FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team opened the season with a 5-2 loss at Sacred Heart University on Friday in Martire Family Arena. The New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) counterparts played an early-season non-league affair.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (0-1), Sacred Heart (1-0)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Mikaela Langbacka (Lorton, Va./Washington Pride), 2 goals
• First-year Alizée LeBlanc (Dieppe, New Brunswick/Ridley College), 1 assist, +1
• Senior Mary Leys (Newport, R.I./Saint George's School), 1 assist
• Sophomore Lauren Fisher (Rothesay, New Brunswick/Rothesay Netherwood School), 1 assist
• Sophomore Annika Lavender (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata), 24 saves
• Junior Gaby Tribelli (Montreal, Quebec/Dawson School), 3 blocks

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Kate Helgeson, 1 goal, 1 assist
• Sophomore Kailey Smith, 1 goal, 1 assist
• Graduate student Sophie Lupone, 1 goal
• Sophomore Jenna Nikles, 1 goal
• First-year Isabella Chaput, 1 goal
• Junior Carly Greene, 34 saves

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights outshot the Pioneers, 36-29.
• Langbacka turned in her first career multi-goal game.

THE ACTION

• Nikles put Sacred Heart on the board 4:13 into the contest with a wraparound goal during a power play, and Helgeson finished a 2-on-1 break with a nice move out front 4:03 later to make it 2-0.
• Langbacka picked the left corner over Greene's shoulder from the right circle with 18:07 gone in the opening period to halve the Purple Knight deficit. LeBlanc assisted.
• Langbacka pulled Saint Michael's even with a power-play strike 2:22 into the second period, pushing home a loose puck at the right post after Fisher jostled with Greene on Leys' shot from the left circle.
• The Pioneers went back in front with a pair of breakaway goals in the latter half of the frame. Smith finished a break from the Saint Michael's blue line at 10:16 before Lupone blocked a shot at her own blue line before finishing on Lavender with 49.9 seconds left.
• The Purple Knights held a 14-10 lead in third-period shots, but Greene denied every attempt sent her way, and Chaput iced the victory with an empty-net goal from neutral ice with 25 seconds to go.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Sunday at the University of New Hampshire, 2 p.m.