March 1, 2009

Box Score

Worcester, MA- Lauren Fontaine (Windsor, ON) posted two power play goals and freshman goaltender Amanda Nagel (Greenwood, MN) made 45 saves but the Sacred Heart women's hockey team fell to Holy Cross 4-2 Sunday afternoon in the ECAC Championship game. Gina Arnone (Bridgewater, NJ) and Kristina Feltz (Edison, NJ) each contributed two assists in the loss.

Holy Cross (24-2-1), the ECAC regular season champion, jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 90 seconds into the game on a Kathryn O'Connor marker. The Crusaders extended their lead to two as they converted on the first power play of the game just five minutes later.

Sacred Heart (13-16-2) cut the Holy Cross lead in half on a power play tally of their own as Fontaine found the back of the net midway through the first period. Holy Cross scored again at the end of the frame to send the Crusaders into the first intermission with a 3-1 lead.

Neither team was able to change the scoreboard in the second period, which featured nine total penalties. The Pioneers were outshot 16-6 in the middle stanza but remained just two goals down thanks to 16 of Nagel's 45 total saves.

Sacred Heart began the third period with one minute remaining on another power play chance and converted 25 seconds into the third to close the gap to one goal. Both Pioneer tallies were scored Fontaine from Arnone and Feltz, as Fontaine notched her 18th and 19th goals of the season. Holy Cross capitalized on a checking penalty to score its second power play goal of the game and again put the Crusaders up by two.

The Pioneers would be unable to find any more offense and were defeated in the ECAC Championship game for the second consecutive season. Nagel made 45 saves as Sacred Heart was outshot 49-17 and both teams notched two power play markers in the title game. The Pioneers finish the season 13-16-2, winning six more games than last year and notching several program milestone wins.