EASTON, Mass. (February 28, 2023)- After completing their sweep of Post University in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance quarterfinals, the Stonehill College women's ice hockey team will head up to Saint Anselm College for a semifinals matchup in the NEWHA Playoffs. The Skyhawks will take on the Hawks this Wednesday, March 1 with a 7 p.m. puck drop. 

Against the Eagles in last weekend's quarter finals, the Purple and White swept their three-game set which started with a 7-1 win on Friday and then on Saturday, the squad was tested all game but came out on top in double overtime courtesy of Paige Whaley's game-winner. In their series with Post, Stonehill outscored their opponents 11-4 and outshot them 78-45. On the powerplay, Stonehill was 4-8 and killed off all 12 of Post's powerplay opportunities. 

In last weekend's sereis, Stonehill's offense was firing on all cylinders as the Skyhawks saw four skaters finish with two goals that included: Alexis Petford, Lily Geist, Katie Sonntag, and Whaley. 

All season Petford has been one of the consistent goal-scorers for Stonehill and she continued right where she left off in the playoffs. Going into the weekend, Petford had scored a conference leading, 25 goals and averaged .75 goals per game and last weekend, she scored in both games against Post. In Friday's contest, she scored the team's second goal early in the second which led a four-goal period that eventually put the game out of reach for the Eagles. On Saturday, she brought the team within one and that goal keyed a stretch where Stonehill scored the next three goals which led to their comeback win. In her four games against Saint Anselm this year, Petford scored four times which included the program's first-ever hat trick in an 8-3 win (Jan. 21) and dished out two assists.

Geist's two goal weekend was the third weekend where she had at least two goals. In Friday's game against the Eagles, Geist led all Skyhawks with two goals and it marked her fourth time this year scoring at least two goals in a game. Her first goal Friday came during a powerplay opportunity for Stonehill and ended up putting the squad up 3-0 halfway through the second. Her other goal came as the second period wound down and was also on the powerplay. Her score was right after Post had scored their first goal but Geist's score pushed Stonehill's lead back up to four (5-1). In Geist's four games against Saint Anselm, the freshman forward has scored three times which included a two-goal performance in Stonehill's 8-3 win.

Sonntag was one of Stonehill's most well-rounded skaters coming into the playoffs with eight goals and seven assists. In last weekend's quarterfinals, Sonntag was the third skater to finsih with two goals which included the game-tying goal in Saturday's double overtime thriller. It is not her first clutch moment for the Skyhawks this year as the captain had scored two game-tying goals which included contests against Post (Jan. 28) and Dartmouth College (Dec. 30). She also has potted a game-winning goal which was in a 2-1 victory over Lindenwood University (Dec. 2). Her four games against Saint Anselm saw Sonntag score one goal and also dish out an assist.

Continuing with the clutch theme, Whaley was Stonehill's final skater to score twice highlighted by her game-winning goal in double overtime Saturday. Whaley's game-winner is her third overall on the year with the previous two coming against RPI (Nov. 25) and Saint Michael's College (Oct. 14). Going back to last weekend, along with Saturday's score, Whaley's first goal in the series came Friday on a short-handed opportunity that sealed the 7-1 victory. The short-handed goal was the program's nation-leading, 10th shorthanded score which is ahead of No.3 nationally ranked, Minnesota. In Whaley's four games versus Saint Anselm, she scored once and dished out three assists. Her three assists all came in the squad's 8-3 win at the Hawks and marked a new career-high for the junior. 

In net for Stonehill, Hanna Zukow and Eve Stone each saw action and showed why the Skyhawks have some of the best depth at the position . Zukow grabbed the win on Friday as the sophomore kept Post in check as she made 23 saves and allowed just one goal. It marked her eighth time this year allowing just one or fewer goals. Despite Zukow not finishing the game Saturday, Stone came up clutch for the Skyhawks as the freshman made nine saves which included six in both overtimes. Zukow has gone against Saint Anselm in three of their four matchups this year and she made 88 saves (29.3 saves per game) whereas Stone has yet to play them. Overall on the year for Stone, she has made 248 saves in 671:56 of action and has a goals against average of 2.32. Her and Zukow are just one of two goaltender duos in the conference that have seen at least 500-minutes of action and have a goals against average of 2.50 or less. 

For Saint Anselm, they took their three-game NEWHA quarterfinals opener with Saint Michael's College to three games but ended up pulling out the series win with an overtime game-winner from Audrey Jackson with 2:02 left. The Hawks top goal-scorers, Natalie Tulchinsky and Tyra Turner each had goals against the Purple Knights which brought their totals to 19 and will be looked upon to lead their offense. In net, Allie Kelley started all three contests for Saint Anselm and finished with 69 saves which averaged to 23 per game and allowed an average of two goals throughout those three games. 

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.