BRIDGEPORT, Conn.- The Sacred Heart University Men's Ice Hockey team (5-10-2, 5-7-0 AHA) fell in a tight battle to AIC by a final score of 6-5. Five separate Pioneers scored for SHU in the loss. With the loss the Pioneers drop to 5-10-2 on the season while falling to 5-7-1 in Atlantic Hockey play. SHU returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 12 when the Pioneers face in state rival Yale for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.

First Period

• The Pioneers would outshoot AIC 12-9 in the opening period as both sides would each tally two goals in the first period.
• The Yellow Jackets would score the opening goal at 3:45 as Kyle Stephan would find the back of the net off an assist by Joel Kocur to put AIC ahead 1-0.
• But the Pioneers would respond with a goal of their own coming at 14:22 off the stick of Marcel Godbout while the Pioneers were on the power-play to even the score 1-1. Sophomore Jordan Kaplan and junior Ruslan Rahkmatov were credited with the assists.
• AIC would answer with another goal this time coming at 15:52 off the stick of Martin Mellberg in which this was the first of three to put the Yellow Jackets ahead 2-1.
• The Pioneers wouldn't back down though as freshman Ryan Steele would launch a shot passed the netminder at 19:28 to tie the game up seconds before the period would end to make the 2-2 at the end of one.

Second Period

• AIC would dominate the second period as they would notch four goals in the second two coming off the stick of Mellberg first at 1:24, second at 3:17, then Jeff Baum at 5:44 and lastly Tobias Fladeby at 6:01 to put AIC ahead 6-2.
• The Pioneers would tally two goals of their own though to close the second period as freshman Nick Boyagian (15:18) and Austin Magera (16:2) would each net a goal for the Pioneers to cut the lead to 6-4.
• SHU would outshoot the Yellow Jackets again in the second period 15-11.
• Freshman goaltender Drennen Atherton would come into the game at 5:44 in the second as he made his first collegiate start. He finished his day compiling 15 saves on 16 shots.

Third Period

• The third period would be the quietest period of the day as only junior Vito Bavaro would net the lone goal of the period at 2:18 to tighten the score to 6-5.
• Both sides would attempt 13 shots in the period but only Bavaro's goal would be the shot that would get passed the netminders.
• The Pioneers would fall short as they could not add on any more goals in the game to make the final score 6-5.