EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (January 10, 2025) – A pair of late third-period goals from junior forward Bailey Feeney and a stellar performance in goal by first-year student Alexsa Caron propelled the Stonehill College women's hockey team to a 2-0 shutout victory over Long Island University on Friday afternoon. With the win, the Skyhawks improved to 6-14-2 overall and 6-7-2 in conference play, while the Sharks dropped to 10-8-3 overall and 10-3-2 against conference opponents.

Highlights

• Stonehill's victory marked their second consecutive win over LIU, dating back to earlier this season, on October 12, 2024.
• Feeney scored her respective sixth and seventh goals of the season, marking her second two-goal game of the season and third of her collegiate career.  
• Senior co-captain Josie Mendeszoon and first-year defender Reagan Whynot registered an assist for the Skyhawks, respectively.
• The center duo of Maeve Connolly and Kathryn Karo paved the way for the Skyhawks at the dot, winning a combined 23 of 42 draws on the afternoon.
• Caron held the Sharks off the board after stopping all 29 shots she faced in between the pipes. The first-year netminder's performance in net secured her second career shutout.
• Graduate student Sarah Rourke led the LIU centers at the faceoff circle, winning 81% (9-of-11) of her total draws.
• Senior Ashley Morrow and junior Ryane Kearnes fueled the Sharks shot totals, each tallying four shots on goal.
• Graduate goaltender Abbie Thompson posted 29 saves inside the crease for LIU.

How it Happened
After a back-and-forth start to the conference contest, Stonehill earned its first power-play opportunity when LIU's senior Bri Eid was called for tripping at 4:57 of the first period. The Skyhawks came close to taking the lead during the power play in the closing seconds, as a cross-ice pass from junior Lucie Turcotte narrowly missed connecting with a redirect in front, just sliding wide of the LIU net.
 
Following the early power-play chance, both teams exchanged shot attempts, with neither side able to break the deadlock by the end of the opening period.
 
LIU came out strong to start the second period, pressuring Stonehill's goaltender, Caron, and the Skyhawk defense with six shots on goal in the first four minutes. However, just five minutes later, Stonehill gained momentum with its second power-play opportunity of the game. Despite a flurry of shots on goal from juniors Maddison Achtyl and Feeney, registering a total of five attempts in a 40-second span, LIU goaltender Thompson stood firm, keeping the game scoreless midway through the period.
 
In the closing minutes of the second, Caron made a series of key saves to preserve the tie, sending the teams into the third period locked at zero.
 
Coming out of the second intermission, Stonehill applied sustained offensive pressure, outshooting the Sharks 10-4 in the first 10 minutes of the final frame. At the 11:42 mark, graduate student Anna Fairman came within inches of giving the Sharks the lead, glancing a shot off the post.
 
However, just over five minutes later, at 16:51, Feeney broke the deadlock with what would become the game-winning goal. She fired a shot from the faceoff circle that sailed over Thompson's pad and inside the far post, giving Stonehill a 1-0 lead with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.

In the final minute, with the Sharks' net empty, Feeney sealed the victory with her second goal of the game, securing a 2-0 shutout for Stonehill.

Up Next
Stonehill (6-14-2, 6-7-2 NEWHA) wraps up its two-game weekend set in East Meadow, New York against LIU tomorrow at 2 PM.   
 
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