AVON, Conn. (December 1, 2023) – It was bigger than hockey on Friday night, in the annual Jason Pagni Memorial Game at Avon Old Farms. The hockey though? It was pretty good too. In a wild game which featured nine goals – including seven over the final 40 minutes – the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team held on for a 5-4, Atlantic Hockey victory over American International at the Jennings Fairchild Ice Rink. It was SHU's seventh straight Atlantic Hockey win.
 
"There aren't too many games that mean this much to me, personally, and I couldn't be prouder of our guys tonight to find a way to get a well-earned three points," said head coach C.J. Marottolo after the game.
 
Despite being outshot 15-3 in the second period, SHU (8-5-0, 8-2-0 AHA) was clinging to a 3-2 lead through the second intermission. Much of the third period went without further scoring, before the game came unhinged in the final six minutes.
 
First, Sacred Heart extended the lead to two goals on a pretty rush into the offensive end, started by Marcus Joughin (Tecumseh, Ontario), who sent the puck ahead to spring Mark Cheremeta (Parkland, Fla.) and Braeden Tuck (Calgary, Alberta) into the zone. Tuck took the puck on the right side and fed back to the left to Cheremeta, who had a one-time finish on his first goal as a Pioneer, at the 14:16 mark.
 
AIC (8-6-0, 5-2-0 AHA) – which was receiving votes in this week's national poll – needed just 24 seconds to cut the lead back to one goal, at 4-3, with a nifty goal of its own. From the slot, John Lundy found Oscar Geschwind cutting to the back door, for the latter's first of the campaign, at 14:40.
 
It would be three goals in a span of 35 seconds though, as the Pios bumped the lead back up to two once again, just 11 seconds after the ensuing faceoff. After a tie-up immediately on the draw, Liam Izyk (Blackie, Alberta) eventually won the puck back to Grant Anderson (Plymouth, Minn.) on the right side. Anderson sent it ahead to Daniel Ebrahim (Brooklin, Ontario), who barreled into the zone with speed and put home his second of the year, at 14:51.
 
AIC refused to go quietly though, and got Nils Wallstrom to the bench for the extra attacker with just over three minutes to play. At 17:11, Alexander Malinowski finished off his fifth of the season right out front in the extra-attacker situation to make it a one-goal game once again.
 
AIC kept Wallstrom out of the net and SHU had multiple opportunities on the empty net, but never could quite ice the game. The Yellow Jackets blocked three shots over the final two minutes to keep themselves in the game, and made one final push towards the net in the final 10 seconds. Chase Clark (Williamsville, N.Y.) was able to melt the play down, amid a chaotic scene in front of his net, with 3.8 seconds to play.
 
There was a lengthy review to see if somebody other than Clark had covered the puck in the crease, but ultimately the play stood as called on the ice. AIC pushed forward off the final faceoff as well, but SHU was able to pin the puck to the boards in the defensive left-wing corner to run out the clock and skate away with the victory.
 
"Really proud of our group tonight," added Marottolo. "Two really good hockey teams going at it blow-by-blow tonight. I thought our guys stuck together. Our power play [2-for-3] was really good tonight and our PK [2-for-2] got it done when it needed to."
 
Clark (8-5-0) finished with 32 saves against 36 shots to pick up the win in the SHU crease. Wallstrom (7-6-0) stopped 17 of 22 at the other end for AIC.
 
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, Mass. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.