FAIRFIELD, Conn. (January 17, 2025) – The Stonehill College women's hockey team prevailed with an additional point in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) standings after skating away with a 1-0 shootout victory against Sacred Heart Friday night at the Martire Family Arena. With the decision, the Skyhawks improved to 7-14-3 overall and 7-7-3 in conference play, while the Pioneers moved to 12-8-3 overall and 11-3-3 against conference opponents.

Highlights

• Graduate student Maeve Connolly had a stellar game on the ice, registering her first career two-goal game and netting the game-winning tally in the opening round of the shootout.
• Junior center Kathryn Karo lit the lamp on her fourth goal of the season.
• Junior Lily Geist and sophomore Pusle Dyring-Andersen each dished out two assists on the day for the Skyhawks.
• Junior netminder Eve Stone made her season debut in net for the Skyhawks posting 24 saves on 27 shots faced.
• Sophomore Izzy Chaput lit the lamp on her team-leading 10th goal of the season.
• Sydney and Alyssa Antonakis found the back of the net for their respective fourth and fifth goals of the campaign for Sacred Heart.
• Sophomore goaltender Lauren Larson tallied 31 saves in between the pipes for the Pioneers.

How it Happened
Stonehill came out strong in Fairfield, dominating possession in the offensive zone and outshooting Sacred Heart 15-2 in the opening 20 minutes. Midway through the first period, junior Bailey Feeney nearly gave the Skyhawks the lead with a wraparound attempt, but Sacred Heart goalie Larson extended her right pad to deny the opportunity.
 
At 17:54, Stonehill took the first lead of the conference matchup when Karo forced a turnover on the Pioneers' defensive blue line. She skated in on a breakaway and fired a shot over Larson's glove, finding the back of the net for her fourth goal of the season.
 
Sacred Heart quickly responded, leveling the score at 1-1 just 2:49 into the second period. Alyssa Antonakis redirected a Sloan shot from the blue line past Stone for her fifth goal of the year.
 
Three minutes later, while on the power play, Connolly restored Stonehill's one-goal advantage. After Dyring-Andersen fired a shot from the high slot, Connolly pounced on the rebound and sent a backhanded shot across the goal line, marking her second goal of the season.
 
With the Skyhawks leading 2-1 heading into the third period, Sacred Heart began to chip away at the deficit. Just 90 seconds into the final frame, Sydney Antonakis floated a shot over Stone's glove and into the top right corner of the net, tying the game at 2-2. At 9:41, Chaput gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game, scoring her team-leading 10th goal of the season to make it 3-2.
 
In the final minutes of regulation, with Stonehill trailing 3-2, Connolly came through with a clutch goal at 17:53, sending a point-blank shot over Larson's shoulder to tie the game at 3-3 and force overtime.
 
The teams traded scoring chances, and two-on-one breaks during the five-minute, three-on-three overtime period. Despite being outshot 7-2, Stone and the Skyhawks defense held strong, keeping the game deadlocked and sending it into a shootout.
 
In the shootout, Connolly deked Larson and netted her third goal of the day. Stone then slammed the door, blanking the Pioneers in the shootout and securing a 1-0 victory in the skills competition, earning the extra point in the NEWHA standings.

Up Next
Stonehill (7-14-3, 7-7-3 NEWHA) wraps up its two-game set in Fairfield against Sacred Heart on Saturday. Puck drop from the Martire Family Arena between the Skyhawks and Pioneers is set for 2 PM.
 
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