Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey
| Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
| Current season | |
| University | Sacred Heart University |
| Conference | NEWHA |
| Head coach | Thomas O'Malley 23rd season |
| Assistant coaches |
|
| Arena | Martire Family Arena Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Colors | Red and white[1] |
| NCAA tournament appearances | |
| 2025 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| 2018, 2025 | |
| Conference regular season champions | |
| 2020 | |
The Sacred Heart Pioneers women's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Sacred Heart University. The Pioneers, members of New England Women's Hockey Alliance (a founding member since 2018) play at the Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Connecticut.[2] The team began play in 1996.[3] They reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever in 2025.[4][5]
History
Season-by-season results
| Won Championship | Lost Championship | Conference Champions | League Leader |
| Year | Coach | W | L | T | Finish | Conference Tournament | NCAA Tournament |
| 2025-26 | Tom O'Malley | 13 | 19 | 2 | 6th, NEWHA | Lost First Round vs Saint Anselm (1-3, 2-3) | |
| 2024-25 | Tom O'Malley | 21 | 15 | 3 | 2nd, NEWHA | Won First Round vs. Assumption (3–0, 3-2) Won Second Round vs. Saint Anselm (2-0) (2–0) Won Championship Round vs. Long Island (4-2) (2–0) |
Lost First Round vs. Minnesota Duluth (1–6) |
| 2023-24 | Tom O'Malley | 15 | 21 | 2 | 4th, NEWHA | Lost First Round vs. Franklin Pierce (1-3, 0-2) | |
| 2022-23 | Tom O'Malley | 16 | 18 | 3 | 5th, NEWHA | Lost First Round vs. Franklin Pierce (2-1, 1-2 (OT), 0-4) | |
| 2021-22 | Tom O'Malley | 16 | 15 | 2 | 4th, NEWHA | Won First Round vs. Post (5-2) Lost Second Round vs. Franklin Pierce (0-2) |
Team Captains
- 2024-25: Sydney Antonakis C, Paige McNeil C, Kate Helgeson A, Jillian Petruno A [7]
- 2025-26: Olivia Laroche C, Jillian Petruno C, Sami Bowlby A, Izzy Chaput A [8]
Pioneers in Pro Hockey
| Player | Team | League | Season(s) | Title(s) |
| Jayne Lewis [9] | Metropolitan Riveters | PHF | Two | None |
| Amie Varano | EV Bozen Eagles Malmo Redhawks |
EWHL Sweden |
2021-23 2023-present |
Olympians
Awards and Honors
NEWHA Honors
- Jayne Lewis, 2020 NEWHA Player of the Year
- Anna Klein, 2022 NEWHA Player of the Year [11]
- Kelly Solak, 2022 NEWHA Defender of the Year [11]
NEWHA Weekly Awards
Goalie of the Week
- Jillian Petruno, NEWHA Goaltender of the Week (awarded February 17, 2026)[12]
- Jillian Petruno, NEWHA Goaltender of the Week (awarded February 10, 2026)[13]
Rookie of the Week
- Hailey Jussila, NEWHA Goaltender of the Week (awarded February 3, 2026)[14]
NEWHA All-Stars
- Kelly Solak, 2023 NEWHA Second Team All-Star [15]
- Delani McKay, 2023 NEWHA Second Team All-Star
- Jillian Petruno, 2024 NEWHA Second Team All-Star [16]
- Isabella Chaput, 2025 NEWHA Second Team All-Star[17]
All-Rookie
All-Sportswomanship
- Natalie Kennedy, 2023 NEWHA All-Sportswomanship Team [15]
- Samantha Ostrowski, 2024 NEWHA All-Sportswomanship Team[16]
- Kerryn O'Connell, 2025 NEWHA All-Sportswomanship Team[17]
- Ella Dahl, 2026 NEWHA All-Sportswomanship Team[18]
NEWHA Postseason
- Sarah Erban, 2018 NEWHA Tournament - Most Outstanding Player [19]
- Olivia Bryant, 2018 NEWHA All-Tournament Team
- Jayne Lewis, 2018 NEWHA All-Tournament Team
- Taylor Moreland, 2018 NEWHA All-Tournament Team
- Carly Greene, 2025 NEWHA Tournament - Most Outstanding Player [20]
- Isabella Chaput, 2025 NEWHA All-Tournament Team [20]
- Grayson Limke, 2025 NEWHA All-Tournament Team [20]
- Savannah Popick, 2025 NEWHA All-Tournament Team [20]
References
- ^ SHU Pioneers Official Logo Art. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "Martire Family Arena | Sacred Heart University". www.sacredheart.edu. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ^ "WIH All Times 1996 2022 Coaches (PDF) - Sacred Heart University" (PDF). sacredheartpioneers.com. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ^ "Sacred Heart women's hockey earns NCAA Tournament bid, will face Minn.-Duluth – Hartford Courant". Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ^ https://www.newhaonline.com/sports/wice/2024-25/releases/20250308zwizla
- ^ "Statistics". USCHO.com.
- ^ McClarren, Cameron (June 13, 2024). "Women's Hockey Announces 2024-25 Captains". Sacred Heart Pioneers. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ Bennett, Tim (April 21, 2025). "Petrino, Laroche to captain 2025-26 Pioneers". Sacred Heart Pioneers. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ Murphy, Mike (June 5, 2020). "Why the Riveters need another scoring threat". The Ice Garden. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ "Amie VARANO". Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ a b "2022-23 NEWHA Preseason Coaches Poll Announced". NEWHA. September 21, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ Verrillo, Joe (February 17, 2025). "Petruno takes home NEWHA Goaltender of the Week Award". Sacred Heart Pioneers. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ Verrillo, Joe (February 10, 2025). "Petruno takes home NEWHA Goaltender of the Week". Sacred Heart Pioneers. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ Verrillo, Joe (February 3, 2025). "Jussila takes home Rookie of the Week". Sacred Heart Pioneers. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ a b "NEWHA releases major end of season awards, All-League teams". NEWHA Online. February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ a b c "NEWHA releases major end of season awards, All-League teams". NEWHA Online. February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
- ^ a b c "NEWHA releases 2024-25 major end of season awards, All-League teams". NEWHA Online. February 27, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ "NEWHA Releases 2025-26 Major Awards, All League Teams". newhaonline.com. March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ "2018 NEWHA Tournament". NEWHA Online. February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ a b c d "2025 NEWHA Tournament". NEWHA Online. March 8, 2025. Retrieved February 21, 2026.