ERIE, Pa. – Three goals in just 21 seconds.
 
The Sacred Heart Men's Hockey Team found the net three times in the second period to erase a two-goal deficit on the way to a 6-3 win over Mercyhurst.
 
The Pioneers, who tallied five straight times after falling behind 3-1, have now won four straight and six of the last seven to remain atop the Atlantic Hockey standings. Graduate student Ryan Steele scored the first and fourth goals and added an assist as his squad outshot the Lakers 39-23 and converted two of three advantages to improve to 6-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference.
 
"I think everyone agrees it wasn't our best start tonight, but we ramped up our compete after the first period," said Steele. "We started playing to our identity, and we took control of the game. Coming back from 3-1 on the road isn't easy, but we found a way, and that's a testament to our team's character. It's nice to get three points, and we'll look to keep the streak going tomorrow."
Senior Luke Lush, making his sixth straight start, survived three Laker goals to close out the opening period and went on to make 20 saves and get the victory in net for SHU.
 
"After the first period, we challenged our team to be better in the neutral zone and to defend hard and compete without the puck," said Sacred Heart Head Coach C.J. Marottolo. "We responded the right way and right away, getting back to playing the way we need to in order to have success. We elevated our mental and physical effort."
 
PIOS POINTS
The third and fourth goals were 10 seconds apart, which is believed to be an AH record… The NCAA does not have a record for fastest three goals… Dante Fantauzzi scored SHU's fifth goal on his first collegiate tally… Marcus Joughin, Fantauzzi and Steele scored at 10:03, 10:13 and 10:24 of the middle frame… Assistant captain Neil Shea added 1-2-3 while Conner Hutchison handed out four assists… The Pios and Lakers are back at it again 4 p.m. on Saturday… The four-game win streak is the most for the Pios since they had six in 2019-20.