Pioneers Face LIU for NEWHA Championship, NCAA Bid
3/7/2025 11:29:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Both teams ranked in top 10 nationally in scoring defense
ESPN+ Video | Live Stats | Game Notes
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - A NEWHA Tournament championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be on the line when Sacred Heart and LIU meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Northwell Health Ice Center on Long Island.
OF NOTE:
• The Pioneers are seeking their second NEWHA championship. SHU defeated Saint Anselm in the 2018 title game, the league's very first championship. Sacred Heart is looking to earn the first NCAA Women's Hockey Tournament berth in school history.
• SHU and LIU played four times in the regular season and three of the four games were decided by one goal. The first weekend series was in early November when LIU won 3-2 on Long Island, and the Pioneers rebounded with a 1-0 victory at Martire Family Arena the next day. The teams split another weekend series in late January with the visiting team winning each. Sacred Heart won 1-0 at Northwell Health Ice Center and the Sharks won 3-0 in Fairfield.
• Isabella Chaput scored a pair of goals against the Sharks in the four games. Kailey Smith and Peyton Bennetts also scored, while Ella Holm contributed two assists. Carly Greene started three times in goal, stopping 63 of 66 shots, including making 20 saves in a 1-0 shutout victory at LIU in January.
• This is the 29th all-time meeting between the schools and Long Island leads the series 18-9-1. The only previous game in NEWHA Tournament play was a 3-0 Sharks victory in 2020 in Manchester, N.H. The teams did play a best-of-three Commissioners' Cup series at the end of the COVID-disrupted 2021 season which LIU won 2-0.
• Sacred Heart's path to the championship game started with a two-game sweep of Assumption followed by Wednesday's 3-0 victory over Saint Anselm. The Pioneers have outscored their opponents 10-2 in the tournament. Olivia LaRoche leads the team with four points (1 goal, 3 assists), while Grayson Limke and Sami Bowlby each have two goals. Eight different Pioneers have scored in the tournament.
• In the final seven games of the regular season, Sacred Heart was 0-for-27 on the power play. In the three NEWHA Tournament games, the Pioneers are 5-for-7 with an extra attacker. Two of the three goals in Wednesday's win over Saint Anselm came on the power play.
• Carly Greene has played all three tournament games in goal and has been outstanding, stopping 114 of 116 shots. She posted shutouts in Game 1 vs. Assumption and the semifinal against Saint Anselm when she made 50 saves. It was her third career game with at least 50 saves (54 vs. UConn and 54 vs. Harvard during the 2022-23 season).
• Greene leads the nation in save percentage (.961), is second in goals against average (1.22) and eighth in shutouts (6). She has 11 shutouts in her career.
• Both Sacred Heart and LIU are among the stingiest teams in the nation. The Pioneers are eighth nationally in scoring defense (1.78), while LIU is fifth (1.62).
• Sacred Heart's 11 shutouts are third in the nation, trailing only Quinnipiac and Wisconsin, who each have 12.
• The Pioneers are 8-8-1 on the road.
• Sacred Heart is 19-4 when scoring first.
ON LIU
The Sharks have yet to allow a goal in NEWHA Tournament play. They blanked Saint Michael's 4-0 and 2-0 in the quarterfinals and then beat Post 2-0 in Wednesday's semifinal. LIU has reached the championship game for the second time in the last three years. The Sharks won the tournament in 2023 before falling to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. Goalie Abbie Thompson is ninth in the nation in goals against average (1.62). Megan Bouveur leads the team in goals (16) and points (33).
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - A NEWHA Tournament championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be on the line when Sacred Heart and LIU meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Northwell Health Ice Center on Long Island.
OF NOTE:
• The Pioneers are seeking their second NEWHA championship. SHU defeated Saint Anselm in the 2018 title game, the league's very first championship. Sacred Heart is looking to earn the first NCAA Women's Hockey Tournament berth in school history.
• SHU and LIU played four times in the regular season and three of the four games were decided by one goal. The first weekend series was in early November when LIU won 3-2 on Long Island, and the Pioneers rebounded with a 1-0 victory at Martire Family Arena the next day. The teams split another weekend series in late January with the visiting team winning each. Sacred Heart won 1-0 at Northwell Health Ice Center and the Sharks won 3-0 in Fairfield.
• Isabella Chaput scored a pair of goals against the Sharks in the four games. Kailey Smith and Peyton Bennetts also scored, while Ella Holm contributed two assists. Carly Greene started three times in goal, stopping 63 of 66 shots, including making 20 saves in a 1-0 shutout victory at LIU in January.
• This is the 29th all-time meeting between the schools and Long Island leads the series 18-9-1. The only previous game in NEWHA Tournament play was a 3-0 Sharks victory in 2020 in Manchester, N.H. The teams did play a best-of-three Commissioners' Cup series at the end of the COVID-disrupted 2021 season which LIU won 2-0.
• Sacred Heart's path to the championship game started with a two-game sweep of Assumption followed by Wednesday's 3-0 victory over Saint Anselm. The Pioneers have outscored their opponents 10-2 in the tournament. Olivia LaRoche leads the team with four points (1 goal, 3 assists), while Grayson Limke and Sami Bowlby each have two goals. Eight different Pioneers have scored in the tournament.
• In the final seven games of the regular season, Sacred Heart was 0-for-27 on the power play. In the three NEWHA Tournament games, the Pioneers are 5-for-7 with an extra attacker. Two of the three goals in Wednesday's win over Saint Anselm came on the power play.
• Carly Greene has played all three tournament games in goal and has been outstanding, stopping 114 of 116 shots. She posted shutouts in Game 1 vs. Assumption and the semifinal against Saint Anselm when she made 50 saves. It was her third career game with at least 50 saves (54 vs. UConn and 54 vs. Harvard during the 2022-23 season).
• Greene leads the nation in save percentage (.961), is second in goals against average (1.22) and eighth in shutouts (6). She has 11 shutouts in her career.
• Both Sacred Heart and LIU are among the stingiest teams in the nation. The Pioneers are eighth nationally in scoring defense (1.78), while LIU is fifth (1.62).
• Sacred Heart's 11 shutouts are third in the nation, trailing only Quinnipiac and Wisconsin, who each have 12.
• The Pioneers are 8-8-1 on the road.
• Sacred Heart is 19-4 when scoring first.
ON LIU
The Sharks have yet to allow a goal in NEWHA Tournament play. They blanked Saint Michael's 4-0 and 2-0 in the quarterfinals and then beat Post 2-0 in Wednesday's semifinal. LIU has reached the championship game for the second time in the last three years. The Sharks won the tournament in 2023 before falling to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. Goalie Abbie Thompson is ninth in the nation in goals against average (1.62). Megan Bouveur leads the team in goals (16) and points (33).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Ice HockeySaige Harper Paris 2024
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