FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey will be on the road Friday and Saturday, with conference opponent Franklin Pierce awaiting them for a pivotal weekend in NEWHA standings.

Going into this weekend, Sacred Heart's conference record is 10-7-1 with 21 points, fourth in NEWHA behind LIU, Saint Anselm and Stonehill. Just behind the red and white is defending NEWHA champion Franklin Pierce, with a conference record of 8-7-3 for 19 points. The Pioneers had a non-conference 2-2 (OT) tie at home against Post on Tuesday, to put their January record 5-1-1. For their part, the Ravens have gone 3-2-1 in 2023: they were swept by Stonehill, swept Saint Michael's, and had an overtime win and a tie against Saint Anselm this past weekend.

Going into the weekend, Sydney Antonakis (2-2-4) and Kailey Smith (1-2-3) are riding three-game point streaks, with the latter popping the game-tying goal against Post late on Thursday. Delani MacKay has at least a point in six of the last eight games, and the Colgate graduate transfer leads the Pios in scoring, at 11-12-23 through 28 games. The red and white goaltenders will put their goals against average to the test this weekend. Molly Elmore (2.30) and Carly Greene (2.44) sit third and fourth in the NEWHA, respectively.

The two teams last met in mid-November, in SHU's final home games at Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton. The squads split the weekend matchup, with SHU taking a 3-1 victory on Friday and the Ravens coming out on top, 2-1, the next day. The two have an even 5-5 split over their last ten matchups, while SHU holds a 17-14-5 record against FPU in 36 all-time meetings. The teams have a history of close contests, with 18 of the 36 games either ending in a tie or being decided by just a single goal.

Fans will be able to watch online at https://ne10now.tv/franklinpierceathletics/.