SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (November 2, 2024) – The Stonehill College women's hockey team capped off its two-game weekend sweep of Saint Michael's College with a 3-1 victory Saturday afternoon inside Cairns Arena in South Burlington, Vermont. With the win, the Skyhawks improved to 3-8 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while the Purple Knights fell to 1-9 overall and 1-5 against conference opponents.

Highlights

• Junior Gracie Sacca lit the lamp on her third goal of the season and second of the two-game weekend series against Saint Michael's.
• Junior Kathryn Karo and sophomore Makenna Slocum also found the back of the net for their first goals of the season.
• The junior quartet of Sarah Taylar, Sydney Russell, Lucie Turcotte, and Bailey Feeney, as well as sophomore Peyton Wise and first-year defender Seina Spadone registered assists for the Skyhawks.
• Karo and graduate student Maeve Connolly paved the way at the dot, winning a combined 26-of-45 total faceoffs on the day for Stonehill.
• First-year netminder Alexsa Caron picked up her third career win in between the pipes after stopping 24 of her 25 shots faced on the day.
• Junior Lauren Fisher scored her first goal of the season for the Purple Knights off assists from graduate student Mary Leys and sophomore Alizee LeBlanc.
• Junior goaltender Annika Lavender posted 30 saves inside the crease for Saint Michael's.

How it Happened
Stonehill came out of the gates strong in the first period, outshooting Saint Michael's 13-5 over the first 10 minutes of action in the weekend finale. At the 10:59 mark of the first, the Skyhawks would break through with their first of the game when a shot off the stick of Turcotte was deflected in front by Slocum into the back of the net, giving Stonehill a one-goal advantage midway through the opening frame.
 
In the waning minutes of the first 20 minutes of play, the Skyhawks would triple their lead with a pair of lamplighters from Sacca and Karo. Sacca found the back of the net for her second goal of the weekend, set off assists from Taylar and Wise at the 18:24 mark, while Karo followed at the 19:42 mark, whistling a shot over the glove of Lavender and into the back of the cage for her first of the year.
 
Coming out of the first intermission, Caron and the Stonehill penalty kill unit would be called into action early, facing a five-on-three disadvantage on the ice for the opening minutes of play in the second. Despite being down two skaters, a pair of blocks from Feeney and Karo and a flurry of saves made by Caron would keep the Purple Knights off the board. However, at the 3:31 mark of the second, Saint Michael's would crack the scoresheet when Fisher found the back of the net for her first goal of the season off assists from Leys and LeBlanc.
 
After Fisher's lamp-lighter early in the middle frame, the Skyhawks would outshoot the Purple Knights 20-8 over the remaining 16 minutes of the second period, playing to a 3-1 contest heading into the third and final frame of regulation.
 
Stonehill carried its offensive zone momentum into the first seven minutes of the third period until the two sides would go back and forth, trading shot attempts until the final two minutes of regulation, where Saint Michael's would look for one final push to level the game at three aside. However, Caron and the Skyhawk's defense would hold off the Purple Knights's offensive approach with the net emptied to secure the 3-1 victory and earn the two-game weekend sweep.
 
Up Next
Stonehill (3-8, 3-3 NEWHA) returns to action next weekend for a home-and-home series against Franklin Pierce. Puck drop of Friday's series opener from Winchendon, Massachusetts is set for 7 PM.  
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