Box Score HARTFORD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart men's hockey team scored a season-high seven goals Tuesday night in a 7-4 win over the UConn Huskies at XL Center.
Junior Justin Danforth tied a career-high with four points on two goals and two assists. Jeff Carroll also had two goals on the night, his first two of the season. Coltyn Hansen and Adam Durkee each had two assists. Durkee had his first career multi-point game with his first two career assists. Zach Luczyk also had two points on a goal and an assist. Brett Magnus made 21 saves in goal.
It only took 18 seconds for Sacred Heart (9-13-3) to take the lead. Evan Jasper buried a Justin Danforth feed past UConn goaltender Tanner Creel to make the score 1-0. Eleven seconds later, Zach Luczyk knocked in the rebound of his own shot to stake the Pioneers to a 2-0 lead 29 seconds into the game.
UConn (8-14-3) got on the board with 15:39 remaining in the first period when Max Letunov cut to the crease to score with an assist from Jesse Schwartz, making the score 2-1. Sacred Heart went back up by two goals, 3-1, with 11:10 to play in the opening period. Danforth scored shorthanded eight seconds into a Huskies power play, forcing a turnover in the neutral zone then scoring top shelf. UConn scored on the power play 22 seconds later as Letunov converted a point blank one-timer from Tage Thompson to make the score 3-2.
The Pioneers' defense was stifling in the second period, holding UConn to two shots in the first 11:39. However, the Huskies did tie the game 3-3 with 7:45 to play in the second when Spencer Naas deflected a Johnny Austin shot past Brett Magnus. The Pioneers responded with two goals in 1:01 to regain a two-goal advantage. Danforth put SHU up 4-3 with 5:33 left, scoring from the slot with an assist from Jordan Minello. Just over a minute later, Jeff Carroll scored his first goal of the season with a snipe that hit just under the crossbar and over the goal line to make the score 5-3.
Sacred Heart took a 6-3 lead 7:47 into the third period with a power play goal. Captain Mitch Nylen hammered the rebound of a Zach Luczyk shot into a wide open net for his third goal of the season. UConn got back within two with 9:53 to play on a Shawn Pauly goal, but that would be as close as the Huskies would get. Carroll netted his second goal of the game with 1:26 to go to seal the 7-4 win for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers outshot the Huskies 32-25 for the game. Sacred Heart was 1-for-3 on the power play as UConn went 1-for-6.
Sacred Heart goes on the road this weekend to face the Bentley Falcons. The series opens on Friday, January 29th at 7:05 at John A. Ryan Arena.
FIRST PERIOD
- Jasper's goal was his seventh of the season, a new single-season career high. Danforth and Connor Doherty assisted on the tally.
- Luczyk's goal was his seventh of the year as well, his third in four games. He now has a four-game point scoring streak for the second time this season. Alec Butcher had an assist on the goal, his team-leading 17th of the season.
- Magnus denied Spencer Naas of UConn's first goal with 17:46 remaining after the Pioneers turned the puck over in their own zone.
- Danforth's goal was his team-leading 14th of the season and his eighth goal in as many games. It was his third shorthanded goal of the year.
- Butcher hit the post on Sacred Heart's lone power play of the period with 4:19 remaining.
SECOND PERIOD
- Magnus made a save on a Jesse Schwartz shot on a two-on-one breakaway with 17:58 remaining.
- Magnus also made a save on a Naas deflection with 5:55 to go.
- Danforth's goal was his 15th of the season and his third point of the night.
- Carroll's goal was his first since Feb. 21, 2015 at Holy Cross, a span of 25 games. Freshman Adam Durkee recorded his first career point with the lone assist.
- SHU outshot UConn 11-5 in the period.
THIRD PERIOD
- Magnus made 10 of his 21 saves in the final period.
- Nylen's goal was his third of the season. Luczyk and Danforth had the assists. It was SHU's third power play goal in the last four games.
- Magnus made four saves on a UConn power play that came with 8:32 to play in the game.
- Carroll's empty net goal with 1:26 remaining gave him his first two-goal game since Jan. 17, 2014 at Air Force.
