SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team came up short to Franklin Pierce University, 4-3, on Friday evening at Cairns Arena. The Purple Knights are 3-16 while the Ravens are now 11-7-2. The teams play again tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Senior Ashley Dineen (Somers, N.Y./Canterbury School) paved the way for the Purple Knights with two goals and an assist with sophomore Jordan Monbouquette (Wayland, Mass./Lawrence Academy) pitching in a goal. Senior Kaitlyn Wurzer (Lee, N.H./Berwick Academy) added two assists as classmate Jillian Witwicki (Danvers, Mass./Pingree School) went 12-for-21 in faceoffs and blocked three shots. During 58:59 of action, junior Nicole Talcott (Colchester, Vt./Rice Memorial Prep) denied 38 shots.

Four different Franklin Pierce players scored with first-years Marissa Massaro and Kelsey Ryan leading with a goal and an assist each. Massaro also went 12-for-17 from the dot as first-year Kelly Turney had 19 saves.

Early on in the first period at 3:11, Wurzer took a shot that hit off the left post that rebounded into the left circle where Monbouquette sent one home to the inside of the left post to give Saint Michael's the 1-0 advantage. Talcott made a blocker save at 8:58 after sophomore Meg Gilbride took a shot from the right circle and another save later on at 15:35 when Gilbride created pressure out front during a power play as sophomore Bridgette Prentiss nailed a shot from the blue line. At 17:04, after sophomore Arianna Boscia (Cranston, R.I./La Salle Academy) created a two-on-one advantage after passing to herself off the wall in neutral ice and took a shot that hit the left post, and Dineen nabbed the rebound to slip a shot inside the left post past Turney.

During a scramble out front 25 seconds into the second stanza, first-year Haley Parker slipped one past Talcott by the left post to bring the Ravens within one. Massaro's bid was denied at 4:00 with a Talcott right toe save before Franklin Pierce tied the game at 7:20 as Massaro knocked the puck out of midair by the left post after Prentiss's initial shot was stopped. First-year Megan Doherty (Stoughton, Mass./Walpole Express) made a bid at 10:19 that Turney denied with a glove save. Sophomore Delaney Guimont tallied a quick shot in the slot at 19:50 with Talcott saving with her blocker.

Witwicki had a power-play bid for the Purple Knights at 9:15 of the third period with Turney making a glove save before Talcott made three straight saves around 12:35 which included pushing the puck off the goal line with her glove and then making a right pad save right after. Franklin Pierce pulled ahead 3-2 at 15:08 as Ryan knocked in the rebound of Massaro's try. It was tied back up 24 seconds later at 15:32 as Dineen followed the puck into the corner and banked a shot off of the goalie's skate. A few short minutes later, Prentiss had a rush into the right circle and left the puck for Gilbride, who then scored the game-winner for the Ravens at 18:52. The Purple Knights' greatest chance to tie it again came at 19:14 during a six-on-five opportunity with an empty net when Dineen took a backhanded shot in the slot that Turney pushed away.