FAIRFIELD, Conn. (February 25, 2023) – The Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team held its Senior Night festivities prior to Saturday night's regular-season finale, and honored the squad's 13 graduate student and senior student-athletes. From there though, visiting American International spoiled the party for a sellout crowd of 4225 at Martire Family Arena. A three-goal second period broke the game open, as the Yellow Jackets cruised to a 5-0 victory and claimed second place in Atlantic Hockey.
After an 0-1-1 final weekend, SHU slips to the third spot in the standings, though the Pios will still have home ice in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, which is set for next weekend. Sacred Heart will host sixth-seeded Niagara in a best-of-three series March 3-5 at Martire Family Arena. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. each day, and tickets will go on sale to the public on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Things started evenly enough, with SHU holding an 11-9 shots advantage over the first 20 minutes, though AIC potted the only goal of the opening frame. Blake Bennett forced a turnover as SHU was attempting to clear its own zone, carried into the right circle and fed out front for Julius Janhonen. Janhonen flipped home a backhand at the 9:20 mark for his eighth of the season.
The second period was where things went downhill. AIC scored as many goals as SHU had shots in the frame, as the Yellow Jackets posted a 12-3 advantage in shots and had all three of the period's goals. Alexander Malinowski had a deflection goal out front for his seventh at 7:01, Nicholas Cardelli finished off a coast-to-coast give-and-go play for his 10th at 15:01, and Timofei Khoklachev found the net from the top of the right circle for his sixth at 17:08.
Brian Kramer tacked on his sixth of the year at 3:32 of the third, after he sprung himself on a breakaway from his own blue line, to create the 5-0 final.
Luke Lush (Sherwood Park, Alberta) made 24 saves against 29 shots and suffered the loss (13-14-3 in front of the SHU net. Jarrett Fiske (9-6-6) stopped all 22 shots he saw to post his second shutout of the season in the AIC crease.
