NEWHA Roundup: Oct. 25-26, 2024

The close of October for NEWHA was relatively quiet, with only one conference game and four of the eight schools having a weekend off. But the teams that did have matchups had some interesting results. From historic wins, career firsts, and some program records, this week had it all. Let’s get into it. 

Series of the Week: Post splits weekend with Franklin Pierce Thanks to Career Firsts

Coming into the weekend, Post had beaten Franklin Pierce just twice since the teams first met in 2016, with the latest victory all the way back on Feb. 10th, 2023. 

Now, 20 months later, the Eagles have finally upped that number to three wins, thanks to a 3-2 OT victory on Saturday. 

They also kept things close in the first game of the weekend, which the Ravens took 3-2 themselves. All five goals in the contest came in the second period, with the first scored off the stick of Julia Wysocki after a forced turnover by the senior. Back-t0-back penalties against the Eagles allowed the Ravens to tie and take the lead in the game, with goals from Ashley Wright (who scored just as the advantage ended), and Jenna Sharland. 

Maddy Noonan scored her first goal of the season off a redirection in front of a shot from Brooke Larsen at the top of the zone. The goal tied the game at two just 12 seconds after the Ravens had taken the lead. However, with 21 seconds left in the second, sophomore Emma Laroche scored for FPI to retake the lead. The Ravens were then outshot 15-5 in the final period; however, they managed to weather the storm and prevail with the win thanks to their netminder Jill Hertl. 

Hertl was busy for the Ravens, stopping 38 of 40 shots over the course of 60 minutes. Her team was only able to muster 21 of their own; however, they did block 14 shots from the Eagles, led by Julia Stevens who had three. The win was the 200th in program history, and the 200th with head coach David Stockdale behind the bench in his 13th season.

Saturday was a closer offensive matchup between the two, with the Eagles narrowly edging the Ravens in shots 29-24. They were however able to kill off five FPI power plays, although one was just 23 seconds. This also doesn’t include the scuffle between Eagles Rylee Patfield and Wyscoki, and Raven Maggie Korneta, in which all three players ended up sitting after the 18:30 mark in the opening frame. 

Thirty one seconds into the game, Laroche notched her second of the weekend to put the Ravens up 1-0 after a give-and-go sequence from Mikayla Kelley and Bo Dean. Hertl, after having a busy first period in Friday’s contest, only faced six shots in the first period Saturday. 

Marley Webster tied things up for the Eagles with under seven minutes left in the second period after a high shot beat Hertl for the first goal of Webster’s career. Anna Caumo put FPI back in front with her first of the season after being fed by Korneta and Cortney Swenson. 

The Ravens were able to hold the lead until the last five minutes of regulation, when Noonan again found the back of Hertl’s net to knot the game at two. Then, in overtime, it was another career first that sealed the game for Post. Caryss Kehl playing in just her eighth game notched the overtime winner off a pass from forward Tristan Currie. Not only was it Kehl’s first career goal, it also awarded goaltender Hali Lawrence her first ever win in the NCAA. 

Overall it was a strong weekend for the Eagles, and a solid one for the Ravens as well. It was especially productive for Jill Hertl, who is on her way to being one of the top netminders in the conference once again. 

Weekly Awards:

Player of the Week: Emma Laroche, F, Franklin Pierce 

In the weekend split, Laroche was a key player offensively for the Ravens with goals in both games. This included the game-winner on Friday, and the opening goal Saturday. The sophomore is now second on the team in scoring, with four points in six games, and is tied for sixth in the conference. 

Defensive Player of the Week: Caryss Kehl, D, Post 

With the game winning tally in overtime on Saturday, Kehl scored the first NCAA goal of her young career. The defender went streaking in on net to convert on her chance, and lifted the Eagles to just their second win on the 2024-25 campaign. The freshman also had five shots across two games, including four on Saturday—a career high. 

Goaltender of the Week: Jill Hertl, Franklin Pierce

With 64 saves in total over the weekend, it was a fairly productive series for the junior against Post. Hertl made 38 in the Ravens 3-2 win Friday night, and helped her season save percentage, which currently sits at a .938 through the first few weeks. 

Rookie of the Week: Alexsa Caron, Stonehill 

While it was a weekend to forget on the score chart for the Skyhawks, Caron did everything she could to keep the team in it during their matchups against Ohio State and Penn State. Across 120 minutes, the netminder made 115 saves, including a new program record 61 in a single game on Friday.

Weekly Scoreboard: 

Friday: 

Conference: 

Franklin Pierce 3 at Post 2

Non-Conference: 

Robert Morris 6 at Saint Anselm 1 

Ohio State 11 vs. Stonehill 0 – Ice Breaker Tournament

Saturday: 

Conference: 

Post 3 at Franklin Pierce 2 – in OT

Non-Conference: 

Robert Morris 7 at Saint Anselm 1 

Penn State 11 vs. Stonehill 1 – Ice Breaker Tournament Consolation Game

What to Watch: LIU/Sacred Heart

Friday at LIU, 3 PM & Saturday at SHU, 2 PM 

I wrestled with this segment for a bit, considering the FPI/Saint Anselm series should also be great viewing for the weekend. However, I gave the tie to the reigning conference regular season champions and the current No. 1 in the standings this time around.

LIU has not gotten off to the start they’d hoped, with just two wins through their first six games. They already have seven points in NEWHA play, and sit in fourth. Sacred Heart on the other hand has nine, leading the league. One note is that both teams got a weekend off from games, and should be returning to the ice fresh. 

The concern for the Sharks is that their offensive numbers have not been great to start the season – they’re scoring just 1.5 goals per game on 31.2 shot attempts on average. While that’s thanks to the goaltending they’ve seen so far, their last time out they were able to only sneak one in past Assumption netminder Jadyn Weiser. If SHU goes with Carly Green (and I’d expect them to do so), it could be another similar experience for LIU with Greene playing as solidly as she has so far this season. 

The Pioneers are a different story, with 2.5 G/GM to start the season. They don’t muster as many shots on goal as the Sharks do, though they are limiting the amount of goals scored from their opponents on their attempts. One good note for either side is the power plays have been clicking to start the season, with a 21.1% conversion rate for SHU, and 20% for LIU. The edge on the defensive side of the advantage leans the Sharks way, however, as they’ve had more success killing off penalties than the team they’re facing this weekend. 

Prediction: I was completely off base with my Saint Anselm prediction last weekend, so this time around I’m gonna play it safe and say these two teams split. LIU will probably still struggle to find the back of the net, especially facing off against Greene or Jillian Petruno. However, I think they’ll also do a solid job of limiting the Pioneers on the score chart, which will help them to a win in some capacity. 

Full Upcoming Schedule:

All times in EST. Streaming details available here

Friday: 

Sacred Heart at LIU – 3 PM 

Stonehill at Saint Michael’s – 7 PM 

Franklin Pierce at Saint Anselm – 7 PM 

Assumption at Post – 7 PM 

Saturday:

LIU at Sacred Heart – 2 PM 

Stonehill at Saint Michael’s – 3 PM 

Post at Assumption – 5:40 PM 

Saint Anselm at Franklin Pierce – 7 PM