BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (January 6, 2023)- Despite being down two goals going into the third period, Maeve Carey and Alexis Petford brought the Stonehill College women's ice hockey team back to a 3-3 tie. However, their comeback bid fell short as the Sacred Heart University Pioneers scored the game-winning goal with one second left in overtime for a New England Women's Hockey Alliance win. 

Scoring

SHU: Paige McNeil ( Erika Lizotte ), 05:40-1st period

        Iyla Ryskamp ( Elizabeth Jacobson ), 17:19-2nd period

        Delani Mackay ( Paige McNeil & Katie Keenan ), 18:45-2nd period

        Sydney Antonakis ( Paige McNeil), 04:59-overtime

STO: Maddison Achtyl ( Gracie Sacca ), 02:43-2nd period

        Maeve Carey (Kathryn Karo & Sydney Russell), 00:43-3rd period

        Alexis Petford (Sydney Russell), 16:48-3rd period

Goaltending

SHU: Molly Elmore (64:59)-26 saves

STO: Hanna Zukow (64:59)- 30 saves

The Details

• Sacred Heart started off the scoring on a powerplay when McNeil capitalized while there was a scrum of Skyhawks and Pioneers in front of Zukow as she snuck the puck past the Stonehill netminder for the early 1-0 lead 5:40 into the contest. Despite being down one, Stonehill had their fair chances to tie as the squad rattled off five shots led by Lily Barrett with two but Barrett and the Purple and White were turned away by Elmore each time.
• Less than five minutes into the second, Stonehill responded and evened the game at one when Sacca pushed up the left side and found a skating Achtyl in the middle of the ice who sent home a wrister past Elmore's stick side for her sixth goal of the season.
• As both sides continued to play hard into the second, Sacred Heart put in two goals within two minutes of each other off the sticks of Ryskamp and Mackay for a 3-1 Pioneers advantage heading into the final period. 
• While it seemed like Sacred Heart took the momentum going into the third, Stonehill pulled within one less than a minute into the final frame when Carey received a pass from Russell near the blue line, she faked out her defender with a nice spin move and pushed toward the ice and rifled her shot in the left faceoff circle past Elmore's upper right corner. 
• Later in the frame, Petford erased the two-goal deficit when Russell found her on the right side near the faceoff circle and after she weaved her way past the defense, Petford beat Elmore for the game-tying goal. For Petford, it is her team-best, 14th goal of the season.
• With the third coming to an end, Sacred Heart nearly won the game in regulation after a forced turnover by Cassandra Nevers in the Pioneers zone she skated down the ice for a one-on-one matchup with Zukow but was stonewalled by the sophomore and sent the game into overtime.
• In the extra period, Stonehill stayed aggressive as the squad outshot the Pioneers, 5-3 including two by Petford and Russell. Unfortunately, after Petford's shot at nine seconds was deflected by Elmore, McNeil pushed the puck ahead to Antonakis who snuck past the Skyhawks defense and scored the game-winner past Zukow's glove side with one second remaining.

Up Next

Both sides wrap up their NEWHA two-game set tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.

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