EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Julianna Koman's first goal of the season was not enough to earn the win as the Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team fell on the road at LIU, 3-1, Saturday night.
The Pios and the Sharks resumed their contentious affair from yesterday with another display of fireworks as both teams combined for 23 shots on goal, with the Sharks holding the 15-8 advantage in that department after one period of play.
SHU opened the scoring seven minutes into the period as Koman secured her first goal of the season, following up a rebound in the low slot that made its way past the shoulder of Tindra Holm and into the top corner to give the Pios a 1-0 lead. Following the opening goal, SHU would be forced to spend a majority of the remainder of the period on the penalty kill after amassing four penalties in the middle frame.
After holding the Sharks at bay through 40 minutes, the Pios went back on the penalty kill after
Kate Helgeson was sent off for hooking just over two minutes into the final frame. A minute later, the Sharks finally solved SHU netminder
Jillian Petruno as Mikayla Lantto was able to wire a shot past her and into the back of the net to level the scoring.
The Pios continued to battle but would again find themselves in penalty trouble. Halfway through the penalty, LIU thought they had scored but was determined to have infringed on Petruno's effort to stop a rebound, giving the Pios a reprieve. However, less than a minute later, the Sharks took their first lead of the night Jeannie Wallner wired a puck past Petruno to give the Sharks a 2-1 advantage.
The Pios continued to battle the penalty bug through the remainder of the period as the Sharks would earn an empty net goal with under a minute to go as the home side took home identical 3-1 victories to take the weekend sweep.
Top Performers:
Of Note:
- Petruno's 45 saves is a new single-game career high. Her 73 combined saves are also a new combined weekend-high.
- Koman's second period tally is her first goal since SHU 3-2 victory over Post on January 20, 2023.
- SHU's nine minor penalties is the most in a game since December, 3, 2021 when SHU committed nine minor infractions in a 4-2 win over Johnson & Wales (RI).
Up Next:
The Pioneers are back in action this weekend, hosting the Icebreaker Tournament on October 20-21. The Pioneers will face off against Lindenwood on Friday, October 20, at 7 p.m. before taking on the winner of St. Cloud State and Northeastern the following day. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.
