Ice hockey wins shootout over Sacred Heart

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College ice hockey team won a shootout after a hard-fought 2-2 tie with Sacred Heart University, pulling to within a point of the Pioneers headings into the final day of Atlantic Hockey Association play on Friday, February 24.

AIC is now 16-12-7 and 13-8-4-3-2-0 in the AHA.

The game's opening goal came on a miscue, as the Pioneers turned the puck over to Oscar Geschwind in the slot, and the sophomore flicked home his eighth of the year at 8:26.

In the second, the Pioneers tied the game. A point shot by Dante Fantauzzi was redirected in off of an AIC stick, knotting the score 1-1 at 14:19.

Sacred Heart then took its first lead of the game at 9:02 of the third, as Neal Shea got free in the slot and roofed a wrister.

However, AIC continued to battle, and drew a late penalty. On the power play, Julius Janhonen won a draw to the right wing boards for Luis Lindner. Lindner then fed the puck back to the point, where Blake Bennett wired a shot through traffic and past goalkeeper Luke Lush for his AHA-leading 20th goal of the season. In doing so, he not only tied the game, but became the first two-time 20-goal scorer in the history of AIC's program in the Division I era.

That goal proved to be the last that actual game action saw. Lush and Jarrett Fiske were busy in overtime, stopping four and three shots respectively, and that led to the shootout.

In the penalty competition, Daniel Ebrahim scored to start things off well for the Pioneers, and Bennett's move pulled just wide. However, Fiske shut the door on Todd Goehring, and then Casey McDonald danced past Lush before tucking the puck in to tie the score at 1-1. Kevin Lombardi fired next, but he was denied, setting up Brian Kramer for a tremendous finish.

Brian Kramer with the dangles and the finish for the shootout winner. #SCTop10 stuff for the defenseman from Wexford, Pennsylvania.#AICommitted @Atlantic_Hockey @ESPNAssignDesk @SportsCenter @Buccigross @TeamECH pic.twitter.com/JWyVu3YU70

— AIC Hockey (@AIC_Hockey) February 25, 2023

The win via shootout moves AIC to within one point of Sacred Heart, and also clinches no worse than third place for the Yellow Jackets. If AIC wins in regulation or overtime during tomorrow's game, the Yellow Jackets would pass the Pioneers for second; a shootout win would leave the teams tied, but in that scenario the Pioneers would have the tiebreaker. Any Sacred Heart win gives the Pioneers second place outright.

The two teams close the regular season at Martire Family Arena at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, February 25.