Baker notches 100th career point

WINCHENDON, Mass. (December 5, 2015) – Three points (1-2-3) from senior forward Karsyn Baker (Detroit, Mich.) keyed a four-goal third period on Saturday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team surged to a 5-1 win over Sacred Heart in non-conference play at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. The first of Baker's two assists was her 100th career point (49-52-101), making her the first player in program history to reach the milestone.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 7-2-0, while Sacred Heart falls to 2-4-1. The two teams will meet again on Sunday to complete the home-and-home, weekend series. Opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m. at Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton, Conn.

Tied at 1-1 heading into the third period on Saturday, the Ravens wasted no time starting their third-period offensive explosion. On the power play to start the period, as 1:22 on a cross-checking minor to Sacred Heart junior defenseman Amie Varano carried over, Franklin Pierce needed just 30 seconds to find the net. With the puck at the right point, senior defenseman Samantha Bureau (Ottawa, Ontario) sent a cross-ice pass across the high slot to Baker in the left circle. Baker's initial shot was stopped by Sacred Heart senior goaltender Nicole Magee, but with no defense in the area, Baker was able to finish off the rebound for her seventh goal of the season.

Junior forward Michelle Holmes (Goffstown, N.H.) followed with her seventh of the season as well, at the 4:29 mark, on a strong individual effort. She forced a turnover high in the attacking end and took possession headed into the right-wing circle. From near the faceoff dot, she took a wrist shot and picked the top-right corner over Magee's shoulder to push the lead to 3-0.

It would become three goals in a span of 6:36 at the 7:06 mark, after the Ravens took control in the neutral zone. Baker sent the puck to senior forward Colleen Doucette (Wakefield, Mass.) in the neutral zone and the latter eventually set up the first goal of the season for junior forward Alysha Raimo (Fitchburg, Mass.).

Franklin Pierce bookended the four-goal stanza with another power-play goal at the 11:22 mark, shortly after the expiration of a 5-on-3 advantage. The goal came on a tic-tac-toe passing play, which started with senior forward Bryana Harron (Woburn, Mass.) on the right-wing side. Harron sent the puck across the high slot to the left circle for Baker, who quickly sent a pass to the top of the crease for Doucette, who had an easy, one-time finish for her fourth goal of the campaign.

Earlier in the day, Sacred Heart had opened the scoring at the 13:41 mark of the first period, as things got disorganized for Franklin Pierce in the defensive end. Freshman forward Katie Stueve took the first shot on the play, ringing the post from the left circle. The rebound wound up in the slot, where senior forward Casey Stathopoulos was the first on the scene. Franklin Pierce junior goaltender Noelle White (Corona, Calif.) had to scramble to get back in position, but did so in time to get a piece of Stathopoulos' follow-up shot. However, White could not keep the shot in front of her, as the puck wound up falling into the crease behind her. The scene quickly devolved into a skirmish, with White and multiple defenders sprawled across the crease, trying to cover and clear the puck, respectively. It was Sacred Heart senior forward Hanna Skelley who found the handle first though, and she shuffled home her third goal of the season.

Franklin Pierce answered with a shorthanded tally at 19:16 to knot the game up at 1-1 before the end of the opening period. Sophomore defenseman Alex Brolsma (Bloomington, Minn.) started the play by blocking a shot from the point by the Sacred Heart power play. The puck ricocheted all the way down inside the Sacred Heart blue line, resulting in a footrace for possession. The Pioneer defenseman was able to get to the puck first, but Brolsma immediately tied her up and dispossessed her. Brolsma quickly laid the puck off to her left, into the middle of the ice for junior forward Marisa Ketterman (Palmer, Alaska), who now had just the goaltender to beat and snapped home her seventh of the season from the slot.

White (3-0-0) finished with 20 saves against 21 shots on goal in the crease for Franklin Pierce. Magee (2-2-0) stopped 31 of the 36 shots on her goal at the other end of the ice for Sacred Heart.

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