HARTFORD (January 26, 2024) – The Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team piled up 38 shots – the team's second-highest total of the year – in its opener at the fourth annual CT Ice tournament on Friday afternoon. The Pioneers were dominant on the shots board through the final two periods, to the tune of a 30-12 margin. It went for naught at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum though, as host Connecticut scored six times on just 21 shots en route to a 6-2 victory.
 
"This event is circled on our calendar every year and personally, for me, I love the event," said head coach C.J. Marottolo, while being complimentary of the atmosphere in the building after the game. "Having an event like this under one roof, with these four teams, I think it can certainly be a marquee sporting event in Connecticut."
 
Despite just a 9-8 advantage in shots, it was UConn (11-11-2) which opened up a 3-1 lead in the first period. The opening salvo was one for the highlight reels, as Samu Salminen lifted the puck with his stick behind the net, wrapped around and stuffed it in the top-left corner – "The Michigan" for those up on their college hockey lingo – for his fifth of the season at 2:35.
 
SHU (11-13-1) responded just 61 seconds later to level the score. From up high, Mike Adamson (Quincy, Mass.) worked the puck into the left circle for Jake Bongo (Ridgefield, Conn.). Bongo drifted down low and then slipped a pass out front for Kevin Lombardi (Schwenksville, Pa.), who notched his 10^th of the campaign at 3:36.
 
The host Huskies struck twice in less than three minutes later in the opening frame to seize control of the proceedings. Hudson Schandor had them both, for his fourth and fifth of the year, with a one-timer in the low slot at 9:40, and then a backhand finish on a rebound at the right post at 12:05.
 
Sacred Heart closed the gap to 3-2 on the other side of the intermission, after Tyler Spott (Toronto, Ontario) poked the puck free and keyed a rush the other way. Liam Izyk (Blackie, Alberta) controlled, took off down the left side and snapped his fourth of the season inside the far post at 2:36.
 
Connecticut struck twice more before the period was out though, to take a 5-2 lead into the third. On the power play at 6:14, Nick Capone was left unattended between the hash marks, took a feed from John Spetz and put away his third of the year. It was another wraparound goal at 9:06, as Jake Richard beat Chase Clark (Williamsville, N.Y.) to the left post at 9:06. The fifth UConn goal would spell the end of the afternoon for Clark in the SHU crease.
 
Connecticut finished 1-for-2 on the power play, while SHU came up empty on three chances. The Pios had a five-minute major to work with starting late in the second period, but took a penalty of their own early in the third to eliminate much of the advantage.
 
"The atmosphere was really good, it was a back and forth game," added Marottolo. "I thought special teams… we had some opportunities there and just couldn't convert. UConn was very opportunistic; I thought our guys competed really hard. We generated enough, and I thought their goaltender was really good tonight."
 
Ryan Tattle tacked on an empty-net goal for UConn at 17:33 of the third period to create the 6-2 final.
 
Clark (8-10-1) stopped just eight of 13 shots before exiting and suffered the loss for SHU. Justin Robbins (New York, N.Y.) turned aside all seven shots he faced in relief. Arsenii Sergeev (5-4-0) collected 36 saves against 38 shots to pick up the win in the Connecticut crease.
 
SHU will play in the CT Ice third-place game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Coliseum. The Pios will square off with the loser of Friday's nightcap, featuring No. 7/8 Quinnipiac against Yale.