SHELTON, Conn. – Senior forwards Tristan Currie and Rylee Patfield each netted third-period goals for Post University Women's Ice Hockey as the Eagles overcame a two-goal deficit, before falling overtime on a breakaway goal from sophomore forward Ally Cohen with 3:54 in the extra session, 3-2, on Friday afternoon at the Sports Center of Connecticut. 

THE BASICS

Post University 2, Sacred Heart University 3 (OT)

Post University (9-19-1, 9-13-1 NEWHA)

Sacred Heart University (10-17-2, 9-12-2 NEWHA)

HOW IT HAPPENED
In a fairly even first period, all it would take was one turnover for the Pioneers to take the lead, as it was junior forward Bria Holm disrupting the Eagles in the defensive zone as the clock neared the 11-minute mark. Junior defenseman Marley Webster looked to break the puck out into the neutral zone, but her attempt was blocked by Holm in the corner.

The junior would find Heger streaking towards the net, hitting her with a pass for the one-timer over the shoulder of senior goalie Hannah Saunders to put the visitors on the board. Each side would have one power play attempt and was unable to cash in, as Post headed into the second trailing 1-0, as senior goalie Jillian Petruno made all nine saves.

Extending their lead almost immediately in the second, it was sophomore defenseman Julia Zielinska with the shot from the left point that caromed into the back of the goal at the 1:29 mark of the frame. It started with a scrum between the circles in which Holm came out with the puck, finding Heger behind her for the back tap to the sophomore. Zielinska's shot would redirect off a Post defender near the net and by the right side of Saunders, making it a two-goal game in the early going.

Two power plays for the Eagles during the rest of the session would yield no goals against Petruno despite a few chances on the doorstep. In all, Post manufactured 13 total shots, with eight of those being blocked, three being shot wide, and two reaching Petruno in goal. It highlighted a frame in which Post dominated on the offensive side of the ice by a 15-8 margin in shots on goal and in the faceoff dot, 15-5, with nothing to show for it heading into the third.
 
As the halfway point of the third period approached, it would be Patfield getting the Eagles on the board, cleaning up an initial shot to the left side of Petruno by senior forward Tymmarie Grom to cut the deficit in half, 2-1, with still about 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation. This would come just a few minutes after Post killed off a 5-on-3 advantage that the Pioneers had, not allowing any shots on goal against Saunders in the process.

While the Post power play was 0-for-3 up to the point of their first goal of the day, that would change as a penalty to Holm ended up being the catalyst for the game-tying goal by Currie, which again would be a clean-up job in front of Petruno. Off the initial shot from freshman forward Georgia Stevens, Currie would go to the backhand on the right side of the net and finish the job, tying the game at two all before it went on to overtime.

Only one shot would reach either Saunders or Petruno in goal during overtime, with it being the game-winning shot from Cohen. Petruno, who finished with 46 saves, including 22 in the third period, faced no shots in the 3-on-3 session, while Cohen's long breakaway shot off a stolen pass from senior defenseman Julianna Koman ended the Post comeback bid with a 3-2 overtime win for the Pioneers. The win for Sacred Heart snapped a three-game losing streak against the Eagles dating back to last season.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Jillian Petruno picked up her 10th win of the season in net for Sacred Heart University, finishing with 46 saves in the win for the Pioneers
• In all, six different Post University players finished with points in Tristan Currie and Rylee Patfield as the goal scorers, along with Maddy Noonan, Georgia Stevens, Tymmarie Grom, and Jodie Rose all picking up assists. 
• Both Campbell Heger and Bria Holm finished with multi-point games for Sacred Heart University, as Holm picked up two assists, while Heger had a goal and an assist
• The win for Sacred Heart University snaps a three-game losing streak against Post University dating back to last season, as the Eagles entered the game 4-1-1 in their last six matchups with the Pioneers

 
WHO'S NEXT
Post University closes out the regular season series against Sacred Heart University tomorrow night on the road at 7:00 PM.