WINCHENDON, Mass. – Suffolk women's hockey fell at Franklin Pierce, 5-2, Tuesday night at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 2 | Franklin Pierce 5
RECORDS: Suffolk (2-5-2) | Franklin Pierce (10-3-0)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The scoring started five minutes into the action as Shana Cote became the first-ever Ram to pot the puck against the Ravens. The sophomore's stuffed a wraparound into the right post to give the blue-and-gold the early 1-0 edge 5:36 into the action. Maddy Burton and Meagan MacNeil assisted on the first goal of the night.
FPU evened the score nearly five minutes later. From the left side, Haley Parker fed the puck to Bridgette Prentiss in the middle of the blue line. Prentiss fired from there and her shot was tipped in by Nicole Amato, who was that the top of the crease, to level the playing field at one-all.
In the second stanza, the Rams regained the lead, but once again the Ravens responded five minutes after Suffolk scored.
Izzy Hendry's low shot from the high slot sailed through a bunch of traffic and slipped through Emme Ostrander's five-hole to push the blue-and-gold ahead, 2-1, at the 13:57 minute mark of the middle period.
Parker had a hand in the second game-tying goal of the day, this time scoring it herself. From up top, Bethany Ross found Becca Kniss on the right side, who sent a shot towards Julia McLellan. McLellan stopped the sharp angle shot, but Kniss picked up her own rebound, wrapped behind the goal and centered a pass to Parker, who buried a one-time to equalize the action with 1:22 before the second intermission.
With 42 seconds remaining in the second period, a Ravens' breakaway gave the hosts their first advantage of the outing. Amato deked her way to the forehand for the go-ahead finish. Amato set-up the breakaway goal.
The Ravens added a pair of insurance goals in the third period to put the game just out of reach of the Rams.
On the power play, a tic-tac-toe passing play with Prentiss up top, down to Marissa Massaro on the right-side set-up Brightbill at the crease, who fanned the one-time home 1:35 out of the locker room.
Suffolk pulled McLellan from the pipes in the hopes of getting a boost offensively, but it ended with Parker's second strike of the day and a lopsided 5-2 score for FPU.
NETMINDER NOTES
- McLellan registered 37 saves.
- Ostrander turned aside 17 attempts.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Cote and Hendry each scored for the Rams.
- Burton, MacNeil and Kiley Searles all recorded one assist.
- Franklin Pierce had the upper hand in shots, 42-19, and in the face-off dot, 41-23.
NOTEWORTHY
- McLellan had a personal-best 37 saves.
- Hendry scored her first collegiate goal.
POST-GAME PIC
WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is set for a home-and-home series with Wesleyan following the Thanksgiving Day holiday. The Rams will entertain the Cardinals Saturday, Nov. 30 at 5:30 p.m., before visiting Middletown, Connecticut, the next day, Sunday, Dec. 1 at 4:30 p.m.