FAIRFIELD, Conn. — After earning its first New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) victories of the season, the Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team returns to the ice this weekend, hosting Stonehill college for a two-game set on Friday, November 10, and Saturday, November 11. Puck drop from Martire Family Arena is slated for 2 p.m. both days. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers rectified a woeful October slate with a blitz to begin the month of November, earning their first sweep of the season after taking both games of a weekend set against NEWHA rivals Franklin Pierce last weekend. 
 
In game one, the Red & White took the lead five minutes opening period with Sydney Antonakis' first of the season and never looked back as Antonakis' third period hat trick sealed the deal on a 5-1 win Friday night. Netminder Jillian Petruno earned her first collegiate win in the series-opening victory while Emily Wisnewski tallied her first goal as a Pioneer in what stood as the game-winning goal. 
 
On night two, the Ravens landed the first punch, taking the lead with their first shot on goal. However, SHU's Isabella Chaput scored twice, including the eventual game-winning goal with 10 minutes left in regulation, to give the Pioneers their first weekend sweep and their first conference wins of the season with a 2-1 win on Saturday night.  
 
SCOUTING STONEHILL
The Skyhawks head to Martire Family Arena this weekend on a five-game winning streak after dropping their first five matches of the season. Stonehill currently sits tied for second in the NEWHA standings on 12 points after dispatching Saint Michael's last weekend with a decisive 6-1 win in the series opener before clawing out a close 6-5 result for the sweep. 
 
Stonehill is led by a trio of forwards with sophomore Alexis Petford leading the way with 14 points including a team-leading 10 assists to start the year. Senior Paige Whaley and sophomore Maddison Achtyl round out the double-digit point gatherers for the Skyhawks as both are currently tied for the team lead in goals with six a piece. In goal, junior Hanna Zukow has started all but one game this season for Stonehill, boasting a 2.57 goals against average and a .917 save percentage heading into the weekend. 
 
Lee-J Mirasolo enters her first season with Stonehill after being named the second head coach in program history in May 2023, having last 12 seasons at an assistant coach at Harvard and Princeton. Mirasolo ushers her team to Connecticut with one of the nation's top special teams' units, posting top-10 averages in power play and penalty kill percentage, including the conference's best penalty-kill (92.9%). 
 
STONE COLD SYDNEY ANTONAKIS
Sydney Antonakis was the catalyst in propelling SHU to a 5-1 victory over Franklin Pierce last Friday night, scoring four goals and tallying an assist in the rout of the Ravens. 
 
Antonakis' four goals were the most scored by a single player in over a decade as Nicole Polazzo tallied the last four-goal game in program history back on February 18, 2012, in a 5-3 win over Potsdam State. Her three third-period goals were the most scored by a Pioneer in a single period this season. 
 
The junior out of Elko New Market, Minn., also provided an assist on Emily Wisnewski's first goal as a Pioneer to give SHU a 2-0 lead on Friday night. After posting a career-high 14 points in 26 games last season, Antonakis has accrued seven points in 12 games this season. 
 
THE CHAPUT INN
A week removed from a hat trick against Saint Anselm, Chaput has continued to make herself at home atop the leaderboard in team goal scoring after tallying her fifth and sixth goals of the campaign on Saturday night. 
 
Having been held off the scoresheet for six-straight games, the Wixom, Mich., native has tallied eight points in the last four games including a career-high three assists last Friday against Franklin Pierce. Chaput's three multi-point games is the most of any first-year and the second-most by any skater so far this season. 
 
Chaput's hat trick against Saint Anselm is the first by a Pioneer first year since Lauren Fontaine achieved the feat on January 11, 2008, in what was a 7-3 win over Cortland State. Chaput sits second on the team with nine points and has played in every game so far this season.