FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University women's hockey team heads back into action this weekend, taking part in a home-and-home series with defending New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) Regular Season Champions, LIU, to begin the month of November. Puck drop for Friday's contest from the Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, N.Y. is slated for 3 p.m. while Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Martire Family Arena. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com. 
 
ORIGINAL SIX
Through the first month of action, the Pioneers boast the conference's top scoring offense and scoring defense, averaging 2.50 goals for while limiting opponents to around two goals per game. 
 
The Red & White also lead the NEWHA in power play percentage, capitalizing on the advantage at 21.1% which ranks top-15 in the nation. The Pios have tallied power-play goals in three of the last four games including twice in the series against Saint Anselm. 
 
Senior goaltender Carly Greene heads into the weekend having started the last three games, etching a perfect 3-0 record along with two shutouts which was good to earn her NEWHA Goaltender of the Month for October and Goaltender of the Week on October 22. She leads the NEWHA in goals against average (0.95) and save percentage (.975) through four appearances this season.
 
First year forward Ella Holm heads into the weekend on a career-long, four-game point streak, having notched a goal and an assist in the last two series against Saint Anselm and Stonehill. She currently sits tied for second on the team in points and has tallied four points during her hot streak.
 
SHU's 4-2 start to the season is the best start for the Pioneers since the 2017-18 season when the Red & White went 4-2 through the first six games of the season. SHU ended the season with a program-record 27 wins (27-6-2) and claimed the inaugural NEWHA Postseason Championship via a 3-1 win over one-seeded Saint Anselm. 
 
Through six games, the Pioneers have totaled 15 goals with 12 players having lit the lamp in the early going of the campaign. Isabella Chaput, Sami Bowlby and Ella Holm are the lone Pios to have scored more than once this season. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers grabbed their first conference sweep of the season two weeks ago, taking down Stonehill on the road 4-3 on Friday, October 18 before grabbing the sweep with a blanking of the Skyhawks on Saturday, October 19, 2-0. 
 
In game one, the Pios and the Skyhawks went back-and-forth in the opening period as twice the Skyhawks tied the game via power-play tallies to take the game into a 2-2 tie into the first intermission. The scoring continued late in the second period with Isabella Chaput's tally being equaled by Gracie Sacca in the final three minutes of the period to bring both teams into the third period tied 3-3. With under four to go in the final frame, Peyton Bennetts tallied her first goal of the season, slotting home the eventual game-winner off a deflection to give the Pios a 4-3 win. 
 
In game two, SHU's defensive prowess showed strong, holding the Skyhawks to a goose egg on the board through two periods while the Pios grabbed a two-goal lead thanks to Ella Holm's first period tally and the Antonakis' combination play in the second period to give SHU a 2-0 advantage with 20 minutes to go. In the final period, Carly Greene made all 10 saves she needed to, preserving the shutout bid – which was her second shutout in her last three starts – as the Pios took all six points on the road with a 2-0 win in the series finale. 
 
ON LIU
LIU (2-3-1, 2-1-1 NEWHA) heads into the weekend having grabbed four of a possible six points two weeks ago at home against Assumption. In game one, the Sharks utilized a three-goal third period to overcome a two-goal deficit, taking down the Greyhounds 3-2 with Bri Eid scoring the game-winning goal with less than three minutes to go in the third period. In game two, Assumption once again had a third-period lead slip away as LIU tallied a power-play goal with 71 seconds left in regulation to push the game into overtime. Following a scoreless five-minute frame, Assumption took the extra point with a 2-1 shootout win as Kiersten Browning's goal in the sixth round of the shootout proved to be the dagger as the game ended in a 1-1 tie. 
 
Seniors Jeannie Wallner and Bri Eid lead the Sharks in points with both having tallied four points through six games. Wallner leads LIU with three goals, all of which came against Stonehill three weeks ago while Eid sits tied with Grace Babington for the team lead in assist with both nabbing three helpers on the season. In goal, Abbie Thompson has seen the majority of action so far this season having transferred from Bemidji State during the offseason. She currently boasts a .916 save percentage and 2.61 goals against average with a 2-3 record this season. Sophomore goaltender Clara Kammholz grabbed her first start of the season in the finale against Assumption, picking up the tie against the Greyhounds while making 24 saves. 
 
Behind the bench, Kelly Nash leads the Sharks in her third season with the program and has won the NEWHA Regular Season Title in each of her first two seasons with LIU, amassing a 50-26-4 record so far in her tenure while setting a program-record 28 wins last season. LIU currently holds the all-time series lead between the two programs, including taking last season's series, 3-1, with the Pios lone victory coming on the road in what was a 2-1 win on January 5, 2024.