WINCHENDON, Mass. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team opened a two-game weekend series at Franklin Pierce University with a 5-2 loss on Friday evening at The Winchendon School's Ritchie Ice Arena. The Purple Knights slipped to 2-5, and the Ravens are 2-4. The teams play again tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Senior Kaitlyn Wurzer (Lee, N.H./Berwick Academy) and first-year Maddie Gervais (Glastonbury, Conn./East Catholic) both scored, with Gervais netting the initial goal of her college career, while classmate Lucy Chin (Lexington, Mass./East Coast Wizards) had a career-high 29 saves during her first collegiate start. Junior defender Christiana Akiki (Allendale, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) blocked four shots.

Sophomore Katie Neuburger and first-year Nicole Amato both notched a goal and an assist for the Ravens, and classmate Carolyn Drowne handed out three assists. First-year Kelly Turney made 16 stops, while Franklin Pierce was aided by a 3-for-7 showing on power plays.

Franklin Pierce held a 17-6 advantage in shots during a scoreless opening period. Chin stopped three shots and Akiki blocked another to help kill a power play that started 3:33 into the contest, and Chin came up with another stop on a Raven woman advantage that began at 11:24, while Akiki picked up another block.

First-year Kelsey Ryan broke the stalemate 5:12 into the second stanza, snapping a shot from the middle of the right circle to the top right corner. A pair of Purple Knights were whistled for separate infractions 21 seconds later, leaving Franklin Pierce with a 5-on-3 advantage, and Amato scored just 1:02 after Ryan's goal to make it 2-0, putting home a rebound near the crease. With just one second to go in the period, sophomore Bridgette Prentiss added to the lead, tallying from the bottom of the left circle.

Saint Michael's outshot the hosts 8-3 during the final period, twice finding the back of the net. Each of the first three goals of the stanza came on power plays, including when Wurzer floated a shot from the left point home at 5:55. Senior Katherine O'Brien (East Sandwich, Mass./Tilton School) and sophomore Alissa Sullivan (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) were credited with assists. Neuburger and first-year Haley Parker scored 2:25 apart to make it 5-1 by 14:03 before Gervais converted first-year Krista Ferrari's (Dunstable, Mass./East Coast Wizards) assist at 17:07, picking the top right corner from the right circle.