FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Ally Cohen's first collegiate goal put the Pioneers ahead early in the first period, but a three-goal third period put the visiting Saint Anselm Hawks ahead in the final stanza as the Pios eventually dropped a hard-fought, penalty-ridden contest to the Hawks, 4-3, on Friday night.
Having negated the first power play of the game, the Pios grabbed an early two-goal lead thanks to a pair of quickfire goals just over five minutes into the first period. SHU grabbed the lead four minutes in as the Alyssa and
Sydney Antonakis connected for the opening goal. Having sent Alyssa forward off a bank pass off the high glass, Sydney claimed a loose puck in the slot after her sister's shot careened off the mask of SAC netminder Annabella Lalande, sending a wrister past the netminder to put SHU ahead, 1-0.
Just 33 seconds later, the Pios connected again with
Ally Cohen grabbing her first collegiate goal to put SHU ahead 2-0. With the Pios breezing through the neutral zone,
Isabella Chaput found Cohen alone in the slot, which the Pioneer first year sent past Lalande to double the Pioneer lead.
The Pios continued to pester the Hawks throughout the majority of the first period, but Saint Anselm found their lone chance of the period and made it count with less than five to go in the opening frame. After a plethora of shots toward the SHU net, SAC's Tyra Turner sent a loose, dribbling puck past the pads of
Jillian Petruno to cut into the deficit as SHU claimed a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes of play.
With a condensed spell of four on four to open the second, the Pios found themselves in penalty trouble in the middle frame, four infractions during the middle frame to give SAC a handful of opportunities to level the scoreline. Though the Hawks had chances, the Pios stymied SAC on all four opportunities in the middle frame as SHU cut into a 11-1 shot disadvantage halfway through the period, finishing the period with a 6-1 shot advantage to send both teams into the intermission facing a 2-1 scoreline.
Looking to close the gap, SAC pounced on their first few chances of the final frame, grabbing the lead with two goals in a 30 second span to take a 3-2 lead. Just under five minutes into the final frame, SAC's Brooklyn Schneiderhan went coast-to-coast, sending a wrist shot five-hole on Petruno to level the score, 2-2. Just 30 seconds later Brenna Young sent home a slapper from the point to put SAC ahead 3-2 early in the final frame.
Approaching the midway point of the period, the Hawks doubled the lead with Heather McAvoy sending home a slapshot from the point after a loose puck took a deflection off a SHU defender to put the visitors up 4-2 with 10 minutes remaining.
Looking to bridge the gap, SHU clawed back into the game as
Isabella Chaput collected her first goal of the season, finding a hole in the left pad of Lalande to grab her first goal of the season and put the Pios in a position to level the scoreline late in the frame. With a handful of chances as the clock approached zero, SHU fought hard to tie the game but could not find a way to send the puck past Lalande as the Pios fell, 4-3, to open New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) action.
Top Performers:
Of Note:
- Ally Cohen's first period tally is her first collegiate goal in just her third game in the Red & White.
- Seven Pioneers recorded a point in Friday's contest with Savannah Popick, Ella Holm, Kailey Smith, Chaput, Sydney Antonakis, Alyssa Antonakis and Cohen grabbing points.
- Chaput's goal is her first of the season and first goal since tallying twice against Post (2/17/24). Chaput also has three points in the first three games of the season.
- Sydney Antonakis recorded her first goal of the season and is her first goal since scoring in the 5-1 win over Saint Michael's (11/18/23).
- Ella Holm recorded her first collegiate point with an assist on Chaput's third-period tally.
Up Next:
The Pios are back in action to close out the first conference series of the season, concluding the two-game series against Saint Anselm on Saturday, October 12 with puck drop scheduled for 2 p.m. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.
