The Greenwich Academy, Sacred Heart Greenwich varsity ice hockey game at Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink recently was a matchup featuring momentum swings, lead changes, back-and-forth action and oh yes, plenty of goals.

The Gators enjoyed the advantage for the first 15-plus minutes of action, then the Tigers stormed back, scoring four goals in the second period, before eventually taking the lead early in the third period. Greenwich Academy regained the momentum in the third period with three straight goals, then held off Sacred Heart, which created the game’s final tally late in the final frame.

When it was over, a four-goal performance by sophomore Olivia Smith led Greenwich Academy to an exciting 7-6 victory over rival Sacred Heart in an FAA matchup on Feb. 18, 2026. For the season, the Gators are unbeaten in the FAA, sporting a record of 4-0-1. Greenwich Academy is seeded first in the FAA Hockey Tournament and will host Sacred Heart, which is seeded fourth, in the tourney’s semifinal-round Feb. 25th – at 3:30 p.m. at Chelsea Piers Connecticut in Stamford. It will mark the third time the rivals will play against each other this winter.

Sacred Heart, which trailed GA, 4-1, before taking a 5-4 lead, (1-3 in the FAA) received two goals from Lindsay Schwind.

“We didn’t play our best in the first period and we knew it, we were up 1-0 going into the second,” GA coach Erin Brawley said. “Then we were trying to reset and we did, which is good news, we ended up going up, 4-0, which was great. Then they kind of stormed back. We got ahead of ourselves and were not playing our game.”

We weren’t playing as a team and playing the way that we normally know how,” Brawley continued. “But credit to them, they came out firing. They wanted to beat us and they came out firing and scored four goals in the second period, which was great for them.”

After the Gators took a 1-0 following the first period, it went ahead, 4-0, before SHG knotted the score at 4-4. The Tigers took a 5-4 edge early in the third period.

“We are so proud of how resilient the girls were and the belief that they can win one shift at a time, chip away at it,” Sacred Heart co-coach Laurie Rousseau said. “The result proves how resilient this group is and how hard they want to play for each other. The energy, it was just awesome. They believe that they belong on that ice with the other team. GA is a great team.”

Smith gave the Gators a 1-0 lead, generating a goal off an assist from sophomore Lauren Connell with 12:23 remaining in the opening period. Indeed, it was a game to remember for Smith.

“It was a team effort and all the passes, all the hard work my teammates put in helped me score those goals,” Smith said. “My teammate, Lauren Connell, passed me the puck multiple times and I was just getting open and ripping the puck.”

Smith struck again on GA’s first shift of the second period. She tallied on a strong rush up the ice off assists from Connell and eighth-grader Brooke Hall, giving Greenwich Academy a 2-0 lead with 17:30 to go in the second period. Eighth-grader Serri Saypol scored, with assists going to junior Niamh Cooney and Smith with 14:24 left in the second period, then after winning the ensuing faceoff, GA tallied again, with Smith snapping the puck home nine seconds later, making it 4-0.

Then came Sacred Heart’s scoring spurt. Camilla Caffray got the Tigers on the scoreboard, creating a goal with 8:47 remaining in the second period off assists from Audrey Dyer and Caroline O’Neill. Just 1:18 later SHG scored again, then with 6:15 to go in the second stanza, Michaela O’Brien got the puck past GA goalie Marguerite Triggiani, cutting GA’s advantage to 4-3.

Sydney Bellissimo converted a shot from the slot, tying the score at 4-4 for the Tigers with 1:17 left in the second period, giving the hosts the momentum heading into the final period.

“Our top line is very strong, with Sydney Bellissimo, Schwind and O’Brien,” Rouseau noted. “Our goalie is doing a good job.”

Indeed, though there were 13 goals in the game, both goaltenders had their moments. Triggiani made some nifty saves in net, while Katie McQuillan was also stellar in between the pipes.

Sacred Heart’s first lead of this FAA matchup came when Schwind notched her second goal off a breakaway, putting the Tigers on top, 5-4, with 16:11 remaining in the third period.

After McQuillan made several saves to keep SHG ahead, GA regained the momentum later on in the final period. Freshman Molly Duval scored the equalizer for the Gators, tallying off a Smith assist at the 10:14 mark of the third period.

With a group of players crowded the net, GA scored off a scramble situation with 8:24 left to play, taking the lead for good at 6-5. Sophomore Maggie Lyden, who has produced a number of clutch goals throughout the season, earned the go-ahead goal.

“We have a lot of team chemistry and we need to have a lot of energy,” said GA senior Ella Loehnis, one of the team’s captains, who was active throughout in this rivalry game. “It went down a bit in the second period, we started playing at a level we’re not used to. That’s something we can work on going into the tournament.”

“We weren’t playing as a team and playing the way that we normally know how,” Brawley noted. “But credit to them (SHG), they came out firing. They wanted to beat us and they came out firing and scored four goals in the second period, which was great for them. 

“They took the lead on us, so we had to figure out how to grind it out,” Brawley continued. “We dug ourselves a hole and I told the girls they had to figure out how to dig themselves out. They did, credit to them.”

Lyden drove a shot inside the right post, giving GA a 7-5 edge with 4:38 to go. Schwind brought SHG to within 7-6 by scoring with 1:34 left in the game.

“We went into locker room had a little talk and hyped everybody up,” Loehnis said of GA’s effective third period play. “I’m excited, this was a good game for us to go into the tournament with a little bit of confidence, we beat them twice already. But this was a tougher game, hopefully, next week we come out a little bit stronger than we did today.”

Said Smith: “Even though we didn’t get the score we wanted we definitely worked hard and so did Sacred Heart. They were working their hardest and we needed to step it up and everyone did.”

Second-seeded Greenwich Country Day School plays third-seeded Rye Country Day School in the other FAA semifinal on Feb. 25th at Wings Arena.

“All the adversity that we faced, it was an opportunity for us to continue to grow,” Rousseau said. “We have great seniors on this group that have helped build the program to what it is.”

Said Brawley of the back-and-forth battle: “That’s hockey, you want to be in games like this. You want to be in games when they’re close. I expect more of the same.”

Here’s more pictures of the Greenwich Academy-Sacred Heart hockey showdown.

Greenwich Academy athletes react after scoring a goal against Sacred Heart Greenwich. GA won the game, 7-6.