Junior Alexandre Parent scored the game winning goal 5:31 into the third period and Jason Smith made 28 saves in goal as Sacred Heart upset Cornell, 2-1, Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Lynah Rink.
The game winner, which came with SHU on the power play, was set up by Dave Grimson, who ripped a shot that was deflected wide of the net.
The puck bounced to Parent, who was nearly behind the net, and he redirected it just inside the left post to give the Pioneers the eventual margin of victory.
“This is a huge win for the Sacred Heart program,” head coach Shaun Hannah said. “We’ve been playing well and this will just give us more confidence.”
The Pioneers jumped on top first when sophomore Kyle Tyll scored at the 4:25 mark of the first period. Tyll picked up a loose puck in the faceoff circle, twirled around and snapped a shot that sailed over the right shoulder of Big Red goaltender Troy Davenport and into the back of the net. Senior Drew Sanders and junior Nick Kary had the assists on Tyll’s third goal of the year.
“Scoring the first goal was critical because it gave us a chance to manage the building,” Hannah said. “With the raucous crowd they have at Lynah, it was important to try to take them out of the game early.”
Justin Kruegger tied the game for the Big Red 5:47 into the second period. Kruegger took a pass from Doug Krantz and ripped a shot through traffic that found its way through Smith’s pads. The game would be tied after two periods.
Smith continued his outstanding play in goal of late, allowing just one goal for the fourth straight game. The Big Red controlled much of the play during the second period but Smith kept them off the scoreboard and the Pioneers in the game.
The Pioneers were only called for two penalties, by far their fewest of the season. Cornell did not convert on either power-play attempt while the Pioneers scored one goal, the game winner, with the man advantage.
