MANCHESTER, N.H. — Isabella Chaput's first collegiate hat trick was not enough as the Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team fell in its weekend opener, 5-3, against Saint Anselm College on the road on Friday night.
The Pios started strong as they pushed the momentum into the game's opening power-play, but the Hawks closed the door as SHU went scoreless on its lone power-play in the period. After riding the momentum from the penalty kill, the Hawks opened the scoring as Natalie Tulchinsky capitalized on a broken play in the Pioneer zone, finishing off her own rebound to give the home side a 1-0 lead just under five minutes into the game.
After taking the lead, the teams battled through the next 10 minutes of almost seamless play with end-to-end action forcing both goaltenders into challenging saves. With under five minutes left in the frame, the Hawks would earn their second power-play of the game as the Pioneers were nailed for a bench minor just prior to the media timeout. With just 18 seconds left on the advantage, the Hawks doubled their lead after Maddy McCaffery tipped a shot in the slot to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead with under five minutes left in the period.
Sydney Antonakis had SHU's best chance of the period but her stuff attempt in the low slot was stonewalled by Saint Anselm's Courtney Stagman as the home side took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
The Red & White got the jump in the second period and quickly hounded the Hawks for a majority of the middle frame including multiple scrums near the halfway mark of the game but could not fire a puck past Stagman as the Hawks continued to hold the Pios scoreless.
Just before the midway point of the period, the Hawks increased their lead to three as the Pioneers got caught in the midst of a change, leading to a counterattack opportunity for the home side. With a developing two-on-one, Claire Weber found Tulchinsky breaking through the slot who proceeded to go five-hole on SHU's
Carly Greene to make it 3-0 Saint Anselm.
SHU continued to battle through the middle frame, earning a power-play after Brinna Martin was sent off for interference. However, the Hawks turned the tide after a turnover inside the SHU zone led to another odd-skater opportunity that the Hawks fired past relief netminder
Jillian Petruno to give Tulchinsky her hat trick goal.
Late in the second, both teams were dinged with coincidental minors that negated a Saint Anselm opportunity for a power-play with under three minutes to go. With both teams back to even strength, first year
Isabella Chaput capitalized on a Hawks giveaway in their own zone, sending a wrist shot into the top corner past Stagman to get the Pios on the board. With under a minute left in the period, Saint Anselm thought they had retaken the four-goal lead but the tally was waved off for a high stick as the Hawks led 4-1 after 40 minutes.
Facing the three-goal deficit, the Pioneers came out buzzing in the third period as Chaput doubled her account just five minutes into the frame. After gathering the puck in the corner, SHU's
Kate Helgeson found Chaput in the low slot as her one-timer went top shelf on Stagman to cut the deficit in half.
Just over two minutes later, Chaput would earn the hat trick as she once again received a pass in the low slot, this time from
Julianna Koman, sending another one-timer past Stagman and into the top of the net to make it a one-goal game.
Just under a minute later, the Hawks would have a chance to stop the bleeding, earning a power-play after SHU was convicted of a tripping minor. With just over 30 second remaining in the power-play, the Hawks found the back of the net as McCaffery earned her second off the night after following up her initial shot and sending a wrist shot past an outstretched Petruno to give the Hawks back the two-goal lead with 11 minutes to play.
The Pios continued to claw their way into the game, outshooting the Hawks in the final frame, 13-11, but could not put another past Stagman who closed the door on a SHU comeback attempt as the Hawks held on for the series-opening 5-3 win.
Top Performers:
Of Note:
- Chaput's hat trick is the first hat trick recorded by a Pioneer since Nicole Guidi's three-goal outing against Saint Michael's on November 20, 2021 in what was a 6-3 win for the Pioneers.
- Chaput now leads the Pioneers with four goals on the season after recording three in the loss.
- Helgeson's two assists on Chaput's second and third goal is her team-leading fourth assist and sixth point of the season.
- Chaput's hat trick is the first hat trick recorded by a Pioneer first year since Lauren Fontaine recorded a hat trick in a 7-3 victory over Cortland State on January 11, 2008.
Up Next:
The Pioneers return to the ice for a rematch against the Hawks on Saturday, October 28 to conclude the second of four scheduled meetings between the schools this season. Puck drop from Sullivan Arena is slated for 3 p.m. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.
