FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Isabella Chaput's three-point game propelled the Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team to its fourth sweep of the season, dispatching the Post Eagles on Saturday afternoon, 4-3.
With the win, the Pioneers secured home-ice advantage for the first round of the New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) Tournament and will face off against Franklin Pierce in a best-of-three series next weekend, February 23-25.
Looking to claim home ice for the first round of the playoffs, the Pioneers continued where they left off in Friday's nights affair, quickly putting the Eagles on the backfoot in the early going. However, a
Sophie Lupone high-sticking minor off a faceoff gave the eagles the first power play of the contest, and with it, the first chance to crack open the scoring.
With the advantage, Post struck paydirt for its first goal of the weekend series as Sajel Desai sent a wrist shot from the point that beat SHU netminder
Molly Elmore - who was making her first start of the season - to put the visitors up 1-0 just under four minutes into the opening frame.
Following the goal, SHU went back on the attack to search for the equalizer. With just over five minutes to go in the opening stanza, SHU found the back of the net off a tip play in front as
Isabella Chaput grabbed her team-leading 11
th goal of the season. With a cycle play down low, the trio of Chaput,
Kate Helgeson, and
Sydney Antonakis went to work, with Antonakis sending a wrister that was tipped by Chaput in the low slot that made its way past Post's Hali Lawrence to level the game, 1-1. The Red & White continued to press for the remainder of the period but Chaput's tally was the lone goal of the period for the home side as the game stood tied, 1-1, after 20 minutes.
In a segmented second period, both squads had their chances early but it was the home side that found its groove, firing 16 shots during the middle frameto put the Eagles under intense duress. Past the midway mark of the middle frame, the teams traded penalties with the Pios later capitalizing on their first opportunity of the game with
Sophie Lupone's sixth tally of the season.
With the Pios working the cycle down low, Lupone gathered the puck from the corner and raced toward the near red line, stuffing the puck between the left pad of Lawrence and the near post to give SHU its first lead of the game with under four to go in the frame. The Pios continued to funnel a barrage of shots at Lawrence who capitulated just the one goal in the frame as the Pios headed into the third period up 2-1.
With an uneventful start to the second frame, both teams were in a frenzy to begin the third period, tallying three goals in 3:30 seconds. The Pios lit the lamp first in the final 20 minutes with
Kate Helgeson finishing off a feed from Chaput in the low slot that extended the SHU lead to two. However, Post's Jet Devlin potted her first collegiate goal just 43 seconds later on a wrist shot that beat Elmore to the post.
SHU regained its two-goal lead just under two minutes later as Chaput bagged her second of the afternoon, sending a wrist shot bar-down on Lawrence who was beat to the short side to give SHU a 4-2 lead eight minutes into the final stanza.
The teams continued to trade blows in the latter half of the period, upping the physicality as the Pios found themselves the culprit of a five-minute major for roughing. Post made things interesting in the waning stages with Tristan Currie firing a sharp-angle shot that squeaked by Elmore with 16 seconds left in the game to put Post within one goal. Looking for the game-tying goal, Post once again found Currie on the doorstep, but this time Elmore stoof tall, getting the glove on the shot with just one second left in regulation as the Pios held on for the 4-3 victory, and with it, home ice in the first round.
Top Performers:
Up Next:
The Pioneers will host the Franklin Pierce Ravens in the quarterfinals of the NEWHA tournament in a best-of-three series beginning on Friday, February 23 at 7 p.m. Game two will be on Saturday, February 24 at 7 p.m. while game three (if necessary) will be on Sunday, February 25 at 3 p.m. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.
