WINCHENDON, Mass. (February 18, 2022) -- The expert of the overtime winner played the hero in regulation on Friday night at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. Junior Ava Kison (Eau Claire, Wis.) -- who had three overtime goals among her previous five game-winners -- buried a shot from the bottom of the right circle with just 17.2 seconds to play. The goal broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Franklin Pierce University to a 2-1 victory over Long Island University in the opener of a pivotal, two-game New England Women's Hockey Alliance weekend series.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 18-8-1 (14-3-0 NEWHA) and runs its program-record winning streak to 10, which now equals the longest unbeaten streak in school history as well. With the loss, LIU falls to 13-13-3 (11-2-2 NEWHA). The two teams will meet again on Saturday in Winchendon, at 7 p.m. The Ravens will honor their senior class following the conclusion of the game.

After the two teams traded goals in the second period, the third frame was a tense, back-and-forth affair. LIU pushed the tempo early, as the Sharks held a 6-2 advantage in shots midway through the stanza. Franklin Pierce responded though, and eventually peppered LIU freshman goaltender Tindra Holm with four shots on a late power play. Though the Ravens came up empty on the advantage, they would level the shots at 10-10 in the period.

The 21^st and final shot of the frame proved to be all the difference. Kison started the rush up the ice by clearing her own zone on the right side and centering for freshman Mikayla Kelley (Eagan, Minn.) in the neutral zone. Kelley gained the attacking blue line and then brushed the puck off to her left, to junior Kaitlyn Brightbill (Silver Spring, Md.). Brightbill sent it back to a charging Kison at the bottom of the right circle, and the Badger State native promptly buried an off-wing shot for her ninth of the season, at 19:43.

LIU immediately called its timeout and brought Holm to the bench for the extra attacker, but it was to no avail. Graduate student Marissa Massaro (Brockton, Mass.) won the ensuing center-ice draw, Franklin Pierce melted the final quarter-minute off the clock, and then the Ravens mobbed sophomore goaltender Suzette Faucher (Middleton, Wis.) in celebration in front of her crease at the south end of the rink.

Earlier in the day, after the first period had gone scoreless -- but with a 10-6 edge in shots to Franklin Pierce -- the Ravens opened the scoring at the 9:43 mark of the second, on a pretty passing play on the left side. From the left half-wall, Brightbill sent the puck down low to sophomore Emilie Prive (Morrisville, Vt.) in the corner. Prive found a lane to hit Kelley in the slot, and the Minnesotan wired a shot to the top shelf for her seventh of the campaign.

LIU had the answer just over four minutes later, at 13:52. Freshman Bri Eid pushed the puck ahead and into the attacking zone for junior Carrigan Umpherville, who carried deep down the right side. Umpherville found junior Megan Bouveur with a centering feed, and the latter slipped a shot between Faucher's pads on a one-time attempt for her 11^th of the year.

Faucher (12-2-1) finished with 24 saves against 25 shots, including a perfect 10-for-10 third period, to pick up the win in the Franklin Pierce crease. Holm (12-9-2) made 32 saves against 34 shots in the losing effort at the other end of the ice.