From Sacred Heart Hockey
SHU M2 Sweeps This Weekend; Starts Second Half 5-1
SHU men’s D2 ice hockey swept all three games this weekend, defeating conference opponents Siena College 3-2 on Friday and Clarkson University 4-0 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday.
Siena started Friday’s game off strong, scoring the first 2 goals of the game to take an early lead. SHU was able to regroup during the first intermission and never looked back. Junior Giovanni Crepaldi got the Pioneers going in the second off assists from junior Nick Chiurazzi and senior Justin Bernhard. Junior Ryan Oechsner tied it up halfway through the period for SHU. Sophomore Michael Cardoza netted what turned out to be the game winner for the second week in a row in the 18th minute. The Pioneers were able to shutout the Saints in the second and third periods to pick up a crucial SECHL win and even the season series.
Saturday, SHU welcomed Clarkson University to the Martire Family Arena for the first of a two-game series. The Pioneers were anxious to avenge losses to the Golden Knights in last year’s SECHL tournament semifinals and Northeast Regional Tournament. Sophomore Christos Caminis put SHU on the board in the first with a powerplay goal, his 18th of the season. In the second, sophomore Matt Milko recorded 2 shorthanded goals within 20 seconds of each other to extend the SHU lead. Chiurazzi closed out the scoring in the 17th minute of the third off an assist from Bernhard. Sophomore Conor Higgins picked up his 3rd win and 2nd shutout of the season in goal.
Sunday was a rematch between the 2 teams, with SHU looking to extend their win streak. After a close start to the game, Caminis netted his second goal of the weekend on another powerplay, assisted by junior Chad Schneider. Early in the second period, the Golden Knights were able to tie it up. This ended a streak of 7 straight periods of hockey without SHU surrendering a goal. Less than 4 minutes later, the Pioneers were back on top when senior Drew Galea tipped in a shot from junior Troy Clement. Cardoza scored again, his 6th of the season, to close the second period. A scoreless third sealed the win and the sweep for SHU, giving them a firm hold on second place in the SECHL.
The Pioneers close out the regular season with 3 more games at the Martire Family Arena. Friday’s contest against Montclair State is scheduled for a 6:30pm puck drop following a celebration of our graduating seniors. Saturday, SHU takes on RPI at noon. They close out the regular season against CCSU at 5pm on Sunday.
