Feb. 28, 2008

Setting the Scene... The Pioneer women's ice hockey closes out the season this weekend at the ECAC Open Tournament, hosted by Saint Anselm College. Sacred Heart will face Holy Cross in the semifinals Saturday at 4:00 pm while Saint Anselm will take on Saint Michael's in the other first round matchup. The winners meet for the championship Sunday afternoon while the losers will play the consolation game earlier in the day.

SHU Sweeps Rhode Island... Sacred Heart scored 17 goals in two games to post a sweep of Rhode Island two weeks ago at the Wonderland of Ice. SHU won 7-3 Friday night and then tallied 10 goals in a Senior Day victory.

Last Meeting vs Holy Cross... The Pioneers recorded a tie and a loss in a home-and-home series with Holy Cross in November. The teams skated to a 1-1 tie in Bridgeport before Holy Cross posted a 5-3 win in Worcester.

Last Meeting vs Saint Anselm... Kathleen Twomey had two goals and an assist and Kasey Cedorchuck had a goal and assist as the Saint Anselm College women's hockey team defeated Sacred Heart University, 6-3, in the ECAC Open Tournament Championship Game last year at Cairns Arena.

Last Meeting vs St. Michael's... Carla Pentimone had two goals and an assist and junior Whitney Dziama added a goal and two assists to lead Sacred Heart to a 6-0 win over St. Michael's in women's ice hockey action Friday night at the Wonderland of Ice. Senior Sarah Perry made 20 saves to earn her second career shutout.

The Captains... Sacred Heart is led by senior captains Devon Gaslin and Katelin McLaughlin and junior Whitney Dziama. 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 has had a strong second half of the season and is now second on the team with 15 points, including six goals and nine assists. Senior Sarah Hickman leads the Pioneer defense in scoring with two goals and five assists on the season.

New Faces Up Front... A quartet of freshmen have made an impact in their first seasons as Pioneers. Lauren Fontaine leads the team with 15 goals and six assists for 21 points. Carla Pentimone is third on the team with 14 points, inlcuding five goals and a team-leading nine assists. Kristina Hankins has six goals and five assists while Taryn Lapierre has come on strong in the second half, posting six goals and six assists for 12 points on the year.

Scouting the Crusaders... Holy Cross finished the regular season with a 15-7-3 record and are unbeaten in their last eight games. Senior Samantha Rush leads the Crusader attack with a team high 13 goals and 14 assists for a team best 27 points. Junior Stephanie Cousin is second on the squad with 10 goals and 14 assists. Freshman Monique Gallant has had an impressive rookie season in goal, posting a 2.27 goals against average and .904 save percentage in 20 games between the pipes.

Scouting the Hawks... Saint Anselm is 21-2-1 on the year, having won the ECAC East. The Hawks have outscored their opponents 102-22. The powerful attack is led by Junior Kelsey Johnson who has scored a team leading 19 goals along with 13 assists for 32 points on the year. Sophomore Arianna Rigano has a team high 33 points on the season with 18 goals and 15 assists. Meanwhile, senior Andrea Berlin has been a wall in goal, posting a goals average of just 1.00 in 15 starts this year.

Scouting the Purple Knights... St. Michael's finished the regular season with a 8-14-1 record, having won their last two games. The Purple Knights are led by sophomore Desiree Biron who has a team high 10 goals and 11 assists, 21 points for the season. Sophomore Megan Sweeney has nine goals and 14 assists for a team leading 23 points on the season. Junior Melanie Cullen has posted a 3.17 goals against average and.912 save percentage in 22 games.