WINCHENDON, Mass. — After dominating on the offensive end all night,
Isabella Chaput buried the overtime winner to lead Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey to a 1-0 victory over Franklin Pierce Thursday evening in New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) action.
After peppering Ravens' goaltender Jill Hertl all night, the Pioneers' Chaput finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the extra period.
Sydney Antonakis started the play by skating across the zone before finding Chaput, who stopped on a dime to shed a defender at the blue line. Chaput then fired a wrister over Hertl's glove into the back of the net at 4:38 in OT.
Between the pipes,
Jillian Petruno improved to 8-11 on the season with her fourth shutout. The sophomore from Wixom, Mich., saved all 24 shots she faced, including one in overtime.
Tonight's contest started off slowly, with the first period featuring just 10 combined shots, five from each team. The action picked up quickly, with Sacred Heart tallying 31 combined shots in the second and third periods combined. With four more shots in OT, the Pioneers finished with 40 on the night, their third game this season with 40+ shots.
Top Performers:
Jillian Petruno: 24 saves, 1 shutout
Isabella Chaput: 1 goal, 3 shots
Sydney Antonakis: 1 assist, 2 shots
Of Note:
- With the victory tonight, SHU ended the regular-season series against Franklin Pierce with a 3-1 record.
- Tonight's game marked the second straight overtime contest for Sacred Heart and its first OT win in 2023-24.
- The Pios' 40 shots tonight are five off the season high for the team set in its 5-1 win at Saint Michael's on Nov. 18.
- Petruno earned the fourth shutout of her sophomore campaign.
- After connecting on the game-winning goal, Chaput and Antonakis are now tied for the team lead in points with 15.
- Chaput paces the Pioneers with 10 goals, while Antonakis leads the squad with eight assists.
Up Next:
Sacred Heart will have eight days off before playing Stonehill on Friday, Jan. 26, at 5 p.m. at the Bridgewater Ice Arena. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.