WORCESTER, Mass. — Iyla Ryskamp's first period tally put the Pioneerrs on the board, but a late second period tally negated a comeback bid as the Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team dropped its penultimate road contest of the season, falling to Assumption on Saturday evening, 3-1.
Following a tight-knit affair last night, the Pios looked to get on the front foot early in the period but could not find the finishing touch as the Greyhounds took an early 1-0 lead five minutes into the frame as Sheridan Terrazzano lit the lamp for her first goal of the series to put the home side ahead.
Both teams continued the pressure through the middle portion of the period, but it was the Pioneers who were able to capitalize on their chances, leveling the game with Ryskamp's fourth of the campaign. Following a deflection of a point shot, Ryskamp located the loose puck and sent a wrist shot past an outstretched Carissa Mudrak to pot SHU's first goal of the series.
The Pios continued to battle through the first, amassing an 8-6 shot advantage through the first 20 minutes of action with the game tied, 1-1.
After a contentious 20 minutes of action in the first, both teams opened up the game, firing a whopping 34 shots on frame during the second period. With the Pioneers having a plethora of chances on one end, ASM had its moments in the period, turning multiple two-on-one's toward SHU's
Jillian Petruno who negated every odd-skater chance that came her way through the first 18 minutes of the stanza.
However, with just under a minute left in the period, the Greyhounds regained the lead with a Delaney Williams tally off a power move in front that slipped past Petruno and just past the goal line to give ASM a 2-1 lead that they saw into the second intermission.
The Pios looked to poised to cut into the deficit in the third period, but once again ASM continued to frustrate the Pioneers through a majority of the third period, amassing a 7-5 shot advantage past the halfway mark of final frame.
With just over five minutes to go, the Pios committed their second infraction of the contest as
Isabella Chaput was sent to the box for tripping. The foul proved to be costly as ASM nabbed its first power-play goal of the series with Ella Rago finding the back of the net, pushing the Greyhound lead to two.
The Greyhounds continued to pressure the Pios in their own zone, finding themselves back on the power play late in the frame with an opportunity to kill off the remaining four minutes of action. SHU continued to fight back, but time ran out on a probable comeback as the Greyhounds finished off the weekend with the sweep, taking Saturday's contest, 3-1.
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Up Next:
The Pioneers wrap up the regular season next weekend, taking on familiar-foes Post University in a home-and-home set on February 16-17. Puck drop on Friday, February 16 is from the Sports Center of Connecticut is slated for 8 p.m. while Saturday's senior day contest at Martire Family Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.
