WINCHENDON, Mass. (12/16/2022) -  It took extra time to decide the winner of the Franklin Pierce women's hockey team and Union College non-conference matchup, as senior forward Cassidy Jones (Stillwater, Minnesota) played the hero and lifted the Ravens to a 4-3, overtime win at the Jason Ritchie Ice Arena on a snowy Friday evening.

With the victory, the Ravens move to 8-9-1 (5-5-1 NEWHA) while Union falls to 8-9-1 (3-5-1 CACC). Both teams will face off again tomorrow afternoon for game two of the two-game weekend series.

The Ravens got off to a fast-paced start right off the opening draw, with junior forward Jenna Ruiz (Webster, Wisconsin) opening the scoring just 2:43 into the period, converting on a breakaway to put Pierce ahead 1-0, unassisted. It was her 10^th goal of the season, and was the lone goal of the period as Pierce outshot Union 13-8 through the first 20 minutes.  

Through the second period, Union took back some control with a balanced attack, all the while limiting the Ravens' options out of their own zone. At the 6:30 mark of the period, Union forward Maddie Suitor tied the game up with a short-handed goal, finding a home for a rebound an initial save by freshman goaltender Jill Hertl (Highland Park, Ill.). However, Jenna Ruiz returned the Ravens to the lead just two and half minutes later, picking up her second goal of the evening, once again unassisted.  

Four minutes into the final period, senior forward Ava Kison (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) provided the Ravens with a cushion on her third goal of the season, extending the lead to 3-1. However, the script flipped on Franklin Pierce in the bottom half of the frame, as Union continued to pepper the Raven goal with shots. Eventually, their relentless efforts paid off when forward Ashley Adams cleaned up a loose puck in the slot, cutting the Union deficit to one with 8:02 left to play. Minutes later, following a Union timeout with 3:56 left to play in regulation, forward Maren Friday scored the equalizer to eventually force overtime between the two squads.   

In overtime, both teams had multiple chances to close out the game, but the highlight came off a successful penalty kill by the Ravens after receiving a cross-checking call just 0:28 seconds in. Following the kill, with less than a minute left to go in overtime, Cassidy Jones walked into the offensive zone, circled to the slot, and found the back of the net short side on Union goaltender Sophie Matsoukas, claiming the win for Pierce.   

Jill Hertl stood strong in goal for Pierce, turning away 43-of-46 shots faced to pick up her seventh win on the season. Sophie Matsoukas shoulders the loss for Union after making 23 saves against 27 total Raven shots. Additionally, both teams were unsuccessful on the power-play, each going 0-for-7 in the effort.    

The Ravens will look to close out the series with a win tomorrow afternoon, with the puck hitting the ice at 3:00 p.m.