MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's ice hockey team dropped its New England Women's Hockey Alliance opener to Sacred Heart University by a 6-3 score on Friday.

The Hawks drop to 0-6-0 overall and 0-1-0 in NEWHA play while the Pioneers improve to 3-3-0 on the season and 3-1-0 in league tilts. The teams will conclude their two-game series on Saturday, Oct. 15 with a 3 p.m. opening puck drop from Sullivan Arena.

Junior Celesta Paolucci (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) and freshman Brooklyn Pancoast (Helena, Mont.) netted their first collegiate goals in the contest while sophomore Audrey Jackson (Shoreview, Minn.) scored her first of the season for the Hawks.

Pancoast opened the scoring at 17:40 of the first period when she managed to sneak a carom off the end board by the Pioneers net minder, Carly Greene. Junior Savannah Popick (South Windsor, Conn.) kept the puck in the attacking end and found Jackson for a one-timer from the top of the slot to set up Pancoast on the doorstep.

Iyla Ryskamp found the back of the goal twice in the opening 5:22 of the second period. Ryskamp managed to clean up a rebound chance in front of senior goaltender Allie Kelley (East Berne, N.Y.) at 2:22 before cashing in on a turnover in the Hawks end at 5:22 to give Sacred Heart a 2-1 lead.

The Pioneers added another power play tally as Nicole Guidi fired a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and into the back of the goal at 12:08, extending the lead to 3-1.

Paolucci cut the deficit to one just 23 seconds later as she buried a rebound on a point shot by senior Kenadie Cooper (San Tan Valley, Ariz.), pushing the score to 3-2.

However, a strong individual play by Cassandra Nevers reestablished the two goal edge for Sacred Heart at 12:52 of the second period. Nevers managed to win a one-on-one battle in the Saint Anselm defensive end to get a chance for the tally.

Delani MacKay extended the Sacred Heart lead to 5-2 at 14:09 of the third period with a third power play goal, redirecting a pass from the corner from Katie Keenan.

Saint Anselm would snap the Pioneers goal streak as sophomore Tyra Turner (Andover, Minn.) forced a defensive zone turnover and drove into the attacking end with Jackson. Turner slid a pass across the slot in a two-on-one and Jackson managed to cap the play with her first tally of the season.

With time winding down, Saint Anselm was forced to pull Kelley and opt for the extra skater but Kelly Solak cashed in with the empty net at 19:33 to give Sacred Heart the 6-3 win.

The Pioneers netted three power play goals in six chances while the Hawks were scoreless in their three with the extra skater. Saint Anselm put 38 shots on goal compared to 30 for Sacred Heart.

Kelley stopped 24 shots on goal for the Hawks while Greene turned aside 35 of 38.