WORCESTER, Mass. - The Holy Cross men's hockey team defeated Sacred Heart, 4-1, to complete their weekend sweep on Saturday night at the Hart Center Rink. 

The Crusaders move to 3-1 against the Pioneers this season, and improved their overall record to 7-8-1 (6-4-1 AHA). Sacred Heart moves to 7-7-2 (6-5-1 AHA) with the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Sacred Heart recorded the first points of the game with a goal just over five minutes into the first period.
• The Crusaders were quick to respond as sophomore Will Elias chipped the puck in just over seven minutes into the period to tie the game at 1-1.  
• Junior Matt DeBoer extended the Holy Cross lead to 2-1 3:28 into the second period, knocking in a pass from junior Devin Phillips.
• Holy Cross capitalized on a five-on-three power play opportunity 15:29 into the middle period as senior Liam McLinskey picked up a rebound off the boards from a shot by junior Mack Oliphant, sending the puck past the Pioneers' netminder.
• Less than a minute later, senior forward John Gelatt scored another for Holy Cross, assisted by junior Timothy Heinke and sophomore Ty Gagno, putting the Crusaders ahead 4-1 going into the third period.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• McLinskey extended his goal streak to seven games with his second period goal. Dating back to Nov. 7 against AIC, McLinskey has recorded eleven points on eight goals and three assists.
• Senior goalie Thomas Gale recorded 32 saves in the net, marking this his ninth game with 30+ saves this season.
• Junior Devin Phillips recorded a single-game season-high three assists in the matchup, while sophomore Brody Gagno led both sides with four blocked shots.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders will travel to Springfield, Mass. to face the AIC in a two-game series at the MassMutual Center on Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. for both games. 
• Holy Cross will be back at the Hart Center Rink in 2025 on Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 11 at 6:00 p.m. as they host Robert Morris University in a two-game Atlantic Hockey matchup.