Oct. 13, 2006
Final Stats
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (October 13, 2006) - Senior forward Michelle Panella (Marlboro, NJ) recorded a hat trick to help Sacred Heart defeat Robert Morris College 5-3 in Sacred Heart women's hockey action Friday night at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport.
It took just over seven minutes for Panella to beat Eagles goaltender Crystal Zace for the first time, as she deposited the puck into the net to give Sacred Heart the first advantage. However, Robert Morris, who out shot SHU 9-4 in the first period, evened the score just 50 seconds later when senior forward Katie Kosibucki blasted a shot past Pioneers goalie Stephanie Boulay (Anchorage, AK).
The Pioneers took control of the game in second period and with 11:54 on the game clock grabbed the lead for good. With the score was frozen at one apiece, sophomore forward Kristen Oakland (North Smithfield, RI) received passes from sophomore Maria Lascala (Chestnut Ridge, NY) and freshman Jenn Bragger (East Greenwich, RI) and tallied the Pioneers second goal of the evening.
Panella gave Sacred Heart a 3-1 lead with just over three minutes remaining and then completed her hat trick with just 2.3 seconds left to go in the second period when she lit the lamp during a power play. Sophomore Gina Arnone (Bridgewater, NJ) and Katelin McLaughlin (Hingham, MA) picked up the assists on the series.
Sophomore forward Jaclyn Rideout (Wilmington, MA) gave Sacred Heart some more insurance in the third, as she set up position in front of the net and sent a rebound shot past Zace with 10:05 remaining in the contest.
Eagle's freshman Justine Smith kept any hopes of a comeback alive when she beat Boulay, who recorded 19 saves in the match, for a score four minutes after Rideout's goal. But, not enough momentum came from the shift with the Eagles tacking the last tally on in the final seconds.
The win was Sacred Heart's third straight mark in the victory column to open the young campaign. The Pioneers will take on Robert Morris College once again tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 pm at the Wonderland of Ice rink.
