Ostrander Posts Another Shutout, Women’s Ice Hockey Ties Sacred Heart, 0-0 (OT)

WINCHENDON, Mass. (February 1, 2019) – The Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team and Sacred Heart skated 65 minutes without a goal on Friday night, as the two teams played to a scoreless tie in New England Women's Hockey Alliance play at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Freshman goaltender Emme Ostrander (Westborough, Mass.) posted her third straight shutout in the Franklin Pierce crease.

With the tie, Franklin Pierce moves to 15-8-1 (6-6-1 NEWHA), while Sacred Heart now stands at 17-5-4 (6-2-3 NEWHA). The two teams will try to find a winner, or at least a goal, again on Saturday, when they wrap up the four-game season series. Opening faceoff is set for 5 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena.

For Franklin Pierce, it marked the first scoreless tie in program history, though the Ravens are certainly no strangers to playing tightly-contested games against Sacred Heart. Dating to December of 2015, the two teams have now had 10 of their 11 meetings either end in a tie or be decided by just one goal. The last time either side won a game against the other by more than two goals was a 5-1 Franklin Pierce win on home ice on Dec. 5, 2015, which was 12 contests ago. Of the nine ties in Franklin Pierce's program history, five have come against Sacred Heart.

Ostrander (10-4-1) stopped all 28 shots she faced to pick up her third straight shutout and her sixth shutout of the season. She now possesses a shutout streak of 194:02, dating to the second period at Salve Regina on Jan. 19.

At the other end of the ice, senior netminder Sarah Erban (15-2-4) stopped 19 shots to post her second straight shutout, as well as her fifth of the season. She is riding a shutout streak of her own of 168:54, dating to the second period against Quinnipiac on Jan. 18.

Sacred Heart controlled stretches of the first period, to the tune of a 13-4 advantage in shots on goal. Things evened out from there though, as Franklin Pierce posted a 9-6 edge in the second period, before Sacred Heart held a 7-6 margin in the third period. The Pioneers recorded the only two shots of the overtime period.

Each side was whistled for three minor penalties on the night, and each team went 0-for-3 on the power play, though one opportunity on each side was abbreviated. Franklin Pierce sophomore forward Haley Parker (Londonderry, N.H.) led all players with five shots. 

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). 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 hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).