Box Score (Storrs, CT) – Drew George (Regina, SK) completed a hat trick with a game-tying goal with 57 seconds remaining in regulation, as the Men's Hockey team earned a 5-5 tie in a wild back-and-forth game with the UConn Huskies Friday night at Frietas Ice Forum.
With an extra attacker on for the Pioneers, George went to the net to tip in a goal-mouth feed from Torin Snydeman (Groton, MA) from the left-corner, with Matt Gingera (Winnipeg, MB) earning his fourth assist on the night as well. George had a couple of opportunities in OT to win the game, but UConn goalie Matt Grogan match SHU goalie Steven Legatto (Kelowna, BC) with a few clutch saves to preserve a point in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings.
George's goal snapped a streak of four unanswered UConn goals, as the Huskies came back from a 4-1 second period deficit. Cole Schneider completed a natural hat trick to tie the game in the second. His first came at 14:57, with helpers going to Brant Harris and Tom Janosz. His next two game within the final 25 seconds of the period, including a rebound goal off his own shot at 19:35 with Harris and Janosz once again earning the assists, and a tying goal with four seconds remaining in the period jammed in on a goal-mouth scrum on assists from Jordan Sims and Jacob Poe. Ryan Tyson scored the go-ahead goal at 7:21 of the third, set up by Rui Encarnaco and Miles Winter.
After Marcello Ranallo opened the scoring for UConn at 10:19 of the first, set up by Sean Ambrosie, the Pioneers came back with four unanswered goals of their own. Brian Sheehan (St. Louis, MO) threw a tough-angle shot off starting goalie Garrett Bartus to tie the game at 14:46, with Reid MacLeod (Teulon, MB) and Eric Delong (Oakville, MB) assisting. Then, with one minute to go in the period, George scored the first of his three goals going to the net for a rebound on a transition with Chad Filteau (Regina, SK) and Gingera (Winnipeg, MB).
In the second, Filteau made it 3-1 SHU with George and Gingera set up on another goal in transition culminating with a rebound goal at 5:10. Their line did it again, when Gingera and Filteau sent George in for a right-win slap shot, which Bartus initially stopped before George put in his own rebound to chase the UConn starting goalie from the game.
George's four points gave him a six-point scoring streak, with 10 points in that span. Gingera's four assists helped him climb to 97 career points, bringing him within three of becoming the 11th Pioneer in program history to register 100 points. He became the first Pioneer to record four assists in a game since Bear Trapp on February 3, 2008 against Canisius.
SHU hosts a rematch with UConn at Webster Bank Arena Saturday, February 11 at 4:00 pm.
