THE BASICS:
Score: Holy Cross 5, Sacred Heart 2
Location: Milford, Conn. (Milford Ice Pavilion)
Records: Holy Cross (17-11-5, 15-7-5 AHC); Sacred Heart (12-17-4, 10-14-3 AHC)
Date: Friday, Feb. 26, 2016
Time: 7:05 p.m.
THE LEAD: Sophomore forward Scott Pooley (Granger, Ind.) tallied two goals for the Crusaders as the Holy Cross men's hockey team defeated Sacred Heart, 5-2, in Atlantic Hockey action. The Crusaders will conclude their regular season on Saturday night versus Sacred Heart at the Hart Center. Holy Cross will then host a best two-out-of-three Atlantic Hockey Tournamnet quarterfinal series on March 11-13.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Crusaders took an early lead 47 seconds after the opening faceoff. Using a wrist shot, sophomore forward T.J. Moore (Edina, Minn.) scored from the high slot after receiving a pass from behind the net by junior forward Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.). Freshman defenseman Spencer Trapp (White City, Saskatchewan) recorded an assist on the goal.
• Just 1:33 later, the Pioneers responded with a goal. Adam Durkee found the back of the net after gaining possession of a loose puck in the low slot as a the result of a scrum and hitting a wrist shot past sophomore goalie Paul Berrafato's (Williamsville, N.Y.) glove side.
• Holy Cross pulled ahead to a 2-1 lead at the 10:41 mark of the first period. Freshman defenseman Johnny Coughlin (Fairpoint, N.Y.) fired a shot that was saved and deflected back into play by Sacred Heart goaltender Brett Magnus. On the rebound Moore took the puck and delivered it to sophomore Danny Lopez (Barrington Hills, Ill.) who netted a one-time slap shot from inside the slot.
• At 17:06, Berrafato made a diving stop to prevent Justin Danforth from scoring the equalizer goal on a breakaway.
• Holy Cross led 2-1 after the first period, outshooting Sacred Heart 9-7. Holy Cross went 0-1 on the power play.
• The Crusaders extended to a 3-1 lead at 5:39 in the second period. Pooley received a pass from senior defenseman Joe McNamara (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) in the slot and hit a wrist shot off of Magnus' chest. Still in the slot, he grabbed his own rebound out of the air and sent another wrist shot past Magnus' glove side for the score.
• At the 10:19 mark, Holy Cross nearly increased its lead on the power play. Pooley ripped a slap shot from the blue line into the slot. Lopez connected with the shot and redirected it on frame, forcing Magnus to extend his right leg pad across the goal line to make the save and knock the goal off its hinges in the process.
• Next, sophomore forward Ryan Ferrill (Havertown, Pa.) handled the puck from the high slot and deked around a defender at the 12:54 mark before hammering a wrist shot on target to beat Magnus on his upper glove side for the goal, as the Crusaders moved out to a 4-1 lead to enter the third period. Sophomore defenseman Tommy Muratore (Mendham, N.J.) picked up an assist on the goal.
• The Crusaders outshot the Pioneers 9-7 in the second period. Holy Cross went 0-2 on the power play while Sacred Heart went 0-1.
• Berrafato made a save at 2:16 in the third period to stop a shot on a breakaway by Zach Luczyk.
• On a power play at 4:19, Barrett handled the puck through the neutral zone and passed to Pooley spotted in the right faceoff circle. Pooley drilled a shot that ricocheted off the right pipe.
• With 2:00 remaining in the third period Sacred Heart's Evan Jasper scored a goal in the upper right corner with the extra attacker advantage as the Pioneers had an empty net to trim the Crusaders' lead to two goals.
• Then at the 19:06 mark, Pooley posted a power play goal on a major penalty as Holy Cross secured the 5-2 victory. McNamara and freshman forward Michael Laffin (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) each tallied an assist on the goal.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Holy Cross outshot Sacred Heart 27-25 in the contest.
• Berrafato posted 23 saves, while Magnus recorded 22.
• The Crusaders went 1-9 on the power play, while Sacred Heart went 0-1.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
• Moore's goal is his 15th of the season, as he leads the team in goals.
• Pooley has 14 goals on the season.
• McNamara has 21 assists on the season which is second for a defenseman in the program's Division I history.
• Berrafato's 16 wins are tied for fifth all-time for a season in the program's Division I history.
• Senior assistant captain Brett Lubanski (Farmington Hills, Mich.) has played in 146 career games, which are tied for fourth all-time in program history.
• Sommer has played in 145 games, which are sixth all-time.
UP NEXT
• The Crusaders will conclude the regular season at the Hart Center versus Sacred Heart tomorrow night on Saturday, Feb. 27, for Senior Night sponsored by Edge at Union Station at 7:05 p.m.
• The senior class of Karl Beckman (Okemos, Mich.), Jake Bolton (Ellington, Conn.), Nathaniel Domagala (Oakville, Ontario), Tim Driscoll (Hingham, Mass.), Jack Kenney (Orono, Minn.), Brett Lubanski, Joe McNamara, Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Matt Vidal (Manorville, N.Y.) will be recognized prior to the start of the contest in tomorrow night's game versus Sacred Heart at the Hart Center.
BE PART OF THE ACTION THIS SEASON
• To purchase tickets for the 2015-2016 Holy Cross men's hockey season, call 1-844-GOCROSS or visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets.
STAY CONNECTED
There are numerous ways to stay connected with the Holy Cross men's hockey team. Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMHockey, Facebook and Instagram.
