-for-14 faceoffs
• First-year Brennan McFarland (Greeley, Colo./Northern Colorado Eagles), 3 assists
• Senior Tyler Dorval (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool), 2 assists
• Senior Thomas Flack (Toronto, Ontario/Saint Michael's Buzzers), 1 goal
• Sophomore Marshall Murphy (Little Canada, Minn./Northern Colorado Eagles), 28 saves
• First-year Case Kantgias (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Northern Colorado Eagles), 3 blocks

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Jackson Dobek, 1 goal
• Sophomore Trevor Lawler, 1 goal
• Sophomore Cody Rumsey, 1 goal
• Graduate student Ian Wallace, 21 saves in 53:17
• Senior Adam Carman, 6 saves in 6:43 of relief

GAME FACTS

• Saint Michael's held edges in shots (35-31) and faceoff wins (36-31).
• The Purple Knights improved to 23-3-1 in the all-time series with Franklin Pierce, having also won, 5-2, at home on Nov. 19.
• Purple Knights had combined for two hat tricks in the last 189 games since January 2014, with AJ Pieprzak '15 (Nov. 22, 2014) and Noah Muller '21 (Jan. 7, 2020) turning the feat in that stretch.
• Saint Michael's last potted two shorthanded goals on Jan. 26, 2013, when Josh Geary '13 and Kevin Altidor '16 scored 20 seconds apart in the second period.
• Dorval and Sel Narby (Huntington, N.Y./Connecticut Junior Rangers) extended their point streaks to four games.
• Egan and Taylor both entered the day with one goal this season.

THE ACTION

• Flack gave Saint Michael's an early lead at 4:45 of the opening period, putting home a second effort after his initial shot in the left circle was blocked. Juniors Connor Redden (Southbury, Conn./Team Maryland) and Owen Rudicus (Duxbury, Mass./Tabor Academy) assisted.
• The Purple Knights made it 2-0 when first-year David Ciancio's (Scituate, R.I./Seahawks Hockey Club) aerial stretch pass found Schreiner, who won a 50/50 puck in the Raven zone. Schreiner's ensuing shot was stopped by a sprawling Wallace, but he sent a backhanded pass into the crease, where Egan finished with 10:08 gone.
• With the visitors on the penalty kill, Narby gloved down a floating puck before Dorval sent Taylor in alone on Wallace. Taylor finished on his backhand for the shorthanded goal at 12:22.
• Rumsey made it 3-1 at 16:20, finishing a one-timer from the left circle, but Schreiner got the goal back just 1:09 later, knocking in a backhanded shot at the left post after Dorval's first shot was saved.
• Dobek again brought Franklin Pierce within two goals at 9:49 of the second period, firing from the left circle after collecting a rebound off the boards.
• Egan deposited his team's second shorthanded goal of the game with 14:59 gone, harassing a Raven into a giveaway inside his own blue line before going in alone on Wallace.
• Lawler tallied on a power play 1:18 into the third period to create a 5-3 margin, taking a failed clear before turning and shooting from the slot.
• The Purple Knights put the game away with three goals in a 6:49 stretch, beginning when Taylor carried from beyond center ice, shook one Raven near the blue line, then outraced two more to beat Wallace at 6:28. McFarland assisted.
• At 9:55, Taylor completed his hat trick during a power play, as he tapped in a rebound after McFarland's initial blast from the right circle was saved. Junior Jeremy Routh (Hamden, Conn./New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs) also assisted.
• Egan finished off his hat trick at 13:17. After Schreiner gained possession from the hosts along the boards, he found McFarland, who worked a quick 2-on-0 with Egan, passing out front for the senior to finish near the left post.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Friday vs. Southern New Hampshire University, 6 p.m.