RINDGE, N.H. (February 21, 2020) – Having already established a new program record for wins in a season, the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team will open postseason play, and pursuit of its first-ever league title, on Saturday night. The second-seeded Ravens will meet third-seeded Saint Anselm in the semifinal round of the New England Women's Hockey Alliance Tournament, which is being hosted by Saint Anselm, at Sullivan Arena in Manchester, N.H. Opening faceoff for the day's second semifinal is set for 4 p.m.

Saturday's winner will advance to the league title game, set for 4 p.m. on Sunday. 

NEWHA Tournament
(Seeds in parentheses) 

Saturday, Feb. 23 -- Semifinals
Game 1: (1) Sacred Heart vs. (4) Long Island – 1 p.m.
Game 2: (2) Franklin Pierce at (3) Saint Anselm – 4 p.m. 

Sunday, Feb. 24 -- Final
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 4 p.m.

Scouting the Ravens

For Franklin Pierce (21-10-0), the second-place finish marks the team's highest finish in the three-year existence of the NEWHA. It is also the highest league finish in program history, including the three seasons the team previously spent in either the New England Hockey Conference or the ECAC East. Franklin Pierce played as an independent for the program's first two seasons.

The Ravens boast both the NEWHA Defensive Player of the Year, in senior defenseman Bridgette Prentiss (Buffalo, N.Y.), and its Rookie of the Year, in freshman forward Becca Kniss (Eden Prairie, Minn.). Prentiss is the league's leading scorer (19-25-44), while Kniss leads all NEWHA freshmen in scoring (13-20-33). Franklin Pierce also rosters the league's second-leading scorer, in junior forward and All-NEWHA First Team pick Haley Parker (Londonderry, N.H.), who has tallied 17-20-37. Junior forward Nicole Amato (Billerica, Mass.) earned All-NEWHA honors as well, as she currently is tied for eighth in the league in scoring (14-12-26) and landed on the Second Team.

Between the pipes is All-NEWHA Second Team selection Emme Ostrander (Westborough, Mass.), who has logged nearly 80% of the team's minutes in net. The sophomore is the NEWHA leader in both goals-against average (2.02) and save percentage (.929). Franklin Pierce ranks first in the league in scoring offense (4.03 goals per game) and second in scoring defense (2.16 goals per game). The Ravens are especially dangerous on the power play, where they are clicking away at 28.1% (45-for-160), to lead the NEWHA by over 10 points. Their penalty kill is tops in the league as well, at 88.8% (103-for-116).

Scouting the Hawks

Saint Anselm (15-13-3) opened the season with wins in 10 of its first 13 games (10-3-0), but has cooled off since the calendar flipped to 2020. The Hawks are just 5-9-3 since returning to the ice after winter break. Saint Anselm advanced to Saturday's semifinal by virtue of an 8-1, first round win on home ice against six-seeded Post on Tuesday. Senior defenseman Megan Klaus scored four times in the victory. Even with the win, Saint Anselm enters the weekend with just three victories in its last 10 games (3-5-2).

Saint Anselm had a pair of players earn All-NEWHA Second Team honors earlier this week. Klaus earned her third straight All-NEWHA selection, after First Team selections each of the last two seasons, and ranks ninth among the league's defensemen in scoring (7-7-14). Meanwhile, junior forward Katy Meehan was honored as well, earning her second straight All-NEWHA accolade, and currently ranks 10^th in the league in scoring (14-11-25).

In net, senior Michaela Kane has seen more than half of the team's minutes. She ranks second in the NEWHA in goals-against average (2.10) behind Ostrander, but has benefited from the Hawks' strong team defense, as she ranks just fourth in the league (among eight eligible goaltenders) in save percentage (.917). Saint Anselm ranks fourth in the league in scoring offense (2.77 goals per game) and leads the NEWHA in scoring defense (2.13).

Earlier This Season

The two teams met for a home-and-home on Nov. 1-2, with each winning on home ice. On Friday afternoon at Franklin Pierce, Amato scored twice and the Ravens used a pair of power-play goals to blank Hawks. Saint Anselm turned around and picked up a 2-1, overtime win at home on Saturday afternoon, with senior forward Amanda Conger cashing in the game-winner while shorthanded in the extra session.

Franklin Pierce then took both meetings in January to take the season series, 3-1-0. At Saint Anselm on Jan. 7, Ostrander piled up 43 saves to post a shutout as three different goal scorers led to a 3-0 Ravens win. At Franklin Pierce on Jan. 28, senior defenseman Delaney Guimont (Bedford, N.H.) scored twice in the first and things snowballed from there, as the Ravens rolled to a 5-1 win.

Against the remaining tournament field, Franklin Pierce won the season series against Saint Anselm (3-1-0), split with LIU (2-2-0) and dropped the season series to Sacred Heart (1-3-0). Saint Anselm won its season series against LIU (3-1-0), lost the season series against Franklin Pierce (1-3-0) and was swept by Sacred Heart (0-4-0).

Previously in the Postseason

The Ravens and Hawks have met three previous times in the postseason, with Saint Anselm winning all three games. Most recently, the Hawks scored a 3-0 victory in last season's NEWHA title game, behind a goal and an assist from Conger and a pair of assists from Meehan. Two seasons ago, Saint Anselm rang up a 7-1 win in the semifinal round, as Haley Marshall led the way with four points (2-2-4). The two also met in the semifinal round of the 2016 NEHC Open Tournament, when Kaitlyn Spillane and Samantha Boyer had a goal and an assist each in a 2-0 Saint Anselm win.

Headed to the Game?

If you plan on making the trip to Manchester on Saturday, directions to Saint Anselm and maps of the Queen City campus can be found here: https://www.anselm.edu/admission-aid/visit/directions

Ticket prices are set as follows: 

Adults - $10
College students (and under) - $5
Children (5 and under) - Free

Per NEWHA policy, no complimentary admissions will be issued.

How to Follow Along

If you prefer to follow the action from home, from work or from elsewhere, both live video and live stats will be available. 

Live stats: https://www.fpuravens.com/sports/wice/2019-20/boxscores/20200222_ielo.xml
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/saintanselm/

Up Next

The winner of Saturday's game will advance to play in Sunday's NEWHA Tournament title game, set for 4 p.m. at Sullivan Rink. The advancing team will meet the winner of Saturday's first semifinal, which is set for 1 p.m., and features top seed Sacred Heart taking on fourth-seeded LIU.

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 ice hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (https://www.shopfpuravens.com).