FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey is set to return to the ice for the final time in the regular season, taking on the Post Eagles in a home-and-home series on February 16-17. Friday's matchup at the Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton, Conn., is scheduled for 8 p.m. while Saturday's senior day game at Martire Family Arena is slated for 2 p.m.
 
HERE'S THE SITCH
The Pioneers currently sit tied for fourth place in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) entering the weekend alongside longtime rivals Franklin Pierce with both teams having accrued 26 points in conference contests so far this season. SHU, however, holds the first tiebreaker over Ravens after picking up six of a possible eight points in the head-to-head matchup between the teams. SHU can wrap up fourth place in the conference by equaling or exceeding any points FPU gains this weekend. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers battled hard but could not stage late-gate comeback attempts during the weekend series to Assumption, falling in both contests by a score of 1-0 and 3-1, on Friday February 9 and Saturday, February 10, respectively. In game one, the Pios found themselves down early after a rebound in the slot was tucked home by ASM's Emma Gurnell with less than 10 minutes to go in the opening frame. Though SHU battled, the Red & White had limited chances in their penultimate home game, sending 23 shots toward ASM's Carissa Mudrak who was equal to every bid en route to a 1-0 shutout win to open the weekend. 
 
In game two, the Pios were able to find the scoresheet with Iyla Ryskamp leveling the game 1-1 with just under five minutes to play in the first period, sending a wrist shot past Mudrak for SHU's first goal of the weekend. However, the Greyhounds were able to push the Pios late in the second period, finding the eventual game-winning foal with 52 seconds left in the middle frame to take a monumental 2-1 lead into the intermission. ASM would tack on a power-play goal past the halfway mark of the third en route to a 3-1 win to keep SHU from clinching the fourth-place spot in the conference standings. 
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Post (7-24-1, 7-18-1 NEWHA) heads into the weekend locked into seventh place in the NEWHA standings, solidifying a postseason date with Saint Anselm in two weeks after dropping a home-and-home series against LIU last weekend. LIU opened the weekend with a clinical, 3-0 win on Friday night before taking the weekend finale, 3-1, courtesy of two goals in under two minutes to begin the second period to complete the weekend sweep. 
 
The Eagles are led by sophomore Maddy Noonan who is one of two double-digit point scorers for Post this season, posting a 3-9-12 line in 32 games and currently leads the team in both points (12) and assists (9). Fellow sophomore Tristan Currie holds the team lead in goals (6) while placing second in points with a 6-5-11 line in 31 games. 
 
In goal, Grace Glasrud has earned a majority of the starts, posting a 5-13-0 record with a .922 save percentage and 3.11 goals against average in 18 starts this season. Sophomore Hannah Saunders has also received time in net making 12 starts with a .922 save percentage while fellow sophomore Hali Lawrence earned her second start of the season last weekend in the series opener against LIU. 
 
Gretchen Silverman is in her second season behind the bench at Post and has already improved the Eagles' record in that time, nearly doubling their win total from a year ago heading into this weekend. Both teams split the first two meetings of the season as SHU claimed a 3-0 road win on December 8 before Post claimed its first win of the all-time series, defeating SHU in the weekend finale on December 9, 3-2.