Women’s Ice Hockey’s Faucher, Ruiz Pick up NEWHA Weekly Honors
WINTHROP, Mass. (October 19, 2022) -- Following its weekend split at WCHA foe St. Thomas (Minn.), the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team has collected a pair of New England Women's Hockey Alliance weekly awards, for the week ending on Oct. 16, as announced on Tuesday afternoon by the NEWHA office. Junior Jenna Ruiz (Webster, Wis.) has been tabbed as NEWHA Defensive Player of the Week, while junior Suzette Faucher (Middleton, Wis.) has been selected as NEWHA Goaltender of the Week.
Ruiz posted a team-best eight blocked shots and won more than half of her faceoffs across the two games in the North Star State. In Friday afternoon's 3-0 loss, she blocked one shot and went 8-of-14 at the faceoff dot. Ruiz saved her best for Saturday night's 2-1 (OT) win though, as she was able to block seven shots and win 16 faceoffs.
Meanwhile, Faucher was exceptionally busy across the weekend. In all, she made 90 saves against 94 shots on goal to post a 1.95 GAA and a .957 save percentage. She stopped 34 of 37 shots in Friday's loss, and then piled up a career-best 56 saves against 57 shots in Saturday's win. The 56 saves were a program regular-season record.
On the season, Ruiz leads the team with nine blocked shots and has gone 29-for-58 (50.0%) at the faceoff dot. Offensively, she has contributed one assist and five shots on goal. Faucher (1-2-0) has made 135 saves against 143 shots, which is good for a 2.62 GAA and .944 save percentage.
Ruiz, Faucher and the rest of the Ravens (1-2-0) are back on the road this weekend, as they travel to No. 12/12 nationally ranked Penn State on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 23-24. Game time is set for 2 p.m. both days at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pa.