Milestones Abound as Women’s Ice Hockey Takes Care of Post, 5-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Franklin Pierce (20-10-0, 12-7-0) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
|
Post (12-21-0, 2-17-0) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
SHELTON, Conn. (February 14, 2020) – First, senior defenseman Bridgette Prentiss (Buffalo, N.Y.) dished out her second assist of the game, to record her 41st point of the season (17-24-41) and establish a new program record. Later, junior forward Nicole Amato (Billerica, Mass.) put home her second goal of the game to notch the 100th point of her career (55-45-100). It all added up to a 5-1 win on the road for the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team, as the Ravens dispatched Post in New England Women's Hockey Alliance play at Sports Center of Connecticut. It was the 20th win of the season for Franklin Pierce, which reached that plateau for the second straight season.
With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 20-10-0 (12-7-0 NEWHA), while Post falls to 12-21-0 (2-17-0 NEWHA). It was the third 20-win season in program history, as the 2019-20 team joined the 2014-15 (20-6-1) and 2018-19 (20-10-1) squads. The Ravens have taken the first three games of the season series from Post and will look to establish a new program record for wins when the two close out the regular season on Saturday. Opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m. at Sports Center of Connecticut.
The Ravens notched the first period's only goal at the 11:03 mark, as freshman forward Reece Diener (McKinney, Texas) had the finish on a bouncing puck at the left post for her ninth goal of the season. Senior defenseman Hayley Doneghey (North Attleborough, Mass.) had the initial shot on the play, from the left point, which was deflected en route by freshman forward Becca Kniss (Eden Prairie, Minn.) on its way to Diener.
Franklin Pierce needed just 28 seconds in the second period to double the lead to 2-0. The original shot on the play came from Prentiss at the left point, and senior forward Meg Gilbride (Braintree, Mass.) cashed in the rebound at the bottom of the right circle for her third goal of the campaign.
Gilbride would then add the lone assist on Amato's first goal of the day, as the Ravens made it a 3-0 game at 12:13. Gilbride forced a turnover in the right circle as Post attempted to run a breakout play from behind its own net. She shuttled the puck to the top of the crease, where Amato knocked a backhander between the pads of sophomore goaltender Kaitlyn Daly for her 13th goal of the year.
Post cut the gap to 3-1 just 80 seconds later, at 13:33. From deep in her own end, junior defenseman Gwen Lansky chipped the puck off the glass to find freshman forward Sadie Storm in the neutral zone, and the latter broke into the zone in a 1-on-1 situation on the left-wing side. Storm cut to the middle, used Doneghey as a screen and beat sophomore goaltender Emme Ostrander (Westborough, Mass.) up high from the high slot for her 15th of the season.
The Ravens then set about accumulating their milestones on a pair of third-period goals to create the 5-1 final. Prentiss broke the single-season scoring record with an assist at 9:30, after she led the rush into the offensive end on the left wing. Her centering pass found the stick of freshman forward Katelyn Brightbill (Annville, Pa.) at the top of the crease, but her one-time poke was saved. Freshman forward Ava Kison (Eau Claire, Wis.) was the trailer on the play and banged home the rebound at the left post for her 10th of the year.
Amato capped the scoring with her second of the game, and the 100th point of her career, at 18:34. After taking control on a neutral-zone turnover, junior forward Haley Parker (Londonderry, N.H.) had the puck at the top of the left circle. She fed it down low to Amato. Amato then walked the puck along the goal line, cut out front and buried a backhand to make it a 5-1 game.
Amato became the fourth member of the program's 100-point club, joining Alex Brolsma '18 (49-74-123), Karsyn Baker '16 (59-62-121) and Marisa Ketterman '17 (49-52-101). She is the first to reach 100 points prior to her senior season. Amato was also one of two Franklin Pierce hockey players to reach the century mark on Friday, as Alex Lester notched his 100th point in the men's team's game against Saint Anselm.
Ostrander made 20 saves against 21 shots to tie the program record with her 15th win of the season (15-10-0). Daly (2-12-0) piled up 46 saves against 51 shots and suffered the loss at the other end of the ice.
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).