NEHC All-Conference selections

RINDGE, N.H. (February 23, 2017) – Senior goaltender Shannon O'Neil (Tewksbury, Mass.) of the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team has been named New England Hockey Conference Goaltender of the Year, as announced on Thursday morning by the Conference office. O'Neil was also named to the All-NEHC First Team, while junior forward Alex Brolsma (Bloomington, Minn.) landed on the All-NEHC Third Team and freshman forward Meg Gilbride (Braintree, Mass.) was selected to the NEHC All-Rookie Team.

O'Neil becomes the first major conference-level award winner in program history -- and earns her first career All-Conference selection -- at the end of a season in which she has logged over 80% of the team's time in net. She has started 21 of Franklin Pierce's 25 games this fall and posted a 1.37 goals-against average and .943 save percentage while logging 1228:30 minutes, through Wednesday night's NEHC Open Tournament first round contest. O'Neil has faced 489 shots and turned aside 461 of them, allowing just 28 goals over the course of the year, which has allowed her to pile up a 15-5-1 record and seven shutouts. Among NEHC netminders, she leads the league in save percentage and ranks third in goals-against average, leading a Franklin Pierce defensive effort which ranks second in the Conference, at 1.36 goals against per game.

Brolsma earns her first career All-Conference selection as well, though she lands on the Third Team, despite ranking second in the NEHC in scoring. Through 25 games, she has potted 15 goals and added 21 assists to pile up 36 points, which is second among league players to only Saint Anselm senior Alison Butler, who has tallied 11-27-38, on the way to First-Team honors of her own. At 1.57 points per game, Brolsma currently leads the league in scoring on a per-game basis. Her 15 goals are tied for eighth in the league, while the 21 assists tie her for second. The 36 points currently has Brolsma tied for the program single-season record, with two games still remaining.

Gilbride becomes the first Raven to earn All-Rookie Team honors from a conference. She currently leads the league's freshmen in scoring, with 25 points through 25 games, on eight goals and 17 assists. Her 17 helpers rank first among the Conference's first-year players. At one point per game, Gilbride ranks second in scoring on a per-game basis, behind only the NEHC Rookie of the Year, Norwich's Amanda Conway, who has piled up 17-6-23 through just 20 games (1.15 points/game).

The third-seeded Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Feb. 25, for the semifinal round of the NEHC Open Tournament, against second-seeded Holy Cross. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m. at Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton, Conn., as the weekend portion of the tournament is hosted by Sacred Heart University.

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).