SHELTON, Conn. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team fell to Division I Sacred Heart University, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon at the Sports Center of Connecticut. The Purple Knights, whose last two decisions against the Pioneers had been ties, are 2-8, while Sacred Heart improves to 4-6.

Junior Amanda Kempainen (Chazy, N.Y./Chazy Flyers U19) turned in a goal and an assist for Saint Michael's, which had lasted played on Dec. 6, while senior Maire Bartkus (Acton, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) and first-year Katherine O'Brien (East Sandwich, Mass./Tilton School) also scored. O'Brien's was the first tally of her career. Sophomore Erin Dwyer (Weymouth, Mass./Charles River) contributed two assists and first-year Jillian Witwicki (Danvers, Mass./Pingree School) was 13-for-20 on face-offs with an assist. Sophomore Abby Burke (Bedford, Mass./The Rivers School) made 12 saves in 33:03 while relieving classmate Erica Ragazzo (Mansfield, Mass./Ursuline Academy), who stopped nine shots during her second career appearance.

Seniors Casey Stathopoulos (Waltham, Mass./New Hampshire) and Alanna Woodford (Scituate, Mass./Scituate) both had a goal and two assists for the hosts. Junior Heather Daley (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and first-year Taylor Moreland (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Milwaukee Jr. Admirals) posted a tally and a helper apiece, while senior Alex Davis (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) and junior Megan Ofner (Hamilton, N.Y./Princeton Day School) also scored. Junior Amanda Fontaine (Northfield, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) made 33 saves.

On the first shot of the game, O'Brien tallied for Saint Michael's after just 58 seconds. Witwicki and sophomore Carolyn Avery (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) assisted. Ragazzo stopped four straight shots shortly thereafter to keep her team ahead by one, but nearly midway through the period, Stathopoulos knotted the contest with 8:37 gone. Three consecutive Purple Knight shots were turned aside by Fontaine with fewer than 13 minutes to go, and Ofner put her team ahead at 18:50 immediately after Stathopoulos won a draw.

Fontaine stopped three potential game-tying bids during the opening five minutes of the second period before her squad scored twice in 1:08 to begin pulling away. Davis tallied at 5:17 before Moreland put the game's next shot into the back of the net to make it 4-1 6:25 into the stanza. Saint Michael's had an opportunity to add to its total during a power play near the middle of the period, but all three shots on goal were turned aside. Bartkus got her team back within two goals at 13:34 on a power-play marker, converting passes from Dwyer and Kempainen, and the visitors gained another extra-woman chance late in the period, but all six shots on goal were stopped.

Woodford extended the Pioneers' lead 3:06 into the third period before Daley tacked on another tally exactly one minute later during a power play. At 6:18, Kempainen created the final margin thanks to assists from Dwyer and senior Fernanda Saavedra (Miami, Fla./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite).

Saint Michael's hosts the 10th annual DoubleTree Ice Hockey Classic on Friday and Saturday, beginning with a 7 p.m. match-up on the opening night with Hamilton (N.Y.) College.