Without a home for much of its existence, the Sacred Heart women’s hockey team is settling into a new conference — and thriving.
Although they are still classified as a Division 1 independent team by NCAA standards, the Pioneers are settling into their second season as a member of the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance — and the expectations for them are high. Prior to the season, the Pioneers were ranked No. 1 in the NEWHA’s rankings, receiving three first-place votes and 15 points overall, edging the St. Anselm College Hawks (14 points).
“It definitely says a lot about what we’ve been able to do with our program and the respect other teams have for our program,” Pioneers head coach Tom O’Malley said. “We have a lot of respect for all of them, whether they’re at the top or building their way up. We’ve been where some of these schools have been and we appreciate it. It’s not something we dwell on. We’re thankful for the acknowledgement, but we’re going to keep working hard every day.”
For the Pioneers, the high rank should not come as a surprise, however. They enjoyed immense success last season, going 27-6-2 as they won the first NEWHA championship. The team averaged 4.5 goals per game and picked up wins against even a pair of non-conference Div. 1 opponents, Brown and Holy Cross.
While the Pioneers schedule is loaded with NEWHA opponents now, it does not mean they are done facing Div. 1 opponents from top-level conferences. Sacred Heart traveled to Orono to play Maine (Hockey East) for a pair of games Oct. 12-13 (and lost both of those games, 8-0) and will host Maine for a pair of games next season. The Pioneers also will face Quinnipiac, an ECAC Hockey team, on Jan. 18.
O’Malley said he sees the benefit of his team facing high-level competition both in and out of the conference.
“The teams in the NEWHA are very competitive,” he said. “We know each other’s threats and weaknesses. Against a team like Maine, though, you go in knowing they’re going to be very good and you have to play your best. But we’re a better team from playing those kinds of games and we’re thankful for the opportunity and look forward to playing them next year.”
The Pioneers joined the NEWHA for the 2017-18 season and were thrilled at the prospect of being a part of a conference. After all, they had been a Div. 1 independent since 2003.
“It’s nice to finally have a conference and to be able to put that league patch on your jersey,” O’Malley said. “It adds to the program and how the players feel it’s perceived. We have a trophy to play for at the end of the year, trophies and player of the week awards. It means a lot to be a part of the NEWHA.
“Beforehand, it was harder to schedule, for sure,” he added. “I’m very thankful for my coaching colleagues who were good to us and saved room for us on the schedule. That’s something we try to do to help others as well. We’re scheduling next year and the year after and sometimes, it’s tough to find the kind of teams you need, but people around here are good at helping each other out.”
The Pioneers appear to have a strong team again this season, and this time, their strength appears to be centered around defense and goaltending. The squad returned primary goaltender Sarah Erban (Attleboro, Mass.; 1.47 goals allowed per game last season) as well as a host of defenders who saw significant ice time, including Jayne Lewis (19 goals, 24 assists), Olivia Bryant (Lexington, Mass.; nine goals, 12 assists), Savannah Hersey (Warwick, R.I.; 11 points), Marissa Letizio (10 points) and Jordan Sanislo (six points).
In addition to Lewis, Maddie Bishop (Wethersfield, Conn.; eight goals, 21 assists) and Victoria Grimmer (Reading, Mass.; 10 goals, 10 assists) are among the returnees who will help propel the team on the offensive side of the puck.
Like last year, O’Malley also noted that what the team does off the ice should prove beneficial as well. Academically, Sacred Heart is a sound group that achieved a 3.6 team GPA during the spring semester.
“We have that same great chemistry again this year,” O’Malley said. “We have a very solid group of returning players and some freshmen who are seeing minutes and getting seasoned. The outlook is bright. We have a very good group of people in the room — and naturally, good hockey players as well.”
The NEWHA conference, although not officially recognized by the NCAA just yet, features four New England teams — Sacred Heart, St. Anselm’s, Franklin Pierce, St. Michael’s — and one New York team — Post University. The division will expand next season to feature another New York team — LIU Brooklyn. Generally, St. Anselm’s, Franklin Pierce, Post and St. Michael’s compete in Div. 2 athletics, while Sacred Heart and LIU Brooklyn are Div. 1. For women’s hockey, however, they are all classified as Div. 1 independent.
While the schools might not normally face each other in other sports, their goal is shared and clear: compete hard against one another in hopes of taking home a NEWHA title.
