Pioneers skate past Salve Regina, 4-3

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Four different Pioneers scored and Lauren Fontaine (Windsor, Ontario) added two assists, as the Sacred Heart women's hockey team beat the Salve Regina Seahawks 4-3 Tuesday afternoon at the Wonderland of Ice.

The Pioneers opened the scoring 1:38 into the first on a goal by Sara Hanna (Lino Lakes, Minn.) off a scrum in front of the net. Brittany Hartman (Prior Lake, Minn.) and Jackie Galvin (Canton, Mass.) earned the assists on Hanna's fourth of the season. SHU made it 2-0 on a two-man advantage goal by Caitlin Gottwald (Reading, Mass.). Her wrist-shot from the point, set up by Fontaine, went through a screen for her third of the year.

Kendra Andrie (Muskegon, Mich.) put Salve Regina on the board with a power play goal at 10:40 of the second. Rachel Porter (Franklin, Mass.) and Kristen Cokley (Cambridge, Mass.) stretched the SHU penalty killing unit with cross-ice passes, setting up Andrie for a left-wing wrist shot that clanged off the far post and in.

Both teams traded two goals in the third, beginning with Megan Murphy's wrist shot from the slot at 7:22. Nicole Palazzo (Rocky Hill, Conn.) pressured a loose puck sent to the far boards by Fontaine to set up Murphy's fourth of the year. Natalia Madryga got Salve Regina within one once again, poking in a loose puck at the goal mouth at 9:49. However, Kristina Hankins (Lexington, Mass.) made it a two-goal lead for SHU again, knocking in a blocked shot from Jennifer Burrhoughs (Raleigh, N.C.) at 17:54. Jaime Mey (Middletown, R.I.) made the initial pass to the high slot to set up Burroughs' shot. That goal proved to be the game-winner because Rachael Porter scored for the Seahawks on a wrist-shot under the cross bar with 59 seconds left and the goalie pulled to make it a one-goal game.

Alexius Schutt (Elk River, Minn.) made 31 saves, including a number stops on point-blank shots down the stretch. The Seahawks outshot the Pioneers 34-29, including 16-5 in the final period.

The start of the game was moved up from 7:00 pm to 1:00 pm due to the impending snow storm expected to hit the northeast Tuesday evening.

Sacred Heart returns to action Friday, January 14 at 7:00 pm when they host Cortland State at the Wonderland of Ice.

(Courtesy of Sacred Heart sports information)