CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's ice hockey will return to play this Tuesday, beginning its second half schedule with a matchup against the Sacred Heart Pioneers at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center. The Crimson (2-12-1, 1-9-1 ECACH) will take on the Pioneers for the second time in series history and the first time at the Bright.
 

WHAT TO KNOW

• The Crimson will begin its 14-game second half schedule this Tuesday with a 6:00 PM battle against Sacred Heart.
• Harvard and SHU competed for the first time in women's hockey last season, an eventual 2-1 (OT) win for the Pioneers.
• Paige Lester tallied the lone Crimson goal in the contest. Lester is in line to make her season debut on Tuesday.
• After a slow start to the season, Harvard has earned two wins in its past six contests, including a 3-1 victory over Boston University and a 1-0 upset victory over St. Lawrence. Both victories took place on the Crimson's home ice.
• Sophomore forward, Gwyn Lapp, will look to stay hot and carry her run of success from the first half into the new semester when she takes the ice on Tuesday. Lapp was the leading goal scorer and point-getter for the Crimson in the first 15 games, scoring five goals and totaling eight points.
• Shannon Hollands and Gabi Davidson Adams are both tied for second on the Crimson scoring list with three goals each.
• Junior goaltender and captain, Alex Pellicci, has begun to string together some solid performance in the crease, leading the Crimson to its upset win over St. Lawrence by posting 52 saves in a shutout effort.
• Her 52-save shutout is the highest save total in a shutout effort in Harvard women's hockey history.
• First-year defender, Maria Pape, has emerged as one of the leaders on the blue line for Harvard this season. Pape has contributed two goals and is tied with fellow first-year Kaley MacDonald for the defender lead. Pape also leads the team with 35 blocked shots, a total that is also good for second in the ECAC and T-15 in the nation.
• Mia Biotti is second on the team with 32 blocked shots, a total that puts her at T-24 in the nation.

 

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

• Sacred Heart University (SHU) comes into the matchup with an 8-13-0 mark and a 7-7 record in NEWHA play. The Pioneers score just under two goals per game and allow an average of 3.24 goals per game to opponents.
• The key for the Pioneers this season is getting on the board early as the team holds a 6-3 record when scoring first as opposed to a 2-10 mark when its opponents strike first.
• Sydney Antonakis leads the group in scoring with seven goals and 14 points thus far in 2023-24.

 

UP NEXT

Harvard will have the weekend off to rest and prepare for a return to ECAC play next weekend with a series against Quinnipiac and Princeton. The two conference games are slated for Friday, January 12 at 6:00 PM against the Bobcats and Saturday, January 13 against the Tigers. Both matches with take place at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center and will stream live on ESPN+.