NEWHA Roundup: Nov. 22 - Dec. 1, 2024

Welcome back to the NEWHA roundup! Since we missed out on last week's installment, I’ve got a combined recap from the last two weekends of play to make up for it instead. Post and LIU had an exciting weekend of play, and Sacred Heart has continued to show up and show out over the last fortnight. Shall we take a look? 

Series Rewind: Post steals some points against LIU, but Sharks come out on top 

If there’s one thing about Post this season, it's that they’re definitely giving some of the other teams in the conference trouble. While their record of 3-8-2 in NEWHA play doesn’t look great, of those eight losses, five of them were by just one goal. 

The most recent of these close losses and ties came against LIU on Nov. 22nd and 23rd, in which they secured three points in a 3-2 overtime loss and a 2-2 tie in those contests. 

It definitely wasn’t the best performance for Post however. On Friday, the Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the five minute mark in the second period. They kept pace with the Sharks in the shot count in the first two periods as well, and had a 2-1 lead going into the final period of regulation. 

Except, the goal they’d given up in the second came just seven seconds into an LIU power play. And the game-tying goal was scored 16 seconds into another advantage for the Sharks in the third – not great. 

Following the second LIU goal, which came off the stick of Jeannie Wallner at the 13:31 mark in the third, it was all Sharks. Post was unable to get another shot on goal for the remainder of the period, and the one shot they did generate was blocked in front by Sharks sophomore defender Ella Knewtson. 

In overtime, it took 3:48 for Anna Fairman to find the back of the net and complete the comeback for LIU. It was Fairman’s first of the season, and her first goal in over a year. 

Saturday was more back and forth, with two sides trading goals between them. Celena Mickevicius notched her second of the season to open the scoring with 10:55 to play in the first period. LIU junior forward Ryane Kearns added her first of the season to tie things up in the second off of a pass from Kristen Kiggen. Noa Farberman restored the lead for Post, before Knewtson added a goal to her productive weekend with the tying tally under three minutes later. 

In the shootout, it was standout defender Bri Eid who secured the extra point for LIU as she beat Hannah Saunders on the penalty shot. Saunders, to her credit, had an outstanding weekend with 68 saves across the two games. Abbie Thompson and Clara Kammholz split the time on the opposite side, and also performed well in their respective starts.

Weekly Awards: 

Nov. 22nd - 25th:

Player of the Week: Jenna Chaplain, F, Assumption – Sophomore 

In the two game set against Saint Michael’s, the sophomore Chaplain won a staggering 73.3% of her faceoff draws. Outside of the performance in the circle, the forward added three points including the opening goal in Friday’s overtime victory. Her other two points, both assists, brought her to six total points on the season – the third highest mark on the Greyhounds. 

Defensive Player of the Week: Savannah Popick, D, Sacred Heart – Senior 

In the series against Franklin Pierce, Popick had two goals, including the first goal of the 3-1 win on the 22nd. She extended her career-high point streak to five games with another goal the following day, her third of the season. The shot blocking machine continued her production in front of the puck with two blocks on Friday as well. 

Goaltender of the Week: Lauren Larson, G, Sacred Heart – Sophomore 

SHU has seen a lot of great goaltending so far this season, and that continued with Larson’s performance against the Ravens in both starts on the weekend. The sophomore made 48 total saves, allowing just one goal in the two appearances. In her second NCAA start, the netminder made 27 saves en route to the shutout – the first of her career and the seventh team shutout for the Pioneers in 2024-25. 

Rookie of the Week: Rowyn Ringor, F, Post – Freshman

In the aforementioned productive weekend against LIU, Ringor was critical for the Eagles. The forward posted a goal and three assists in two games, including the second goal for Post in the game on Friday. By the end of the weekend, the freshman was up to 10 points in (at the time) 16 games played, and she leads the team in shots on goal with 51. 

Nov. 26th - Dec. 3rd: 

Player of the Week: Kate Helgeson, F, Sacred Heart – Senior

Another week another set of SHU honorees, and it starts with Helgeson, who is now tied for third in scoring on the Pioneers after a two goal weekend at the Nutmeg Classic. The junior had the lone goal in SHU’s loss to Quinnipiac on Saturday, and opened the scoring with her second of the weekend against UConn on Sunday. The forward is up to five goals on the season, second on the team. 

Defensive Player of the Week: Kailey Smith, D, Sacred Heart – Junior

In the two-game Classic, Smith had six blocks across the set, and added an assist on the lone SHU goal Saturday against Quinnipiac. The junior now has 23 blocked shots on the season, tied for third best on the Pioneers overall. She is also now a +7 across 17 games played, which is tied for the best mark on SHU alongside Bria Holm. 

Goaltender of the Week: Lauren Larson, G, Sacred Heart – Sophomore 

Back-to-back weeks featuring Larson, and for good reason. The sophomore, after a productive series against Franklin Pierce, followed it up with a 41 save performance against Quinnipiac, and a 29 save outing against UConn. Larson, as SHU’s third-string goaltender, has been performing arguably above expectations. The strength in the position for the Pioneers has been a key element to their success so far in the 2024-25 campaign, and if Larson’s play is any indication that seems poised to continue.

Rookie of the Week: Bo Dean, F, Franklin Pierce – Freshman

In Franklin Pierce’s game against Post on Nov. 29th, Dean was critical. The forward had two goals for FPI, and is now up to five total goals on the season – third most on the team. Dean was also a +3 in the game, and helped snap the Ravens four game losing streak. 

Complete Scoreboard: 

Non-Conference Matchups are Bolded

Friday, Nov. 22nd: 

Sacred Heart 3 vs. Franklin Pierce 1

LIU 3 vs. Post 2 – OT 

Saint Anselm 5 at Stonehill 2 

Assumption 5 at Saint Michael’s 4 – OT 

Saturday, Nov. 23rd: 

Saint Anselm 1 vs Stonehill 1 – Saint Anselm won SO 2-0

Sacred Heart 4 vs. Franklin Pierce 0 

LIU 2 at Post 2 – LIU won SO 1-0

Assumption 3 at Saint Michael’s 1 

Tuesday, Nov. 26th: 

Franklin Pierce 5 vs. Post 2 

Friday, Nov. 29th: 

Quinnipiac (ECAC) 8 vs. Sacred Heart 1 – Nutmeg Classic

Princeton (ECAC) 5 at Stonehill 0

Saturday, Nov. 30th:

Holy Cross (HEA) 6 at Assumption 0

Princeton 12 at Stonehill 1 

UConn (HEA) 4 at Sacred Heart 2 – Nutmeg Classic

Sunday, Dec. 1st: 

RPI (ECAC) 6 vs. Assumption 0

Tuesday, Dec. 3rd: 

Quinnipiac 2 vs. Sacred Heart 1

Wednesday Dec. 4th:

LIU 4 vs. Saint Anselm 3 – OT

What to Watch: Stonehill/Assumption

Friday at Stonehill, 6 PM, Saturday at Assumption, 7:10 PM 

In conference play this season, Stonehill and Assumption have identical records of 5-6-1, although the Greyhounds have the narrow edge in points 18 to the Skyhawks 16. Both teams have also had similar struggles in the last few weeks, with rough out of conference performances just last weekend. 

However, in regards to the games this weekend, this series will probably be the most evenly matched of the entire conference slate. Not to say the other games won’t be interesting, but the matchup between these teams is just a slight step ahead. 

Offensively the teams are nearly even. Assumption averages 1.5 goals per game, while Stonehill is at 1.4 themselves. The major difference is the goals against, where Assumption’s 3.0 is nearly a full point better than Stonehill’s 3.9.  

But then we come to the power play – and yes, I do feel like a broken record talking about special teams this season. But here, there is a staggering difference between the Skyhawks’ 22.5% conversion rate and Assumption’s worst-in-the-NCAA 6.1%. 

Yes, you read that right. The Greyhounds, on 49 chances on the advantage, have scored just three times. 

Two of those goals have come in their last five games however, with the most recent being against Saint Michael’s on Nov. 23rd. It was also the second most-recent goal Assumption has scored, as they were shutout in their contests against Holy Cross and RPI over Thanksgiving weekend. 

A season ago, this would be Stonehill’s series to lose. This year, in their last seven outings they have just one win, and are 1-5-1 over that stretch with losses to Post, Saint Anselm, and most recently Princeton. Assumption could sneak a win out here or maybe even two and I wouldn’t be completely surprised. 

It’s going to be a tough weekend for Stonehill, especially considering how solid Jadyn Weiser has been in net for Assumption. Against a team already struggling with scoring, it could spell disaster. However, netminder Alexsa Caron has also been solid all season for the Skyhawks. Plan on seeing a great goaltending matchup between these two squads in their series with the young netminders in the spotlight. 

Prediction: A weekend split seems like the easy answer here, although I think Assumption has a bit more momentum on their side regardless of their performance last weekend. The low offense for both sides is the biggest draw back here. I could see a win on the road for both teams, but it’ll be a low scoring affair overall. 

Upcoming Schedule: 

All times in EST, full streaming details available here

Thursday, Dec. 5th: 

Saint Anselm at LIU – 1:30 PM 

Friday Dec. 6th: 

Sacred Heart at Post – 1 PM 

Saint Michael’s at Franklin Pierce – 2 PM 

Assumption at Stonehill – 6 PM 

Saturday Dec. 7th: 

Saint Michael’s at Franklin Pierce – 1 PM 

Post at Sacred Heart – 7 PM 

Stonehill at Assumption – 7:10 PM 

Tuesday, Dec. 10th: 

LIU at Princeton (ECAC) – 3 PM