UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (October 24, 2022) --A quick start by No. 12/12 nationally-ranked Penn State spelled trouble for the Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team on the road on Monday afternoon. The Nittany Lions struck twice in the opening three minutes, and had a 3-0 lead shortly after the midpoint of the first period at Pegula Ice Arena. The Ravens got one back before the period was out, but Penn State would go on to a 4-1 victory to complete the sweep of the non-conference weekend series. Freshman Avery Farrell (Otsego, Minn.) notched her first collegiate goal in defeat for Franklin Pierce, while junior Suzette Faucher (Middleton, Wis.) piled up a career-best 57 saves.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 1-4-0, while Penn State improves to 5-4-1.

Penn State got out of the gate quickly on Monday, with a pair of goals in the opening three minutes. The Nittany Lions got things started just 64 seconds into the proceedings, after sophomore Karley Garcia sent the puck down the right wing from her own blue line. Junior Olivia Wallin was along the boards in the neutral zone and redirected the pass into the middle of the ice for fellow junior Kiara Zanon, who crossed the attacking blue line with a head of steam. Zanon beat the last defender on the right side, deked to the left post and slid home her third goal of the season.

Penn State needed just 98 seconds to double the lead, at the 2:42 mark. The Nittany Lions cashed in a power-play opportunity in just 10 seconds, as they worked the puck into the left-wing corner for senior Julie Gough. Gough found a lane to slip a pass out front for freshman Tessa Janecke, who had the one-time finish on her second goal of the weekend.

Penn State made it 3-0 with another at 10:40, before Franklin Pierce was able to respond. A wrist shot from the left half boards by senior Rene Gangarosa was knocked wide by Faucher, but the rebound came off the end boards and directly to the right post. Zanon was there to bury her second goal of the game.

The Ravens responded in only 26 seconds, at 11:06, with their only goal of the weekend. Working in transition, graduate student Lindsey Dumond (Hampton, N.H.) and Farrell were able to kick-start a 3-on-2 rush. The duo got the puck over to the left side for freshman defender McKenzie Rich (Rochester, Minn.) as she jumped up to join the rush, which became a 3-on-0 as two Nittany Lions tripped over each other at the blue line. From the left side, Rich sent the puck to the top of the crease, where Farrell deflected it home for her first career goal.

From there, things quieted down, as Franklin Pierce settled in defensively after the opening 10 minutes, and Faucher highlighted the final 50 minutes of play. Penn State added a fourth and final marker at 3:27 of the second, to create the 4-1 final, after senior Eleri Mackay chased down a loose puck in the left-wing corner. She fed it back out front for Gough, who put away a one-timer for her second of the campaign. The final 36 minutes and change would go without further scoring.

Faucher (1-4-0) finished with 57 saves against 61 shots in the Franklin Pierce crease, which was a new career best and her second outing of 50 or more saves in as many weekends. She stopped all 22 shots on her goal while posting a scoreless third period. In just five games, Faucher already has three games of 40-plus saves. Freshman Katie DeSa (1-0-0) picked up her first collegiate win for Penn State, by stopping 11 of 12 shots at the other end of the ice, as Franklin Pierce was outshot, 61-12.

The Ravens open the New England Women's Hockey Alliance portion of their schedule next weekend, with a home-and-home with first-year program Stonehill. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. on Friday at Stonehill and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Franklin Pierce.