2008 Woodie Awards
Women's ice heats up at right time
Brad Holland, Kayla O'Brien & Sarah Decker
Issue date: 2/2/06 Section: Sports
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On the weekend series, the Pioneers scored fifteen goals and gave up none.
Their wins set up a highly anticipated battle versus St. Anselm on Tuesday. At press time, that game had not been completed.
Sacred Heart defeated St. Anselm by a score of 4-2 in their first meeting of the season. One of these teams likely carry the number one seed going into the league tournament.
The women's ice hockey team is picking a valuable time of year for heating up.
Recent wins over URI were the Pioneers' sixth and seventh in a row. Barring the outcome of Tuesday's St. Anselm matchup, the Pioneers' last loss was Boston, versus Boston University Dec 4.
Arnone (Bridgewater, NJ) credits her team's ability to hold a lead as a big part of their success.
"When we do have the lead we make sure that we keep on top of our game and not fall short in any way," Arnone said. "It is important to remember that we still have to play our game to the best of our abilities and not to create any bad habits."
Arnone's six points versus URI, barring Tuesday's totals, has given her a team-leading 34. She is among the top six scorers in the nation, and leads the entire women's college hockey ranks by averaging two points in each of her 17 games this season.
Going into the weekend series versus RPI, however, she believes that the most important battles will all be played in the defensive end of the ice.
"I've always been taught that defense wins games," she said. "When you play at the level that we play at now, that statement is one hundred percent true. If we don't play well in front of Boulay, we don't win any games. We are lucky enough to have a solid goaltender in net at all times."
Sarah Hickman, a sophomore from Amherst, Mass., also sees the defensive end of the ice as a key to success for the rest of the season. Hickman had two goals and two assists in the URI series. As a forward, she is counted on to produce points, but, like Arnone, understands the importance of the defensive zone.