SHELTON, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey tied the game once early, but could not overcome its second deficit and ultimately fell to Stevenson University, 5-2, at the Sports Center of Connecticut on Friday night. Casey Stathopoulos and Woodford led SHU with two points each and Amanda Fontaine made 30 saves in net, as the Pioneers fall to 5-12-1. Megan Alexander, McKenzie Taggart, and Rachel Martell each scored two points, while Sarah Modzelewski recorded 28 stops to help the Mustangs improve to 13-6-0.

The game got off to a frantic start, with three goals in the first 5:02 of the game. Moments after SHU had killed a 5 on 3 power play, the Mustangs struck first with Erin McLouglin's deflected score from the slot. She was able to get her stick on a shot from the point to open the scoring. The Pioneers took just 1:33 to respond, tying the game after Woodford stole the puck at the blue line and dropped it off for Stathopoulos. Stathopoulos waited a moment before taking a shot from the slot that beat Modelweski for her seventh goal of the season. Just fourteen seconds later, the Mustangs advantage was one once again. With the puck loose in front of the right side of net, Alexander knocked it past Fontaine to make it 2-1.

Stevenson cushioned its advantage with two more goals in the second. After Alexander netted her second to push the lead to, 3-1, 6:41 out of the locker room, Tori Emoff added a power play score with just 2:28 left before the second intermission. Regaining possession in their zone on the power play, Chelsea Blackburn's pass found Emoff just above the slot and her effort slipped by Fontaine to extend the Mustang lead to three.

The Mustangs held a slight advantage in both shots, 35-30, and faceoffs, 32-26. Both teams went 1-4 on the man advantage.

Sacred Heart pushed the tempo in the final period recording as many shots in the third, 15, as it had the first two periods combined, but it was Stevenson who scored with just 2:09 on the clock. On the power play, Woodford got the Pioneers their second goal with just 24 seconds remaining. It was Woodford's team-leading tenth goal on the year. Stathopoulos and Briana Connolly assisted the score. Stathopoulos extenders her team-high in assists to 12 and points to 19.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow at 2 pm at the Sports Center of Connecticut.