Men’s Ice Hockey Sweeps Away Canisius, 3-2

Saturday, November 11

Fairfield, Conn.

7 p.m.

Sacred Heart

5-5-0, 5-2-0

Canisius

1-6-1, 1-2-1

Team	1	2	3	F
Canisius	0	2	0	2
Sacred Heart	1	2	0	3

Photo by: Maddie McCall

Men’s Ice Hockey Sweeps Away Canisius, 3-2

11/11/2023 10:45:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

Joughin caps three-goal weekend

By: Matthew Janik

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (November 11, 2023) – After starting slow and finishing fast on Friday night, the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team just started fast from the beginning on Saturday at Martire Family Arena. The Pioneers struck on the man-advantage in the first, then jumped out to a 3-0 lead midway through the second. From there, the home team held on, as Canisius closed the gap to one before the second period was out. SHU held the line in the third period to collect a 3-2 win and finish off a weekend sweep of the defending Atlantic Hockey champions.

"Obviously a very good weekend," said SHU head coach C.J. Marottolo after the game "Whenever you can get six points in a weekend, that is super hard to do. I'm really proud of our effort tonight. I have so much respect for our guys and how they sacrificed tonight and paid the price for each other."

Marcus Joughin (Tecumseh, Ontario) got things started on the power play at the 8:39 mark of the first. The play started in the right circle with TJ Walsh (Shrewsbury, Mass.), who tried to find a seam across the middle of the penalty kill for Joughin in the left circle. Instead, the pass deflected off the skate of John Jaworski (Grinnell, Iowa) in the slot, and ricocheted directly to Braeden Tuck (Calgary, Alberta), down low to the right of the goal. Tuck immediately shuffled the puck over to its originally-intended destination of Joughin in the left circle, and the sophomore buried his fourth of the season from there.

SHU (5-5-0, 5-2-0 AHA) surged out to a 3-0 lead with a pair in the first 11 minutes of the second. The first came right out of the gate, 55 seconds into the frame, as Dante Fantauzzi (North York, Ontario) and Mark Cheremeta (Parkland, Fla.) conspired to break out of their zone and down the left wing. Into the offensive end, Cheremeta set things up in the left circle for Jaworski, who circled towards the boards, turned back into the middle of the circle and took a shot which trickled through David Fessenden, for his fifth of the campaign.

Later in the frame, Kevin Lombardi (Schwenksville, Pa.) fired the puck from behind the net back up to the middle of the blue line for Mikey Adamson (Quincy, Mass.). Adamson took a shot from there, which was saved, but chaos ensued at the right post on the rebound. Lombardi put a follow-up attempt off the right post, and then Walsh finally stuffed it home for his sixth of the year, at 10:59.

Canisius (1-6-1, 1-2-1 AHA) got on the comeback trail in the second half of the frame, starting with a shorthanded goal at 13:41. Brenden Datema won a board battle in his own end and kicked the puck free to Matteo Giampa, who took off on a tear down the right wing. Giampa -- who already had 4-6-10 in his first seven collegiate games -- went coast-to-coast to get the Golden Griffins on the board. It was the third shorthanded goal allowed by SHU in as many games.

Giampa wasn't done, as he closed Canisius within a goal at 16:47. On a rush into the offensive end, Randy Hernandez took the initial shot on the play, which Chase Clark (Williamsville, N.Y.) turned aside. Giampa followed up though, and popped his second of the night inside the left post on the rebound.

SHU closed off the comeback trail from there though. The Pioneers had an extended 5-on-3 early in the period and could not capitalize, but succeeded in strangling the life out of the game from there. The two teams combined for just 16 shots in the frame, and Clark (5-5-0) turned aside all nine he faced to finish off the victory.

Fressenden (0-4-1) made 22 saves against 25 shots at the other end for Canisius.

The Pios are idle next weekend and return to the ice for a Thanksgiving Weekend trip to Robert Morris on Nov. 24-25. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.