FAIRFIELD, Conn. (October 28, 2023) – On a night when Sacred Heart men's ice hockey really needed to defend its home ice, the Pios found a way to get the job done on Saturday night at Martire Family Arena. SHU was outshot, 38-15, and the margin was even more lopsided in attempted shots (71-27). Unlike Friday night though, when the Pioneers let three one-goal leads slip away, this time they made one stick. T.J. Walsh's (Shrewsbury, Mass.) second-period power-play tally stood up as the game-winner and a pair of empty-net tallies late in the third sealed the deal, as SHU nailed down a 4-1 victory over Niagara.
 
In the end, it was a four-point weekend in Atlantic Hockey for SHU (2-4-0, 2-2-0 AHA), which has opened its season with splits against the league's preseason favorites (RIT) and the team which eliminated the Pios a year ago (Niagara). For all its hooting, hollering and celebrating after Friday night's come-from-behind, overtime win, Niagara (1-3-1, 1-1-1 AHA) still left Fairfield with just two points to show for the trip.
 
"We killed off all our penalties and got a huge power-play goal when we needed it," said head coach C.J. Marottolo after the game. "All around, a really, really big three points for our guys, and I'm really proud of their effort."
 
SHU was outshot 11-6 in the first frame, but also found the period's only goal, at the 13:23 mark. Braeden Tuck (Calgary, Alberta) and Andrius Kulbis-Marino (Methuen, Mass.) forced a turnover at their own blue line and the former wound up generating a 2-on-0 into the offensive end with John Jaworski (Grinnell, Iowa). Tuck was robbed of a one-time finish at the right post, thanks to a flash of the left pad from Ryan Ouellette, but the Pios had the trailer on the play too. Jake Bongo (Ridgefield, Conn.) followed up and hammered home the rebound for his first collegiate goal.
 
Niagara tried to turn the tide in the second period, as the Purple Eagles chalked up an 11-4 margin in shots, but came away with just one goal for their troubles. Lars Rodne leveled the score at 1-1 at 13:34, after a long outlet pass from Josef Mysak keyed a rush down the right wing. Jay Ahearn fed into the slot for Rodne, who beat Chase Clark (Williamsville, N.Y.) through the five-hole for his second goal of the campaign.
 
It was the only time Clark (2-4-0) would be beaten. He stopped the other 10 shots of the second period and, in all, would stop the final 20 shots he faced after the Rodne goal. Clark finished with 37 saves against 38 shots on the night, which was his fourth 30-save outing in six games to start the season. He had some help from the defense in front of him too, as the SHU defense blocked 19 shots, led by four apiece from Kulbis-Marino, Dante Fantauzzi (North York, Ontario) and Hunter Sansbury (Lomita, Calif.). It was the most blocked shots for the Pios in a regular-season Atlantic Hockey contest since Jan. 19, 2018 at Air Force, when they also blocked 19 shots.
 
"Really proud of our guys tonight; it was a complete team effort from the net out," said Marottolo. "Any time you block 19 shots in a game it tells a story that there is a price to pay, and our guys certainly paid the price."
 
The defensive efforts allowed SHU to hang in the game until Walsh gave them the lead for good with a power-play tally at 19:05 of the second. Tuck won a board battle in the right-wing corner to Walsh, who shipped the puck up to the right point for Mikey Adamson (Quincy, Mass.). Adamson traveled to the middle of the blue line and then fed back to Walsh in the right circle. Walsh fired through traffic from there to notch his second goal of the weekend and fourth in six games as a Pio.
 
The SHU defense would get back to work in the third period, as Clark stopped all 16 shots on his goal and the defense collected seven blocks while protecting the one-goal lead. A pair of empty-net goals sealed the deal, as Liam Izyk (Blackie, Alberta) had a strong individual effort for his first in a Sacred Heart uniform, and Kevin Lombardi (Schwenksville, Pa.) found paydirt from 130 feet away to cap things. It all allowed the Pios to hang on despite finishing with just the 15 shots, which was the lowest shot total for a winning team in Atlantic Hockey play so far this year.
 
Ouellette (1-2-1) made just 11 saves against 13 shots at the other end for Niagara.
 
The Pios have their first of three midweek matchups against Atlantic Hockey foe Army on the docket for Tuesday. SHU will host the Black Knights at 7 p.m. on Halloween at Martire Family Arena.