SHELTON, Conn. – The Sacred Heart women's hockey team opened its weekend series with the Johnson & Wales Wildcats with a 6-4 win at the Sports Center of Connecticut Friday night.

Sacred Heart (5-6-1) opened the scoring on a power play goal 4:55 into the game. Smith re-directed a Finlay shot past Johnson & Wales goalie Kami Weiner, with Hanlon getting an assist as well. With 9:28 to play in the first, the Pioneers struck again on the power play. This time it was Finlay finishing off some tic-tac-toe passing from Hanlon and Smith to make the score 2-0. Finlay scored again with 4:52 remaining in the first. With SHU on a 5-on-3 power play, the senior slammed home a Carly Radovich pass for her second consecutive goal. The Wildcats would put a goal on the board with 1:25 to play in the period on a power play tally by Julia Martinsson.

Johnson & Wales (4-8-0) closed to within a goal, 3-2, 7:56 into the second period. Martinsson put an Alexis Harle pass right past the blocker of SHU goaltender Devon Kane for her second goal of the night. At 10:15, Harle tied the game 3-3 as she forced a turnover and went coast-to-coast for the game-tying goal. Katie Stueve put the Pioneers back in front with 4:34 remaining in the second, as her goal from Moreland and Payne made the score 4-3. Payne made the score 5-3 with 1:19 to play in the middle frame, putting in the rebound of a Moreland shot. The sophomore scored again with 2:58 to play in the third period to give SHU a 6-3 lead. Johnson & Wales scored 0:13 later, but that would be as close as the Wildcats would get.

SHU outshot Johnson & Wales 47-22 in the game, including a 19-8 margin in the third period. The Pioneers were 3-for-6 on the power play, with the Wildcats 1-for-2. The SHU goaltending duo of Kane and Sarah Erban combined for 18 saves.

The two teams wrap up their weekend series Saturday at 2 p.m.