MANCHESTER, N.H. — Cassie Nevers' first goal of the season was the lone bright spot on the day as the Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team fell on the road to Saint Anselm, 5-1, on Saturday afternoon.
After opening the scoring five minutes into series opener on Friday, the Hawks found themselves back on top early on as Claire Weber scored just 71 seconds into the game. After a spell of offensive zone time, the Hawks worked the puck around the point as a tipped shot in front of SHU netminder
Carly Greene found the stick of Weber who sent a wrist shot past Greene to go on top, 1-0.
Later in the first, the Pioneers had a chance to nab one back as Saint Anselm was sent off for hooking but could not gather enough offensive pressure as the Hawks capitalized on a scoring chance of their own. With just over seven minutes remaining in the period, the Hawks had a developing two-on-one that Maddy McCaffery tucked away after a give-and-go with Weber to push the lead to two.
Seizing the momentum, the Hawks came back down 45 second later and sent another one past Greene to take a 3-0 lead with six minutes to go in the opening frame. After failing to corral a shot, the Pios could not clear the puck out of the crease as Saint Anselm's Gracee Donovan shoveled a backhand past a sprawling Greene to give the home side a commanding lead that they saw into the first intermission.
Looking to start the comeback, the Pioneers started the second period strong and earned a power-play just 14 seconds into the frame. However, the Pios only generated three shots on the power-play but could not put any on target as the Hawks came away unscathed. Having held the Pioneers at bay, the Hawks connected for their fourth goal on another two-on-one opportunity that was cashed in by Brooklyn Schneiderhan with 15 minutes left in the second.
Halfway through the second frame, SHU once again went shorthanded as
Erin Fleming was the culprit of a body checking minor that put the Hawks on the power-play for the third time in the match. With time winding down on the advantage, a scrum in front of Greene led to Natalie Tulchinsky stabbing a loose puck past the SHU netminder to give the home side a 5-0 lead.
The Pios continued to battle through the period but could not solve Saint Anselm netminder Courtney Stagman who accrued 15 saves through the first 40 minutes as the Hawks held a 5-0 lead heading into the final frame.
Sacred Heart came out of the second intermission in the same fashion it had the night before, finding the back of the net five minutes into the frame to negate the shutout bid from Saint Anselm. After a shot from the point was deflected in front of the goal, Nevers found the loose puck at the side of the cage and deposited it into the open net for her first goal of the season to get the Pios on the board.
The Red & White continued to push until the end, but could not put any more pucks past Stagman who made 22 saves in the win while on the other side, Greene held her own in the final 20 minutes, closing the door in the final frame as the Hawks took the 5-1 win and the weekend sweep.
Top Performers:
Of Note:
- Nevers' tally in the third period is her first goal of the season and her first goal since scoring SHU's lone goal in game two of the NEWHA quarterfinals last season against Franklin Pierce.
- Lupone's assist is her second point of the season and first point since scoring in the season-opening 5-2 win over Saint Michael's.
- McNeil's assist is her third of the year as she has now made her way onto the scoresheet in consecutive weekends.
- Greene's 44 saves is the most saves she has made in a game this season and is the most she has made since SHU's 2-1 win over Harvard on January 15, 2023.
Up Next:
The Pioneers return home to Martire Family Arena next weekend for a series against Franklin Pierce. Puck drop on Friday, November 3, and Saturday, November 4, is slated for 7 p.m. Live statistics and livestream information will be available on sacredheartpioneers.com.
