WINCHENDON, Mass. (October 29, 2022) --The Franklin Pierce University women's ice hockey team showcased its short memory on Saturday night, in the team's home opener at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena. A night after being held to just 19 shots in their New England Women's Hockey Alliance opener, the Ravens stormed out with 14 shots in the first period, on the way to 34 for the game in the back end of their weekend set with Stonehill. In a tight game throughout, freshman Avery Farrell (Otsego, Minn.) scored a go-ahead goal in the second period and provided the overtime winner as well, as Franklin Pierce slipped past the Skyhawks, 3-2.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-5-0 (1-1-0 NEWHA) and has won eight straight on its home ice, dating to Jan. 21 of last season. With the loss, first-year program Stonehill suffers its first NEWHA defeat and falls to 5-4-1 (5-1-0 NEWHA).

The two teams traded goals in the final five minutes of the first period on Saturday. Stonehill opened the scoring at the 15:41 mark, after Franklin Pierce senior Cassidy Jones (Stillwater, Minn.) turned the puck over in her own end. Stonehill freshman Alexis Petford collected it in the right-wing corner and sent it out front for fellow freshman Maddison Achtyl. Freshman goaltender Jill Hertl (Highland Park, Ill.) had the initial save on the play, but Achtyl finished her own rebound for her fourth goal of the season.

The Ravens answered just 1:43 later, with a power-play marker at 17:24. From the middle of the blue line, senior Stefanie Caban (Fitchburg, Mass.) worked the puck to the right side for freshman McKenzie Rich (Rochester, Minn.), who sent it down low for junior Jenna Ruiz (Webster, Wis.). Ruiz put the puck on net from near the goal line and found the back of it from the sharp angle, for her first of the campaign.

The only goal of the second period came from Farrell, at 15:34. Caban went point-to-point to Rich, who took a shot from the right point. Farrell was stationed out front, in the route of the shot, which allowed the puck to deflect off her shin and into the net for her second goal of the year.

Franklin Pierce posted a 12-7 shots advantage in the third period while trying to close the game out, but Stonehill leveled things at 3-3 with just 3:49 to play. On a rush into the zone on the left side, junior Paige Whaley got the puck to freshman Mia Kenmore, who carried deep into the corner. From there, Kenmore centered for freshman Lucie Turcotte, who jammed home her third of the season at the left post.

Franklin Pierce took its only penalty of the game with just 1:08 to play in regulation, but succeeded in holding Stonehill to just two shots while killing it off, which allowed Farrell to play overtime hero. In the 3-on-3 situation, Stonehill attempted to play the puck back to the blue line in the offensive end. Farrell had other ideas though, as she got her stick to the pass, chipped it off the boards, beat her defender on the inside, and was off to the races. In clear on a breakaway, Farrell slipped her shot between the pads of sophomore goaltender Hanna Zukow to give the Ravens an important, early-season, bounce-back victory.

Hertl (1-1-0) looked much steadier in her second collegiate outing, as she stopped 33 of 35 shots to pick up her first career win. Zukow (3-4-1) made 31 saves against 34 shots in defeat for Stonehill.

The Ravens are home for a pair of NEWHA games against Saint Michael's next weekend, on Nov. 4-5. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena.