BUFFALO, N.Y. (February 19, 2023) – Hunter Sansbury (Lomita, Calif.) sprung Braeden Tuck (Calgary, Alberta) on a partial breakaway in overtime. Tuck powered to the net from the right side. Tuck's stick, the puck and the goaltender's skate all arrived at the right post at about the same time.
The referee on the scene signaled "goal" by pointing at the net.
The Pioneers had won… maybe.
It was perhaps as anti-climactic an overtime ending as anyone involved had ever seen. Two reviews later – the first to see if the puck crossed the line and the second via a Canisius challenge for goaltender interference – the goal stood. The Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team would skate away with a 3-2 (OT) victory and a much-needed two points in the Atlantic Hockey weekend finale at Harborcenter.
"Two points is good; we wanted three points, but we'll take the two," said SHU head coach C.J. Marottolo after the game. "I really loved our character tonight. Getting down two-nothing on the road is never an easy task to come back from, but our guys really played hard for each other tonight, and they were rewarded with a nice two points."
Canisius (13-16-3, 11-10-3 AHA) built its 2-0 lead before the midpoint of the game with a tally in each of the first two periods. In the first, Stefano Bottini was able to shovel a feed into the slot from the right side, despite falling to the ice, and Markus Boguslavsky finished off his third of the season out front at 8:40. In the second, Ryan Miotto was left unattended in the slot and put away his 11th of the campaign at 8:33.
SHU (16-14-2, 14-8-2 AHA) set out on the comeback trail later in the frame. From the left side of the zone, Patrick Dawson (Medway, Mass.) threw the puck towards the net, and it tagged Tim Clifton (Farmingdale, N.Y.) in the back of the head outside the top of the crease. The ricochet off his helmet fell right at Clifton's feet. He was the first to realize where the puck was and popped home his first goal in more than two calendar years, at 14:37.
The Pios leveled the game at 2-2 at the 6:26 mark of the third, on a rush into the offensive end. Logan Britt (Crystal Lake, Ill.) carried the puck into the left circle and found a seam back across traffic to Sansbury at the right point. Sansbury cruised to the top of the right circle and wired home his seventh of the year.
Canisius would be granted a penalty shot less than three minutes later, after the SHU defense covered the puck in its own crease. Luke Lush (Sherwood Park, Alberta) denied Miotto's bid for his second of the game with a snazzy glove save at 9:13.
It all conspired to send the game to overtime, where Lush set up Sansbury, then Sansbury zipped it ahead to Tuck, then Tuck drove to the net, and then the referee signaled "goal", at 4:32. It was the second assist of the season for the SHU goaltender.
Lush (13-13-2) finished with 23 saves against 25 shots to pick up the win, as SHU posted a 39-25 shots advantage in the game. John Hawthorne (3-4-2) stopped 36 of 39 in defeat for Canisius.
SHU wraps up the regular season with a home-and-home pair against American International on Feb. 24-25. The Pios enter with a two-point edge for second place in Atlantic Hockey. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. both nights, with Friday in Springfield, Mass., and Saturday at Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Conn.
SHU is guaranteed to be home for the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, with games set for March 3, 4 and 5 at Martire Family Arena, opponent to be determined. Ticket information will be available at sacredheartpioneers.com and via SHU Athletics' social channels at a later date.
