Written by Department of Athletics Student-Staff Writer Rich Rosa 

Raven Standouts:
Claire Casey (Superior, Wis): 1 Goal
Alysa Kawa (Hamilton, Ontario): 1 Goal (1^st of her Franklin Pierce career), 5 SOG
Memphis Mertens (Roseau, MN): 3 SOG

Mendota Heights, M.N. (9/29/2023) -- The Franklin Pierce women's ice hockey team opened the 2023-2024 season this afternoon on the road against the University of St. Thomas, losing 7-2 in game one of the two-game weekend series. 

Franklin Pierce falls to 0-1-0 (0-0-0 NEWHA) with the loss, and St. Thomas improves to 1-0-0 (0-0-0 WCHA) with the win. This was the third-ever meeting between these two teams. Franklin Pierce split the season series against St. Thomas last year.  

St. Thomas controlled the tempo from the opening puck drop and were first to make it on the board. With less than eight minutes left in the opening period, the Tommies cleared the puck out of their zone, and freshman forward Keara Parker scored her first career goal. Closing out the first, St. Thomas led 1-0.  

In the second period, St. Thomas hit the gas offensively, scoring four goals. Two minutes into the period, freshman forward Ella Boerger scored her first career goal with the Tommies on the powerplay to make it 2-0. Two minutes and ten seconds later, freshman defender Ellah Hause scored her first career goal to go up 3-0. Three minutes later, junior defender Nicole Vallario scored her sixth career goal to make it 4-0 Tommies.

Following the three unanswered goals in the second period, Pierce was able to put together a chain of offensive opportunities but the Ravens still couldn't find the back of the net. Before the buzzer rang out ending the second period, St. Thomas junior forward Abby Promersberger lit the lamp again for the Tommies, boosting the teams lead to 5-0.

In the third period the Ravens finally got on the board after senior forward Claire Casey (Superior, Wis) scored her fifth career goal to cut the Tommies lead to four. With under 10 minutes left in the game, junior transfer Alyssa Kawa (Hamilton, Ontario) scored her first career goal with the Ravens on the powerplay to make it 5-2.

St. Thomas quickly squashed the comeback after they scored two goals in the final three minutes of the game which ended in a 7-2 final.

For Franklin Pierce, sophomore goaltender Jill Hertl (Highland Park, III) played the first two periods, stopping 28 of 33 shots and picked up the loss. Sophomore goaltender Olivia Klunowski (Toronto, Ontario) came in relief for Hertl, where she gave up two goals and made eight saves. 

NEXT UP FOR THE RAVENS: The two-game weekend series concludes tomorrow, September 30, at 7 p.m. in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, between Franklin Pierce and St. Thomas.