FAIRFIELD, Conn. (October 19, 2024) – After grinding its way to an upset on Friday night, the Sacred Heart University ice hockey team was right in it through two periods again on Saturday night, in the team's home opener against No. 15/17 nationally ranked Massachusetts. Mikey Adamson (Quincy, Mass.) put away a power-play goal late in the second period to cut the lead to 2-1, but the bottom fell out on the Pioneers in the third period at Martire Family Arena. UMass cashed in four goals in the third period, including three in a span of 2:39, to pull away for a 6-1 non-conference victory.
 
SHU (1-2-1) enjoyed the better of things in the first period in front of a near-capacity crowd just shy of 4000, to the tune of a 10-5 shots advantage, but neither team could solve the other in the first 20 minutes. UMass (3-2-0) got things started with a power-play tally just 2:20 into the middle frame. Ryan Lautenbach took the initial shot from the left circle, tracked down his own rebound and sent it back out to the point for Francesco Dell'Elce. Dell'Elce put a long shot through traffic from there for his first collegiate goal.
 
The Minutemen pushed the lead to 2-0 at 9:20. This time Cole O'Hara had the initial shot, from the middle of the blue line, which ricocheted off his own man, Dans Locmelis, out front. The rebound came straight to Dell'Elce in the left circle and he buried his second of the period. Dell'Elce (2-1-3) and O'Hara (1-2-3) would both finish with three-point nights.
 
Adamson cut the deficit in half with a power-play goal inside the final four minutes of the period, at 16:26, after he picked off an attempted clear at the middle of the blue line. Adamson dished to the left side for Marcus Joughin (Tecumseh, Ontario), who then sent it back up top for Adamson. Meanwhile, Max Dorrington (North Reading, Mass.) had a UMass defender tied up out front. Adamson's shot appeared to hit said defender and wound up in the back of the net for Adamson's second goal in as many nights against his former squad.
 
The third period proved problematic though. UMass boosted the lead to 5-1 before the seven-minute mark and piled up a 12-2 shots advantage over the final 20 minutes to win going away. At 3:50, O'Hara provided the feed from the right circle and Lucas Mercuri tipped it home at the right post for his second of the year. At 4:55, Dell'Elce drove down the left wing and set up Jack Musa's second of the year from the high slot. At 6:29, a slick feed from behind the net by Kenny Connors gave Cam O'Neill his second of the campaign at the right post, to make it three UMass goals in just 2:39.
 
The Minutemen capped a four-goal third with a 4-on-3 power-play tally at 12:53, with a tic-tac-goal passing play. From up top, Connors sent the puck into the right circle for Aydar Suniev. Suniev found a seam and fired across to O'Hara for the finish from the bottom of the left circle on the latter's third of the year.
 
A night after making 33 saves for his first collegiate victory, Cullen DeYoung (Canton, Mich.) came away with just 14 saves against 20 shots and suffered the loss (1-2-1) in the SHU crease. Michael Hrabal (3-2-0) stopped 20 of 21 to pick up the win for UMass.
 
SHU is on home ice next weekend to open Atlantic Hockey play with a pair against Holy Cross on Oct. 25-26. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. both nights at Martire Family Arena.