Fairfield, Conn. –  The Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team fell to the Assumption Greyhounds, 4-2 on Saturday night as they continued New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) play. 
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: (5-12-1, 4-9-1 NEWHA) 
Assumption: (8-10-2), 8-4-2 NEWHA)
 
Top Performers:
Hailey Jussila: 1 goal
Sami Bowlby: 1 goal
Maddie Smith: 1 assist 
Reese Pascucci: 1 assist 
Lake Bethard:1 assist 
Olivia LaRoche: 1 assist 
 
Goaltending:
Sacred Heart: Mia Wendell: (L  0-4-0) 4 goals against | 17 saves | Lauren Larson: 6 saves
Assumption: Jadyn Weiser: 2 goals against | 30 saves 
 
How it Happened:

• The Pioneers looked to replicate their strong start from yesterday's game, and they came out firing in the first period. They outshot the Greyhounds 15–11 and generated several scoring opportunities, including a power-play chance. However, less than three minutes in, Assumption was awarded a power play after a tripping call and capitalized on it. The Pioneers would head into the second period trailing 1–0.
• Period two unfolded similarly, as the Pioneers immediately put themselves on the defensive after committing a penalty that gave Assumption an early power play. Strong defensive play helped them kill it off, and just five minutes later, they were forced to do it again. Led by standout efforts from Wendell, the Pios successfully killed their second penalty of the period. Just over halfway through the period, Jussila buried a shot off assists from Maddie Smith and Pascucci to tie the game. However, a late penalty sent the Pioneers back to the box, and this time the Greyhounds capitalized to regain the lead. Sacred Heart earned a power play of its own in the final minutes and generated several strong chances, but couldn't find the equalizer. The period closed with the Pioneers trailing by one.
• The third period is where the game slipped out of reach for the Pioneers. Assumption netted two quick goals within the first five minutes, creating a deficit Sacred Heart couldn't overcome. Sami Bowlby added a late goal to get the Pios back on the board, but it wasn't enough.

 
Of Note:

• Maddie Smith tallied her first career assist, it was her second point in two days 
• Jussila scored her second goal of the season 
• Sami Bowlby scored her fourth goal of the season 

 
Up Next: 
The Pioneers will now head into a three-and-a-half-week break before returning to action at home, where they'll host Minnesota at Martire Family Arena. Puck drop is set for Friday, January 2 at 5:00 PM and Saturday, January 3 at 1:00 PM.