FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Sacred Heart women's hockey team is headed to the semifinals of the NEWHA Tournament. Six Pioneers scored, and
Carly Greene made 27 saves as third-seeded SHU completed a two-game quarterfinal sweep of No. 6 Assumption with a decisive 6-2 victory at Martire Family Arena.
Sacred Heart scored three first-period goals and capped the victory with a pair of late third-period tallies.
The highest remaining seeds will host Wednesday's semifinals. The matchups will be set following the completion of all of the quarterfinal series.
RECORDS
Assumption: 10-23-3 (10-16-2 NEWHA
Sacred Heart: 19-14-3 (16-9-3 NEWHA)
SHU SCORING
Anastasia Sloan (1 goal)
Olivia LaRoche (1 goal, 1 assist)
Savannah Popick (1 assist)
Katie Keenan (1 assist)
Nicole Bessinger (1 goal, 1 assist)
Sami Bowlby (1 goal)
Brianna Morden (1 assist)
Grayson Limke (1 goal)
Paige McNeil (1 goal)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• For the second straight day, the Pioneers had a fast start.
Anastasia Sloan opened the scoring with a slapshot from the point at 7:18. SHU got another goal from its defense when
Olivia LaRoche fired a wrist shot past Assumption goalie Carissa Mudrak at 10:31. After the Greyhounds closed back to within one,
Sami Bowlby knocked home the rebound of a LaRoche shot late in the first.
• Assumption pulled to within 3-2 with a goal early in the second period, but Sacred Heart again had an answer.
Grayson Limke's goal at 11:20 put the Pioneers back in front by two.
• It stayed 4-2 until late in the third period.
Paige McNeil scored an empty-net goal with 1:13 remaining, and
Nicole Bessinger sealed the victory with an end-to-end rush that finished with a nifty move that beat Mudrack.
NOTES:
• The Pioneers won the opening game of the series 1-0 on Friday.
• Both LaRoche and Limke's goals came with Sacred Heart on the power play. After going seven games without a goal with an extra attacker, the Pioneers scored three power play goals in the two-game sweep.
• The six goals matched a season high for SHU, which beat Saint Michael's 6-0 back on Nov. 15.
• Sacred Heart finished 6-0 against Assumption this season.
• The Pioneers' 19 overall victories are their most since the 2019-20 team won 21 games.
• Sacred Heart evened its all-time record in NEWHA Tournament play at 7-7
WHAT'S NEXT:
Check back with sacredheartpioneers.com for details on Wednesday's semifinal game.
