FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Overtime goals are always special. When they come on opening night of your new arena, it's an unforgettable moment.
 
That's what Paige McNeil and her teammates have after knocking off Harvard 2-1 today before a big crowd at the Martire Family Arena.
 
The Sacred Heart Women's Hockey Team capped a magical milestone campus weekend when McNeil took a long pass from Nicole Guidi and skated in ahead of the defense before finishing in style with 3:56 left.
 
"Nicole had a perfect angle off the wall, and when I saw only open ice I panicked a little bit," McNeil said after giving the Pioneers their first win over an ECAC squad in five years. "The puck was initially on its edge and I thought 'oh, now what,' but it ended up laying nicely. I made a move, and it barely went in five-hole."
 
McNeil, who faked backhand and flipped to forehand as the goalie opened up her butterfly just enough to fit the puck, put the moment into perspective.
 
"We have been dreaming of this type of win in our own arena for years. To open MFA with an overtime goal is huge for our program."


 
Sacred Heart's first goal in Martire Family Arena, in the opening frame, gave the home team a 1-0 lead. Delani MacKay, a center on SHU's top line, returned to the program as a graduate student so she could enjoy the new digs. The Brookfield, Wisc., native added to the enjoyment by notching the milestone tally after a great pass.
 
McNeil, on the SHU cycle, was about to go behind the net but suddenly spotted her center heading for the slot. The junior right wing from Shakopee, Minn., flicked a no-look backhanded pass from behind the goal line to McNeil, who gathered and fired top shelf at 4:58.
 
"I really didn't see it happen, I kind of blacked out after shooting," said MacKay during a TV interview at the second intermission. "Our line was doing good job of cycling the puck and Paige did a great job of finding me. I just shot it. I wanted to finish my last year off with hockey and knowing that Sacred Heart was opening a new arena prompted me to finish grad school and take an extra year of eligibility."
 
Harvard, which outshot the Pios 55-21, answered MacKay's goal 32 seconds later. However, that was all they could muster against Carly Greene, a Minnetonka, Minn., sophomore who tied her career-high with 54 saves. Greene, who blanked the Crimson on three advantages, killed off four minutes of penalties over the last seven minutes of the second period to keep the game even.
 
"Carly Greene is proving herself as a goaltender with the amount of shots she's facing each game and against quality competition like ECAC opponents," said SHU Head Coach Tom O'Malley. "The team is placing more confidence in her between the posts."
 
The Pioneers (11-13-1), who are home next weekend to face Post twice, were on the power play for all the last three minutes of regulation, got a few shots on goal but could not avoid extra time.