Jan. 7, 2008

Setting the Scene... The Pioneer women's ice hockey team is set to host Southern Maine in two midweek matinees at the Wonderland of Ice. Game times are Tuesday at 1:00 pm and Wednesday at 12:00 pm. Wednesday's game is scheduled to be aired live on SacredHeartPioneers.com.

SHU Drops Pair to New England... New England College scored goals late in the third period of Friday and Saturday's games to earn two one goal victories over Sacred Heart last weekend. The Pilgrims scored with five seconds left in regulation Friday night and then scored the game winning goal with 1:19 left in third Saturday afternoon.

Last Meeting vs Southern Maine... Gina Arnone scored a pair of goals 29 seconds apart in the first period and assisted on another in the second to lead Sacred Heart to a 5-0 win over visiting Southern Maine in January of 2006 in Milford.

Scouting the Huskies... The Huskies from Southern Maine make the trip south from Portland sporting a 3-6-0 record in the ECAC East Division. Southern Maine has lost four of their last five games. The Huskies young line-up is led by freshman Amanda Shorey who has a team high seven points on the season including five goals and two assists. Sophomore Jessica Knight and seniors Kelly Connors and Amy McNally each have three goals on the year. Three goaltenders have split time for the Huskies. Freshman Jackie Zarb has performed the best, posting a 2.84 goals against average and two victories. Freshman Allison Woods has seen the most playing time, starting five games and posting a 3.72 goals against average.

The Captains... Sacred Heart is led by senior captain Devon Gaslin and junior captain Gina Arnone. Senior Katelin McLaughlin and junior Whitney Dziama are the assistant captains. Arnone led the team in scoring last season with 29 goals and 21 assists for 50 points. Arnone has come on strong as of late and is now third on the team with five goals and four assists. Gaslin has been the Pioneers top defensemen for the last two years. McLaughlin has been part of SHU's offensive front, and a consistent scoring threat, throughout her career. Dziama also will be counted on to do some scoring while providing leadership for a young Pioneer team. Senior Sarah Hickman is third on the team in scoring, having tallied two goals and four assists for six points.

New Faces Up Front... Freshmen Lauren Fontaine, Carla Pentimone and Kristina Hankins have made an impact in their first seasons as Pioneers. Fontaine leads the team with nine goals and three assists for 12 points. Pentimone is second on the team with 10 points, inlcuding three goals and a team-leading seven assists. Hankins has five goals and three assists.

Up Next... This weekend SHU will host Cortland State and Nicholls College at the Wonderland. The Pioneers and Red Dragons meet Friday at 7:00 pm with Sacred Heart and Nicholls slated for a 2:00 pm face-off Saturday.