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In a season that reset the standard for a small New Hampshire campus, Franklin Pierce University women’s ice hockey delivered the biggest moment in its young history. The Ravens swept the 2026 New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) regular-season and tournament titles, then punched their ticket to the NCAA National Collegiate women’s ice hockey tournament for the first time.
Based in Rindge, New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce is a small private university that competes primarily at the NCAA Division II level. Its women’s ice hockey program, however, has carved out a Division I home in the NEWHA, and the 2025–26 campaign proved that the Ravens can do far more than just belong. They can contend on a national stage.
Franklin Pierce’s historic breakthrough came in early March, when the Ravens capped a dominant conference season by winning the 2026 NEWHA tournament and securing the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA field.
After finishing atop the regular-season standings, the Ravens entered the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed, carrying the expectations that come with being the league’s top team and the pressure of knowing an NCAA bid hung in the balance.
The postseason run almost unraveled in the first game.
In the NEWHA semifinal, Franklin Pierce met Stonehill in a tense matchup that showed how thin the margin can be between a historic season and a heartbreaking finish. Trailing in the third period, the Ravens needed a response and got it from forward Hailey Anderson, who buried a late tying goal to force overtime.
From there, freshman forward Abigail Broz stepped into the spotlight. On a power play in double overtime, Broz scored the winner, lifting Franklin Pierce to the conference title game and keeping the NCAA dream alive.
That sequence, with a veteran forward tying the game late and a first-year player delivering the winner, captured a core theme of Franklin Pierce’s season: seniors and underclassmen combining to push the program somewhere it had never been.
Two nights later, on March 7 at Jason Ritchie Ice Arena in Winchendon, Massachusetts, the Ravens took the ice against third-seeded Saint Anselm College with everything on the line: the NEWHA championship trophy and the league’s automatic NCAA berth.
Sophomore forward Bo Dean settled the nerves early. On a first-period power play, Dean opened the scoring to give Franklin Pierce a 1–0 lead and control of the game’s tempo.
In the third period, Broz again delivered the dagger. With Saint Anselm pressing for an equalizer, the freshman broke free for a late breakaway and finished, sealing a 2–0 win and the program’s second NEWHA tournament title.
Senior goaltender Jill Hertl was the backbone of the night and, in many ways, the entire season. Against Saint Anselm, she stopped all 41 shots she faced to post a shutout in the biggest game of her college career. That performance earned her NEWHA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors and highlighted why she was one of the most impactful goaltenders in the country.
The win marked Franklin Pierce’s first postseason title since 2022 and its second NEWHA tournament crown. More importantly, it locked in the school’s inaugural appearance in the NCAA National Collegiate women’s ice hockey tournament, placing the Ravens alongside established powers from the ECAC, WCHA and Hockey East.
Franklin Pierce’s championship weekend did not appear out of nowhere. It was the product of a season-long climb and a decade-long build under head coach David Stockdale.
Stockdale has led the Ravens since their 2012–13 debut, overseeing the program’s growth from a new entrant in ECAC East competition to a Division I presence in the NEWHA with legitimate postseason ambitions. By 2025–26, those ambitions became expectations.
Before the tournament, Franklin Pierce secured the 2026 NEWHA regular-season title and the top seed in the postseason bracket. That regular-season crown reflected consistency across the schedule rather than a late surge.
The Ravens’ 23–12–2 final record offered the simplest snapshot of their success, but the deeper story lay in how they won. They blended elite goaltending, balanced scoring, active defense and a leadership group that understood what it would take to turn regular-season wins into championship banners.
Everything started in net.
Senior goaltender Jill Hertl led the NEWHA in goals-against average, save percentage and win percentage, giving Franklin Pierce an every-night advantage at the most important position on the ice. Heading into the NCAA tournament, she also ranked first nationally in Division I save percentage at .955, a staggering figure in a sport where even the best goaltenders rarely flirt with the mid-.950s over a full season.
Those numbers were not padded by light workloads. Hertl routinely saw high shot volumes, including the 41-save shutout in the NEWHA title game and a 49-save effort in the NCAA tournament. For a small program looking to survive and advance, having a goaltender who could steal periods and keep games within reach was transformational.
While Hertl backstopped the Ravens, the forward group provided enough offense to turn tight games into wins.
Sophomore forward Caleigh Murphy paced Franklin Pierce with 35 points, giving the Ravens a reliable producer who could tilt matchups and drive play. Around her, a wave of underclass talent emerged, led by freshman forward Addison Andre.
Andre finished her debut campaign with 14 goals and 11 assists, earning NEWHA Rookie of the Year honors. For a team trying to climb from conference contender to national qualifier, landing and developing impact freshmen like Andre is essential. Her production added depth to the scoring chart and gave Franklin Pierce a threat that opponents had to account for every night.
Broz, another freshman, saved her biggest moments for the postseason. Across the NEWHA playoffs, she scored four goals and added five assists, including the double-overtime winner against Stonehill and the breakaway clincher versus Saint Anselm. That kind of clutch scoring from a first-year player not only changes games but also helps define a program’s identity for future recruiting classes.
Defensively, the Ravens relied on structure, toughness and a commitment to doing the hard, unglamorous work in front of Hertl.
Captain Maggie Korneta anchored the blue line, leading the team in blocked shots and setting the tone as a defensive leader. She was joined by defenders Melanie Targosz and Ashley Wright, both of whom also topped 40 blocked shots.
That trio’s willingness to absorb pucks allowed Franklin Pierce to keep games manageable and protected Hertl from even more pressure. In a league where possession ebbs and flows, those extra plays at the blue line and in shooting lanes helped the Ravens grind out tight wins and close out third periods.
The collective effort produced a haul of postseason honors. Hertl was named NEWHA Goaltender of the Year, Andre earned Rookie of the Year, and Stockdale took home Coach of the Year. Several Ravens also claimed All-Conference recognition, further underlining how broad-based the team’s improvement was.
With the NEWHA sweep in hand, Franklin Pierce advanced to the 2026 NCAA National Collegiate women’s ice hockey tournament, entering a bracket that historically features some of the most powerful programs in the sport.
The NCAA National Collegiate tournament is the top women’s ice hockey championship sponsored by the NCAA, combining Division I and select Division II institutions in a single field. For context, the event has been dominated by traditional powerhouses, with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and ECAC Hockey supplying many past champions and finalists. Resources like the official NCAA tournament overview and the NCAA’s women’s ice hockey home on NCAA.com offer a sense of just how competitive the landscape is.
Franklin Pierce drew a stern first test in the regional semifinal at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin: seventh-ranked Quinnipiac University, the ECAC tournament champion and a program making its fifth appearance in the national field.
On paper, it was a difficult matchup, pitting a first-time participant from a smaller private school against an established, nationally ranked ECAC power. On the ice, Franklin Pierce showed it belonged.
In the opening period, the Ravens held the Bobcats scoreless. Hertl turned aside all 19 shots she faced, and the penalty kill stood tall, surviving multiple Quinnipiac power plays. For a full 20 minutes, Franklin Pierce nullified a team with experience and firepower, announcing its presence in the tournament.
The game turned late in the second period, when Quinnipiac finally broke through with two goals before intermission. The Bobcats added two more tallies in the third, building a 4–0 lead, but Franklin Pierce continued to generate chances instead of sitting back.
Korneta registered three shots in the final period, and Andre, Murphy and Brynn Levinson all contributed offensively as the Ravens continued to push. Hertl finished with 49 saves on 53 shots, once again handling a heavy workload and keeping Franklin Pierce within striking distance much longer than the shot totals might suggest.
By the final horn, the Ravens had been outshot 53–29, but they left LaBahn Arena with more than just a 4–0 loss. They left with a tangible sense of the national standard and proof that their approach could translate against top-10 competition.
Although the loss to Quinnipiac ended Franklin Pierce’s season at 23–12–2, the 2025–26 campaign ranks as one of the most significant in program history.
In just over a decade, the Ravens have progressed from a new team in ECAC East competition to a Division I NEWHA regular-season and tournament champion that can stand on the same NCAA stage as some of the sport’s recognized brands. The 2025–26 season delivered:
For Franklin Pierce University and its community in Rindge, New Hampshire, the message was clear: a smaller, non-flagship institution can build a nationally relevant program in a sport often dominated by larger schools with deeper histories and bigger budgets.
That context matters not just for Franklin Pierce but also for recruits and families looking at the broader women’s college hockey landscape. NEWHA programs and emerging Division I teams are proving that there are meaningful, high-level opportunities beyond the most famous names and conferences.
For high school players and coaches watching the Ravens’ rise, there are several lessons that apply directly to college recruiting:
If you are exploring women’s college hockey, tools like the Pathley Ice Hockey Hub can help you compare programs, sort by conference or division, and find schools that match your academic and athletic profile. From there, you can dig deeper into rosters, playing style and coaching stability.
The story of Franklin Pierce women’s hockey underscores how important it is to find a program that fits your goals, not just a name you recognize. That is where Pathley’s tools can help athletes, parents and coaches move from inspiration to action.
As women’s college hockey continues to grow, stories like Franklin Pierce’s 2025–26 season will only become more common: programs outside the traditional power structure breaking through, driven by the right combination of coaching, development and recruiting. If you are serious about playing at the next level, now is the time to start exploring your options, asking smart questions and building a plan that matches your game and your goals.
Whether you dream of anchoring the blue line for an up-and-coming NEWHA team, backstopping a tournament run like Jill Hertl, or stepping into a freshman scoring role like Addison Andre and Abigail Broz, there are paths available. Tools like Pathley can help you find them, compare them and, ultimately, choose the campus where your own breakthrough season can begin.
