WINCHENDON, Mass. (December 10, 2016) – The Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team struck for two goals in the first period and three more in the second on Saturday afternoon, to close out the fall semester with a 5-0 win over Salem State in non-conference play at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Freshman forward Meg Gilbride (Braintree, Mass.) and junior forward Hailee Craig (Canton, Mich.) scored twice each in the victory for the Ravens.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 8-3-1, while Salem State falls to 2-6-0.

Franklin Pierce needed just 3:12 to open the scoring on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Michelle Holmes (Goffstown, N.H.) circled behind the net, cutting from left-wing side to right-wing side. She was then able to wrap around and stuff the puck in at the right post before Salem State sophomore goaltender Katherine Crane could create a seal with her pad. Junior forward Alex Brolsma (Bloomington, Minn.) had the lone assist on Holmes' ninth goal of the season.

Craig struck for her first goal of the afternoon with a power-play marker at the 18:05 mark to push the lead to 2-0. Holmes took a shot from the left circle, which went wide. Senior forward Alysha Raimo (Fitchburg, Mass.) tracked down the rebound in the right corner and centered it to Craig, who had a one-time finish for her third goal of the campaign.

The Ravens then poured in three goals in a span of 5:01 after the midpoint of the second period to create the 5-0 final. First, senior defenseman Katie Flynn (Sandwich, Mass.) put the puck towards the net from the left point, but her shot was knocked down by the defense. Gilbride ultimately cleaned up the loose puck and put a backhand shot into the top of the net from the bottom of the left circle. Freshman forward Kayla Trujillo (Pueblo, Colo.) provided an assist as well, at the 11:29 mark, on Gilbride's fifth goal of the year.

Just over three minutes later, Craig completed her two-goal outing at the 14:58 mark. Senior forward Lanie Matsumoto (Fort Collins, Colo.) took the initial shot on the play, which was blocked by the defense. Amid a scramble out front, Craig ultimately corralled the puck and put home her fourth goal of the year, while Brolsma added an assist as well.

Finally, 92 seconds later, at the 16:30 mark, Gilbride's second of the game capped the scoring and created the 5-0 final. Gilbride buried a one-time shot from the slot, off of a centering feed from behind the goal line by Trujillo, while freshman defenseman Katie Neuburger (Fayetteville, N.Y.) provided an assist as well.

Senior goaltender Shannon O'Neil (Tewksbury, Mass.) stopped all 19 shots she faced to pick up the win (7-2-1) and post her fourth shutout of the season, as well as the 11th of her career, in net for Franklin Pierce. Crane (1-2-0) played the first two periods in the crease for Salem State, made 27 saves against 32 shots and took the loss. Freshman Calie Richman took over for the third period for the Vikings and stopped all nine shots she saw.

The Ravens return to the ice on Saturday, Jan. 7, when they remain home to host Saint Anselm in a New England Hockey Conference contest. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena.

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).