Brolsma, Holmes Lead Way as Women’s Ice Hockey Blanks Nichols, 6-0

WINCHENDON, Mass (November 12, 2016) – The floodgates opened after a scoreless first period on Saturday afternoon at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Junior forward Alex Brolsma (Bloomington, Minn.) netted a pair of goals in the second period and senior forward Michelle Holmes (Goffstown, N.H.) potted two in the third frame, as the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team rolled to a 6-0 victory over Nichols in New England Hockey Conference play.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 5-1-0 (4-1-0 NEHC) and has won five in a row, while Nichols falls to 0-5-0 (0-3-0 NEHC).

The first period went by the boards without any scoring, though Franklin Pierce held an 11-4 edge in shots on goal, en route to a 42-14 advantage for the day. The Ravens then poured in four goals in the second period to all but put the game out of reach. The barrage started just 36 seconds into the middle stanza, as freshman defenseman Bridgette Prentiss (Buffalo, N.Y.) threw the puck towards the goal from the left point. Freshman forward Alli Sugar (Canton, Conn.) got her stick to the puck en route and deflected it home for her first collegiate goal.

Just over three minutes later, at the 3:47 mark, Brolsma picked up her first of two scores on the day, on a give-and-go play with Holmes through the right-wing side of the offensive zone. Brolsma sent the puck to Holmes in the right circle and then cut to the slot. The return pass hit Brolsma between the hash marks and left her alone against Nichols junior goaltender Lindsay O'Connell. Brolsma deked left, then back to the right, around the goalie, and was left with an easy finish for her fourth goal of the campaign.

Brolsma would make it 3-0 just 2:08 later, with a 4-on-4 goal at the 5:55 mark. She snapped a shot from a low angle at the bottom of the right-wing circle, which beat O'Connell to the short side and snuck inside the right post. Freshman defenseman Delaney Guimont (Bedford, N.H.) picked up an assist on the play.

The Ravens rounded out the second-period surge with a power-play marker at the 14:58 mark, to make it a 4-0 game. The goal came just eight seconds into the man-advantage, with junior forward Hailee Craig (Canton, Mich.) providing the finish from the bottom of the left-wing circle. Brolsma picked up an assist on the play to finish her 2-1-3 afternoon.

Franklin Pierce tacked on a pair of special-teams insurance markers in the third period to create the 6-0 final. First, the Ravens worked the puck around the perimeter to cash in a power-play goal at the 2:26 mark. From the right circle, senior forward Alysha Raimo (Fitchburg, Mass.) sent the puck to the middle of the blue line for Prentiss, who worked it over to Holmes in the left circle. Holmes snapped her shot from the faceoff dot and picked the top-left corner, over the shoulder of O'Connell, to push the lead to 5-0.

Holmes would have the game's final goal as well, at the 15:46 mark, as she took off on a shorthanded breakaway, with the aid of senior defenseman Katie Flynn (Sandwich, Mass.). A quick deke at the hash marks opened up the left side of the net, and she snapped home her fourth goal of the year.

Franklin Pierce senior goaltender Shannon O'Neil (Tewksbury, Mass.) stopped all 14 shots on her goal to pick up the win (5-1-0) and post her 10th career shutout. At the other end of the ice, O'Connell (0-3-0) finished with 36 saves against 42 shots and suffered the loss in the crease for Nichols.

The Ravens return to the ice on Friday, Nov. 18, when they travel to Post for a non-conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 3 p.m. at Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton, Conn.

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' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).