FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Following a weekend sweep over New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) foes, Saint Michael's College, last weekend, the Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team is back in action for a midweek tilt against the LIU Sharks on Tuesday, February 6. Puck drop from Martire Family Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers had another successful outing last weekend, sweeping Saint Michael's college to begin a four-game homestand as the push for the playoffs began. In game one, the Pios jumped out to a 2-0 lead six minutes into the first period with Cassie Nevers and Paige McNeil lighting the lamp. However, the Purple Knights stormed back halfway through the second period, scoring twice in a five-minute span to level the game, 2-2. Fortunately for the Pioneers, Kate Helgeson caught fire in the final six minutes of the frame, scoring twice in just over three minutes as the Pioneers walked away with a 5-2 win to open the series. 
 
SHU continued to assert dominance in the series finale, capitalizing in the final six minutes of the first period to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission as Nevers earned her second goal of the series. However, both squads would find trouble hitting the back of the net in the remaining 40 minutes as goaltender Carly Greene shut down SMC en route to a 24-save shutout as the Pios took an important four points on the weekend and earned the season-sweep over the Purple Knights. 
 
LOOKING AT LIU
LIU heads into the weekend in sole possession of first place in the NEWHA, clinching the regular -season title with a 2-1 win over Stonehill College on February 3. The Sharks swept Stonehill in last week's slate of games and are currently on a seven-game win streak with all seven wins coming in one-goal games. 
 
Senior Mikayla Lantto leads the Sharks into the midweek matchup after scoring three goals in last weekend's series against Stonehill, leading the team in goals (17) and points (24) in 29 games. Junior Bri Eid leads the Sharks in assists (14) after earning a helper in both games last weekend.
 
In goal, junior Tindra Holm has earned 27 starts on the year, posting a .942 save percentage and 2.03 goals against average. Holm was nominated as one of three NEWHA goaltenders to the HCA Goaltender of the Year Watch List, alongside SHU's Jillian Petruno, and ranks first in the conference in win percentage (.704). 
 
Kelly Nash has led the Sharks to a 41-22-3 in just two seasons at the helm while leading LIU to back-to-back NEWHA regular-season titles. LIU currently ranks in the top-10 in the nation in scoring defense (1.93) and sits ninth in the nation in penalty-killing, operating at 88.1%. LIU took the first two meetings between the two squads while SHU took the third meeting on the road on January 5 before the series finale was snowed out the following day.