Wiley adds goal, assist

PLYMOUTH, N.H. (January 11, 2014) – Freshman forward Marisa Ketterman (Palmer, Alaska) scored a pair of breakaway goals on Saturday afternoon to lead the way for the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team in a 4-1 road win over Plymouth State at Hanaway Rink. Sophomore forward Olivia Leon scored the lone goal in defeat for Plymouth State.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 12-2-0 and has won three in a row, while Plymouth State falls to 3-10-0 (1-5-0 ECAC East). The 12th win of the season means the Ravens will finish, at worst, .500 in their sophomore campaign, while one more victory will clinch the program's first winning season. Franklin Pierce piled up a 45-25 advantage in shots on Saturday afternoon, largely thanks to a dominant, 22-6 effort in a three-goal third period which turned a 1-1 tie into the 4-1 win.

With under eight minutes to play in the first period, Plymouth State forged a rush down the left side of the attacking zone. The Panthers were able to work the puck into the middle and found sophomore forward Kelsey Lynch at the top of the crease. With most of the right side of the net to shoot at, Lynch seemed to have a sure goal, especially after she slipped the puck past the pad of Franklin Pierce freshman goaltender Shannon O'Neil (Tewksbury, Mass.) on the one-time attempt. Somehow, O'Neil was able to get her glove to the ice, smother the puck before it could make its way across the line, and keep the game scoreless.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, the effort would prove mostly for naught, as Plymouth State would open the scoring immediately off the ensuing faceoff in the left-wing circle. The Panthers pushed the puck towards the net off the draw, though not with much force, and the lack of speed on the shot appeared to catch O'Neil off-balance. This time, O'Neil came up empty with the glove and the puck slipped inside the right post to give Plymouth State a 1-0 lead at 12:36. Leon got credit for her second goal of the season, while Lynch -- who had just been stymied from point-blank range -- picked up the assist.

Franklin Pierce nearly evened the score at 1-1 just over a minute later, when sophomore forward Francesca Paciello (Clinton, N.Y.) brought the puck into the offensive end on the right side on a two-on-one rush. She took the shot herself from the right circle and beat Plymouth State senior goaltender Ali Ponte, but the puck rang of the pipe and bounced away. The Ravens also drew a tripping penalty on the rush, but could not cash in on the resultant power play.

The Ravens would ultimately tie the game at 1-1 at the 7:15 mark of the second period with the first of four unanswered goals the rest of the way. Senior forward Jamie Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) forced the puck into the offensive end on the left-wing side, powered around her defender and forged a path to the net. Her shot went wide, and she was ultimately dispossessed behind the net, but Plymouth State would never clear the zone. The Panthers turned the puck over in front of their own net, ceding control to Ketterman in the high slot. The quick turnover left Ketterman all alone against Ponte, and she snapped her sixth goal of the campaign inside the left post.

Plymouth State threatened to take the lead with under eight minutes to play in the second, as the Panthers caught Franklin Pierce exhausted at the end of a long shift. The tired legs allowed Plymouth State to cause a scene around the Raven net, and freshman defenseman Gracie Shewell ultimately wound up with a golden rebound opportunity near the bottom of the right-wing circle. Another quick glove save from O'Neil left Shewell frustrated however, as the game remained 1-1.

The score stayed there until the third period, when Franklin Pierce took control, scored three times and came away with the 4-1 victory. The first of the trio of goals came just 69 seconds in. While not a power-play score, it may as well have been one, as it came just two seconds after a Plymouth State bench minor for too many players on the ice expired. Wiley and sophomore forward Michaela Faia (Malden, Mass.) worked the puck to sophomore forward Karsyn Baker (Detroit, Mich.) on the right-wing side, and the latter found a seam to cut into the slot. Baker fanned on her initial attempt to propel the puck towards the net, but the whiff proved fortuitous, as it left Ponte off-balance. Baker recollected the puck and put the second shot away for her team-leading 11th goal of the season, as well as the eventual game-winner.*

The first of two insurance markers came at the 4:37 mark, as the Plymouth State defense crossed itself up near the attacking blue line. Ketterman capitalized on the situation, found the puck and attempted to start the other way. Her task became much easier after the two Panthers on the scene got tangled up in the neutral zone, leaving Ketterman at the head of a two-on-none rush the other way. Ketterman took care of things herself, as she beat Ponte inside the right post for her second goal of the night. For Ketterman, it was her first collegiate multiple-goal game.

The Ravens capped the scoring with a power-play goal at 13:50 to create the 4-1 final. With the puck on the left-wing side, Wiley sent a feed into the middle into traffic and found Faia in front of the right post. Faia's shot was turned aside, but the rebound came straight to Wiley in the left-wing circle. With Ponte committed to the other side on the save, the senior captain was left with the entire net to salt away her second goal of the year. Sophomore forward Colleen Doucette (Wakefield, Mass.) picked up the other assist on the play.

O'Neil was beaten just the one time in the first period and finished with 24 saves to pick up the win (6-0-0) in net for Franklin Pierce. Ponte faced a barrage of vulcanized rubber at the other end, as she chalked up 41 saves, but suffered the loss (2-8-0) anyway between the pipes for Plymouth State.

The Ravens return to the ice on Tuesday, Jan. 14, when they travel to Salve Regina. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at St. George's School Ice Rink in Middletown, R.I.

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