The women’s ice hockey team skated their way untouched through the New England Women’s Hockey Association (NEWHA) to claim their rings and punch their ticket to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament.
Source: Jack Cavicchi, Assistant Photo Editor and Web Manager
“This was a special group we had, and if we were going to accomplish this, it was going to be with this team,” said fifth-year captain Paige McNeil.
The Pioneers ended their regular season with a 17-14-3 record. This included up and down games throughout the season, like their 1-1 record against in-state rivals Post University. However, the Pioneers were able to push past this and set themselves in a great position for the postseason.
The women claimed the No. 3 seed in the NEWHA tournament. This set up a battle with No. 6 seed Assumption University, whom they had swept in the regular season matchups.
“We knew going into Assumption that after the last regular season weekend we needed to be on top of everything and play the game we know how to,” said McNeil.
The Pioneers won the playoff opener against Assumption on home ice, courtesy of first-year student Brianna Morden netting the only goal of the game and senior goalie Carly Greene getting a shutout with 37 saves.
“Going into Saturday, we came out firing on all cylinders and closed that weekend out, which is what we really needed, and it brought a lot of momentum for us,” said McNeil.
Following their sweep, the Pios rolled on to face Saint Anselm College in a win or go home matchup, where they dominated the game from start to finish, resulting in a 6-2 win. This scoring outburst bolstered the Pioneers’ confidence heading into the finals against number one seed Long Island University (LIU).
“We know we are the best team in this conference, and we know what we can do. We know how special we are on and off the ice,” said senior Savannah Popick. “We wanted to get what we, at the end of the day, earned and deserved.”
It was the LIU Sharks that struck first, however, but the Pioneers answered back in less than 20 seconds with a goal of their own by McNeil. They continued the pressure and scored two more unanswered goals. LIU scored once more to bring the game to a one-goal difference, but the two-goal lead was restored after Popick assisted first year student Ella Holm for the final goal of the game.
“We weren’t nervous and we had all the confidence in the world in each other. We knew going into this game, it was ours. Going down was tough, but we worked all season on responding,” said Popick.
The 4-2 win secured Sacred Heart as the NEWHA Tournament Champions. Four Pioneers were named all-tournament, including senior Carly Greene, who won Most Valuable Player for the tournament. Alongside her, Popick, sophomore Grayson Limke and sophomore Isabella Chatput were recognized for their efforts on the ice.
“This is a special group of players who have worked very hard this season to get where they are,” said Head Coach Thomas O’Malley.
With the NEWHA Tournament won, the Pioneers clinched their first-ever appearance into the NCAA tournament as an automatic bid.
Their memorable season came to a close on Thursday, March 13 as the Pioneers faced off against the University of Minnesota Duluth, the No. 6 seed. SHU fell short in the second period letting up three goals and ended the game and season with a 6-1 loss.
Sacred Heart Athletics contributed to this article.
