FAIRFIELD, Conn. (December 3, 2024) – Sometimes, the solution for a tough weekend is just to get back in action as soon as possible. The schedule afforded such an opportunity to the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team on Tuesday, as the Pioneers returned home to take on Army, just three days removed from being swept on the road at Holy Cross over the weekend. SHU responded at the Martire Family Arena, as four different players found the net and Ajeet Gundarah (Richmond, British Columbia) made 22 saves for his first collegiate shutout, as the Pioneers picked up a 4-0 Atlantic Hockey win.
 
Following a weekend where it was outscored 10-2, SHU (8-7-2, 7-5-1 AHA) turned up the offense in the first period on Tuesday night, to the tune of a 16-5 shots advantage. The Pios struck twice in a span of just 73 seconds late in the frame to put Army (5-10-0, 5-7-0 AHA) behind for good. First, Reid Pabich (Verona, Wis.) chipped the puck ahead on the right side to spring a 2-on-1 into the offensive end. Heading the play from the right side, Felix Trudeau (Quebec City, Quebec) put a pass on the tape of a crashing Mikey Adamson (Quincy, Mass.) at the back post at 16:44 for the latter's fifth of the season, tops among the team's defensemen.
 
Just a couple shifts later, Michael Rubin (Blauvelt, N.Y.) held the puck in at the left point and got it down low for Paul Minnehan (Cypress, Calif.). Minnehan in turn found Matthew Guerra (Orlando, Fla.) at the bottom of the left circle, and the graduate transfer buried his third of the campaign at 17:57.
 
Basically nothing happened in the second stanza, when the two teams combined for just 11 shots, and then the Pioneers struck for the dagger at the 7:05 mark of the third frame.
 
Marcus Joughin (Tecumseh, Ontario) intercepted a pass on the left-wing side of the neutral zone to gain possession and sent the puck all the way over to the right-wing boards for Cole Galata (Newmarket, Ontario). Galata held, drew the defense and then feathered a long pass across the attacking end back to a streaking Joughin, who was crashing the left post. Joughin knocked it home and then looked to the heavens, apparently as much in relief as in celebration, as the junior finally struck for his first goal of the year.
 
"Yeah, it obviously feels good to get the monkey off the back there," said Joughin after the game. "But, more importantly, coming off two losses at Holy Cross, it was big to get back on track here heading into the weekend against Canisius."
 
Trudeau would add an empty-net tally at 16:31 for his ninth goal of the season. Max Dorrington (North Reading, Mass.) had an assist on the play, as he had a three-game goal-scoring streak snapped, but made it a four-game point streak instead (3-1-4).
 
Gundarah (6-2-1) was not regularly tested, but was there when he needed to be down the stretch on Tuesday. After facing just 12 shots through the first two periods, he turned aside all 10 he faced in the third to preserve his first collegiate shutout, as well as SHU's first whitewashing of the season.
 
JJ Cataldo (4-5-0) made 25 saves against 28 shots at the other end of the ice in defeat for Army.
 
SHU wraps up the first half of the season this weekend, with a trip to Western New York, for a pair of Atlantic Hockey games at Canisius on Dec. 6-7. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday at Harborcenter.