{"id":103312,"date":"2020-01-23T16:58:04","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T22:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/?p=103312"},"modified":"2020-08-24T10:57:08","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T15:57:08","slug":"after-years-as-an-independent-sacred-heart-has-found-a-home-and-room-to-grow-in-newha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2020\/01\/23\/after-years-as-an-independent-sacred-heart-has-found-a-home-and-room-to-grow-in-newha\/","title":{"rendered":"After years as an Independent, Sacred Heart has found a home and room to grow in NEWHA"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Anna Klein and Jayne Lewis lead Sacred Heart in celebrating a goal against St. Michael’s. (Photo: Sacred Heart Athletics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The advent of the New England Women\u2019s Hockey Association (NEWHA) three years ago brought about an important change for Sacred Heart women\u2019s hockey. The Pioneers had been operating as an Independent since the 2003-04 season. Prior to that, they\u2019d been a part of the ECAC DIII conference. When the university moved it\u2019s programs from Division II to Division I, the women\u2019s hockey program found itself without a conference home and began to play as an Independant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The formation of NEWHA gave them a home and has helped O\u2019Malley and the Pioneers in numerous ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Being without a conference home is daunting in a number of ways, but the most immediate and obvious is with scheduling. Being a member of a conference ensures more than half your season schedule is already filled. But at Sacred Heart, coach Tom O\u2019Malley had the daunting task of filling out more than 20 weeks of games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully I knew enough coaches that were good enough to schedule games with us. Those coaches stepped up and helped us out. I was scheduling 34 games. My coaching colleagues really helped with that. That\u2019s why I try to help out new programs,\u201d he said. \u201cSince we moved to NEWHA, the scheduling is a lot easier. It\u2019s all worked out and I\u2019m really happy with where we are now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the rest of the Pioneer\u2019s schedule is filled in with Division I programs – so far this season Sacred Heart has played games against Quinnipiac, Mercyhurst, Maine and RIT. and O\u2019Malley admitted that right now, those games account for nearly all of his team\u2019s 10 losses, but he knows that playing those opponents will only help his program get better. And he said his players get motivated by seeing them on the schedule.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the kids see the schedule and it has (DI teams) on it, that totally gets them going. They say they\u2019d rather play in those games any day,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though the team didn\u2019t earn any points from those games this season, they gained confidence in seeing that they could play close with some of them. Being able to visit bigger programs and see their facilities inspires the Pioneers players to want to improve and grow their own program, he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we\u2019re going to take our lumps. But we\u2019re really happy and eager to play those teams. As we get better, hopefully we\u2019re going to be able to win some of those games,\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting beat? We\u2019re not happy about it, but we\u2019re happy that we\u2019re able to play these types of teams and it\u2019s only going to make us better. Aside from the scores, overall it\u2019s a huge positive being able to have those teams on our schedule.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pioneers are a speedy team that rely on strong goaltending from sophomore Frankie Sanchez to not only anchor the defense, but give all the players the confidence and freedom to play creatively and loose in the offensive end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a team that plays as one. It\u2019s not a bunch of individuals out there. We have a together team – that\u2019s what I call it, that we need to play a together game,\u201d said O\u2019Malley.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The current sophomore class has been particularly important for Sacred Heart since they arrived on campus last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKelly Solak and Anna Klein were both named to NEWHA teams in their freshman year. As good as they were last year, they\u2019re even better this year,\u201d said O\u2019Malley. \u201c(The Sophomores) have been a force since they arrived. I just see them continually getting better every day. They\u2019re exciting to watch. They\u2019re part of our future (and can help us) continually move up the ladder. \u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

O\u2019Malley is focused on doing well in conference, where the Pioneers are currently 9-2, and using the experience of playing tough non-conference opponents to help his players and the program continue to grow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In his 17th season at the helm for Sacred Heart and his 35th season in women\u2019s hockey, O\u2019Malley has seen a lot of change in the women\u2019s game. Some of it has happened quickly, but most of it has been a slow build as the game evolves. The Sacred Heart program is improving in much the same way. It won\u2019t happen overnight, but the building blocks are there and the team is taking all the right steps to achieve it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Much like the Sacred Heart campus continues to put up new buildings and draw in new prospective students, the women’s hockey team is drawing new recruits that will be able to take the Pioneers to new heights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting better and better players every year. The recruiting is very competitive. For every spot we have, there\u2019s a few kids looking at them. We\u2019re fortunate to bring in the players we have and we\u2019re looking to build upon that,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot here for our players to succeed. I want (our players) to have the greatest experience possible. We want to continually grow the program and win some more hockey games.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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