Teams Face Off Again Wednesday (4:00 p.m.)

            GORHAM, Maine -- Senior Alanna Woodford (Scituate, Mass.) scored three goals as the Sacred Heart University Pioneers twice rallied from one-deficits to defeat the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 4-2, in a non-conference game Tuesday afternoon at the USM Ice Arena.

            The win was the second straight for the Division One independent Pioneers, and lifted their overall record to 5-6-0.  The Division Three Huskies dropped their fifth consecutive game to fall to 2-8-1 overall.

            Woodford twice tied the game after the Huskies had taken one-goal leads, and potted the insurance tally for her hat trick.  Junior Heather Daley (Brewster, N.Y.) scored what proved to be the game-winning goal early in the third period.

            Senior Talya Bent (Cranston, R.I.) and sophomore McKenna Russell (Stoughton, Mass.) scored for the Huskies.

            Daley snapped a 2-2 tie at 1:57 of the final period as the Huskies turned the puck over trying to come out of their own zone.  Daley was set up by juniors Hanna Skelley (Wolfeboro, N.H.) and Megan Ofner (Hamilton, N.J.) to beat USM rookie goaltender Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.) from 15 feet out in front.

            Woodford added the insurance marker less than three minutes later as she came out from behind the net to curl a backhander through a scramble in front of Davis for her ninth goal of the season.  Seniors Natasha Klinoff (Concord, Mass.) and Casey Stathopoulos (Waltham, Mass.) picked up the assists.

            Southern Maine took a 1-0 lead at 2:43 of the first period as Bent scored for the second straight game banking a shot in off the left post.  Freshman Emilee Burris (Brookfield, N.S.) and junior Chelsea Boucher (Gilford, N.H.) were credited with the assists.

            Woodford got the equalizer for the Pioneers at 6:55 as her 30-foot shot from the slot area eluded Davis.

            Russell gave the Huskies a 2-1 advantage 52 seconds into the second period as she collected an errant Pioneer pass and went in alone against junior goalie Amanda Fontaine (Northfield, Mass.).  Russell put her hard wrist shot into the roof of the goal for her second score of the season.

            Woodford again equalized for the Pioneers, this time at 16:23, with her top-shelf shot over Davis' catching hand from 10 feet out.

            Fontaine played a steady game in net for the Pioneers and finished with 23 saves, including nine in the final period.  Davis, making her first collegiate start, stopped 16 shots.

            The two teams will play the second half of their two-game series tomorrow afternoon (4:00 p.m.). 

-ble-