SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey team defeated Franklin Pierce University, 4-2, on Saturday at Cairns Arena and clinched a home contest in the upcoming Northeast 10 Conference Championship. With two regular-season games remaining, the Purple Knights will hold either the No. 2 or 3 seed. The top two seeds earn first-round byes into the semifinals.
 
The Purple Knights honored their 10 seniors during a pregame Senior Day ceremony: Ashton Allain (Brentwood, Tenn./Walpole Express), Jackson Cole (Newark, Del./Vernal Oilers), Jake Leale (Suffern, N.Y./Connecticut RoughRiders), Kyle Lee (Buffalo, N.Y./Finlandia University), Jake Lincourt (Smithfield, R.I./Walpole Express), Cole Manahan (Hermantown, Minn./Vernal Oilers), Quinn McCarthy (Melrose, Mass./Holderness School), Silas Recica-Sullivan (Bakersfield, Vt./Twin City Thunder), Matti Tauriainen (Grapevine, Texas/Valley Jr. Warriors) and Nick Wracker (Columbia, S.C./Northeast Generals).
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (15-10-3, 10-6-2 NE10), Franklin Pierce (9-18, 7-11 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Sj LeComte (Port Monmouth, N.J./Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings), 2 goals, +2
• Junior Brayden Naumann (Boston, Mass./Dexter Southfield School), 1 goal, 1 assist, +2
• First-year Aj Sacco (Middleton, Mass./Islanders Hockey Club), 1 goal, 1 assist
• Junior Ty Bloom (Helena, Mont./Helena Bighorns), 1 assist, 16-for-25 faceoffs, +2
• Manahan, 37 saves
• Lincourt, 5-for-5 faceoffs
• Sophomore Jack Tuite (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Springfield Jr. Pics), 14-for-24 faceoffs

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior John Sterling, 2 assists
• Senior Isaiah Frankel, 1 goal
• Senior Douglas McGuire, 1 goal
• Senior Jeremy Connor, 29 saves

GAME FACTS

• Saint Michael's has won at least 15 games in three straight seasons for the second time, after also doing so between 1996-97 and 1998-99.
• LeComte recorded his third two-goal game of the season, including the second of the weekend.

THE ACTION

• Frankel put the Ravens ahead 7:30 into the game on the power play, spinning and scoring from the slot.
• LeComte connected on a wrist shot from the left circle during a power play at 6:52 of the second period for the equalizer before putting home a rebound at 12:10 to give the Purple Knights the lead for good.
• McCarthy picked up a loose puck off of a giveaway in neutral ice midway through the third period before starting a quick transition opportunity that led to Allain finding Sacco for another tally from in close at 11:29.
• With Connor pulled for an extra skater, McGuire scored from between the circles with 17:31 elapsed to bring the Ravens within a goal.
• In the final moments, Naumann scored on an empty net with 22 seconds to go directly off of Bloom's faceoff win just outside the Franklin Pierce blue line.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Friday at Southern New Hampshire University, 7:40 p.m.