Oct. 6, 2008

Fairfield, CT -

Complete Game Notes

The Set-Up... The Pioneers host the Eagles of Robert Morris College in their home opener. SHU looks to rebound from a tough outing against a strong UConn squad.

A Tale of Two Matchups... Last season the Pioneers split a pair of games with Robert Morris College at the Wonderland of Ice. SHU took the series opener 5-3, but the Eagles dominated the second contest 9-3.

Scouting the Eagles... The Eagles are the ACHA 2007-08 national runner-ups. They are a strong club team that can challenge the Pioneers. SHU will have to defend Bridget Katz, an Eagle senior forward who tallied 5 goals in one game against the Pioneers last February.

Up Next... After Saturday's game the Pioneers will not see home ice again until late November. Sacred Heart leaves for a 7 game road trip that includes tilts at Maine, Rhode Island, Syracuse, Salve Regina, and Nichols.

Not so "Special" Teams... Sacred Heart needs to improve its special teams play if they want to have a successful season. In the opener the Pioneers went 0-9 on the power play and surrendered two short-handed goals. The SHU penalty kill made progress finishing at 5 for 8. This came after a shaky start that allowed the Huskies to start 2-2 on the power play.

Between the Pipes... It was Raelene Sydor who made her first start for the Pioneers in Storrs. Unfortunately nothing went right as she surrendered 4 goals in the first period. Amanda Nagel relieved her and made several great plays and tallied 44 saves. However, with the overall overpowering play of the Huskies, Nagel and Sydor will continue to compete for playing time.