SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (1/21/2023) – The Franklin Pierce women's hockey team seized an opportunity to claim their first-weekend sweep of the season, and achieved just that following a 4-1 victory over the host Saint Michael's College Purple Knights on Saturday afternoon at Cairns Arena. 

The successful weekend improves the Ravens to a 10-12-2 (7-7-2 NEWHA) overall record, while the host Purple Knights fall to 1-18-2 (1-13-2 NEWHA) with the loss, extending their winless streak to 20 straight games.  

The 4^th goal of the season for senior Ava Kison (Eau Claire, Wis.) got the scoring started for the Ravens just 1:41 into the opening frame, when she sent home a blistering wrist shot from between the circles to give Pierce the early 1-0 lead. At 14:44 of the period, the Ravens then converted on their first power play of the contest on a goal from junior Claire Casey (Superior, Wis.), after she was served a pass from the left corner by Jenna Ruiz (Webster, Wis.) to extend the Raven lead to 2-0. The Ravens finished the period outshooting the Purple Knights 15-12, and would retain their 2-0 lead heading into the second period.

At 7:35 of the second, the Ravens made it a 3-0 game when graduate forward Lindsey Dumond (Hampton, N.H.) slid the puck five hole on netminder Carissa Mudrak for her third of the season after a failed clear attempt by the Purple Knights. However, Saint Michael's finally got on the board with 7:24 left in the middle frame on a goal from freshman forward Lauren Fisher who redirected a shot from up high by defender Emma Kelley in close past Raven netminder Jill Hertl (Highland Park, Illinois). This would be the only goal Saint Michael's would score in the game, as Franklin Pierce led 3-1 after two periods. 

The final period was quiet for both teams as the Ravens outshot the Purple Knights 17-8. Sophomore forward Mikayla Kelly (Eagan, Minn.) put the icing on the cake for Franklin Pierce with just 00:35 seconds left on the game clock, beating Mudrak her short side shoulder from a tough angle to make it 4-1 Ravens.

From the opening puck drop, the Ravens finished the afternoon with a 48-22 shots advantage over the Purple Knights. Raven starter Jill Hertl (9-8-2) made 21 saves against 22 shots faced for the win, while Saint Michael's Carissa Mudrak (1-12-2) turned aside 44-of-48 shots faced.

Women's hockey gears up for another upcoming weekend series, this time against in-state rival Saint Anslem College with the action kicking off on Friday, January 27th, with puck drop at 4:00 p.m.