SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 2, 2023) – Having already assured itself at least a weekend split with a 5-4 win on Friday night, the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team had a chance to make an Atlantic Hockey statement on Saturday night. The Pios started slow though, with only five shots in the first period, and trailed 2-1 through 40 minutes. TJ Walsh (Shrewsbury, Mass.) got SHU level early in the third, but John Lundy lifted home-standing American International to a 3-2 victory, as he struck for the game-winner with 2:33 to play in downtown Springfield.
 
"Tough result for us, but at the end of the day, we got what we deserved tonight," said head coach C.J. Marottolo after the game. "You can't expect, against a team like AIC, to not come ready to play for two periods and expect to win a hockey game."
 
Despite being outshot 18-5 in the first period, SHU (8-6-0, 8-3-0 AHA) got 18 saves from Chase Clark (Williamsville, N.Y.) and also struck for the stanza's only goal, at the 17:28 mark. Dante Fantauzzi (North York, Ontario) and Marcus Joughin (Tecumseh, Ontario) combined to win possession in the left circle and work the puck to Kevin Lombardi (Schwenksville, Pa.). The latter snapped a shot inside the right post from the faceoff dot for his eighth goal of the season. Lombardi, who added an assist later, is now on a six-game point-scoring streak (4-4-8), as is Joughin (4-4-8).
 
The shots were more even in the second period – 7-6 in favor of SHU – but it was AIC which found the frame's two scores. At 11:52, Alfred Lindberg picked the top-right corner from the left circle on the rush, for his third of the campaign. Just under five minutes later, Logan Jenuwine took a shot from the high slot which was turned aside, but Brian Kramer crashed through the right circle, pounced on the rebound and hammered home his eighth of the year at 16:26. At the conclusion of the second period, SHU had just 19 shots through its last four periods of play.
 
Chasing a goal heading to the third, SHU got things level 5:29 into the final period. From the left point, Tyler Spott (Toronto, Ontario) found Lombardi in the left circle. Lombardi's first attempt at a cross-slot pass was deflected, but came straight back to him. On the second try, he was able to find Walsh at the edge of the right circle and the latter blasted his eighth of the year into the gaping net.
 
"We did have a good response in the third, but [it was too little] too late," added Marottolo. "We relied on our goaltending too much for the first two periods, and that's not a good recipe."
 
AIC (9-6-0, 6-2-0 AHA) was able to find a late winner, to snap SHU's seven-game Atlantic Hockey winning streak. The Yellow Jackets came in on a 3-on-3 rush inside the final three minutes, and Lundy was left relatively unattended coming through the right circle. Oscar Geschwind found him there, and Lundy knocked home his fifth of the season.
 
SHU got Clark to the bench for the extra attacker over the final two minutes in an attempt to find a late equalizer. Geschwind finished things off for AIC though, with a gutsy block on a heavy slapshot from Mikey Adamson (Quincy, Mass.) at the middle of the blue line in the final 30 seconds, and the Yellow Jackets held on for the 3-2 victory.
 
Clark (8-6-0) finished with 31 saves against 34 shots, to complete a 63-save weekend in front of the SHU net. Nils Wallstrom (8-6-0), who was beaten five times on Friday night, stopped 18 of 20 to pick up the win in the AIC crease.
 
SHU wraps up the first half of the season with a home-and-home against ECAC member Princeton on Dec. 8-9. Friday's game is at the Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, before the Pios make the return trip to Hobey Baker Rink on Saturday. Puck drop is 7 p.m. both nights, and tickets for Friday's home contest are available via Ticketmaster.