Ravens and Panthers meet again Saturday at Plymouth State

WINCHENDON, Mass. (December 7, 2012) – Freshman forward Bryana Harron (Woburn, Mass.) scored in the third period on Friday night, but a pair of third-period goals caused the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team to lose a 3-1 decision to Plymouth State at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Freshman forward Marisa Zamrock scored the game-winning goal for Plymouth State.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 3-6-0, while Plymouth State improves to 2-6-0 (1-5-0 ECAC East). The game was the front end of a home-and-home series between the two clubs.

Plymouth State opened the scoring at the 13:28 mark of the first period. Junior defenseman Stephanie Newmark had the puck at the left point and flipped a shot towards the net. Junior forward Kelsey Maguire deflected the puck en route to change the direction of the shot and beat Franklin Pierce junior goaltender Amelea Gray (Bozeman, Mont.). The goal was the first of the season for Maguire.

The remainder of the first period and the entirety of the second went without a goal before Franklin Pierce drew even at 1-1 at 9:37 of the second stanza. Freshman defenseman Nicole Palermo (Warwick, R.I.) sent the puck ahead to freshman forward Francesca Paciello (Clinton, N.Y.), who found herself with a 2-on-1 down low with Harron. The latter eventually put away her third goal of the season.

The tie was not long-lived however, as Plymouth State took the lead for good just 1:23 later. Zamrock forced a turnover by the Ravens in their own defensive end and sent a shot towards the left side of the net from the slot. Gray got a piece of the shot with her blocker, but it wound up in the back of the net anyway, for Zamrock's first career goal.

The insurance goal came another 2:58 after the Zamrock goal and would serve as the back-breaker. With the Panthers clearing their own end, sophomore forward Kate Banys flipped a puck down the ice from her own side of center ice in the neutral zone. The clearance wound up on goal and slipped between Gray's pads for a 100-plus-foot goal, Banys' first of the season.

Gray started, made 18 saves and took the loss (3-6-0) before being pulled after the Banys goal. Junior goaltender Ali Ponte stopped 31 shots to pick up the win (1-4-0) between the pipes for Plymouth State.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Dec. 8, when they make the return trip to Plymouth State to close out the semester. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Hanaway Rink in Plymouth, N.H.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's ice hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).