WORCESTER, Mass. – Men's ice hockey defeated Sacred Heart, 2-1, Friday night at the Martire Family Arena to complete its third-straight Atlantic Hockey sweep. With the win, Holy Cross moves to 18-11-4 (13-9-3 Atlantic Hockey), while Sacred Heart falls to 14-17-2 (11-11-3 Atlantic Hockey).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The two teams were quiet in the opening frame, trading a power play opportunity each. The Crusaders dominated at the faceoff dot, taking 11 of the 13 draws in the period, while the Pioneers held the slight edge in shots, 7-5.
- Sacred Heart took the 1-0 lead just under two minutes into the second period.
- Holy Cross came out firing in the third period, with senior Jack Ricketts tying the game at 1-1 just under two minutes into the final frame. Applying the pressure in the offensive zone, junior Liam McLinskey intercepted a pass, creating a two-on-goalie situation with Ricketts. Forcing the goalie to commit to him, McLinskey passed the puck across the crease to Ricketts for the easy tap-in goal.
- Drawing a power play opportunity with 13 minutes to go in regulation, McLinskey netted what proved to be the game winning goal to give the Crusaders their first lead of the game. Drawing all four defenders to himself, Ricketts slipped a pass to a wide-open McLinskey on the post for a quick wrist shot into the open net.
- Sacred Heart pulled their goaltender with 1:52 remaining in favor of an extra attacker, though they failed to find a way past senior netminder Jason Grande.
BEYOND THE BOX:
- Grande recorded 30 saves in the win, while Sacred Heart's Justin Robbins finished with 16 saves.
- Holy Cross dominated at the faceoff dot, winning 41 draws to the Pioneers' 20.
- The Crusaders extended their win streak to seven games and have outscored opponents 33-14 over the stretch. The last time that Holy Cross won seven straight was in the 2010-2011 season.
UP NEXT:
- Holy Cross will host Bentley for its final game of the regular season.
- Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22.
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross men's ice hockey team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossMHockey | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrossmhockey | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Men's Ice Hockey | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross
