UConn Edges Quinnipiac at Buzzer in CT Ice

Ryan Tattle scored his second of two goals just as regulation ended to lift No. 15 UConn to a 2-1 victory over No. 13 Quinnipiac last night in the first round of the 2025 Connecticut Ice tournament in Fairfield, Conn. 

Tattle roofed a puck in close just before the buzzer sounded to give UConn (13-8-2 overall) its first win since 2014 over Quinnipiac (14-8-2), which got 22 stops in goal from Dylan Silverstein. Tyler Muszelik made 35 saves for the Huskies, who will face host Sacred Heart in the title game tonight. The Pioneers routed Yale, 8-2, in the second semifinal, thanks to a goal and three assists from Mikey Adamson. 

SHU (15-8-4) won the inaugural CT Ice gathering in 2020, while UConn is seeking its first-ever title in the event.

ADDENDUM: Filip Sitar's first-period goal stood up as the game-winner tonight as UConn blanked Sacred Heart, 1-0, to win its first-ever CT Ice championship in the tournament's five years, as Muszelik made 23 saves for the shutout. In the consolation game, Quinnipiac pasted rival Yale (5-13-1) by a 6-2 count.

Sacred Heart Edges Princeton in Shootout

Princeton's home overtime winning streak came to a close on Saturday.

The Tigers settled for a 2-2 non-conference tie with Sacred Heart at Hobey Baker Rink on Dec. 9 after 65 minutes of play. SHU won the ensuing shootout, 2-1, but for NCAA tournament purposes the game goes into the books as a draw. Princeton, which had defeated ECAC Hockey opponents Yale, Brown and Cornell in its three previous home games last month, is now 5-5-2 overall on the season, while SHU moved to 8-7-1. Princeton had earned a 4-0 win at SHU the previous evening in Fairfield, Conn. in the first meeting between the two schools since Jan. 2013.

Daniel Ebrahim led the visiting Pioneers with a goal and also drew an assist on Hunter Sansbury's goal, as SHU built a 2-1 lead after two periods of play. Noah de la Durantaye got Princeton on the board in the second stanza to tie the game at one, before Jack Cronin knotted the contest early in the third period. In the shootout, Kevin Lombardi and Mark Cheremeta sandwiched scores around one by de la Durantaye to give SHU the "win".

Cullen DeYoung made 32 saves for the Pioneers in his first-ever collegiate start, while Arthur Smith stopped all seven shots he faced for the Tigers over the final 25 minutes in relief of starter Ethan Pearson (17 saves). Princeton outshot SHU, 34-27, on the night, while the Pioneers won 36 of 64 faceoffs total. The two schools combined to go 0-for-5 on the power play, with Princeton squandering three extra man opportunities, including a five-minute major man advantage.

Both teams are now off until Dec. 30, when Princeton hosts Ivy League foe Harvard and SHU entertains Hockey East's New Hampshire.

Sacred Heart, UConn Open New Arenas with Splits

Sacred Heart University and the University of Connecticut both opened new on-campus hockey arenas this weekend in the Constitution State. Unfortunately, both the Pioneers and Huskies came up short in their NCAA men's debuts in their new homes, while both women's home teams won.

SHU (11-9-1) fell to Boston College, 3-2, in overtime on Saturday night in the inaugural game at Martire Family Arena in Fairfield. Conner Hutchison's second-period power-play tally was the first goal scored in the nascent facility, and came before 4.103 on-lookers. The SHU women defeated Harvard, 2-1, in OT in their first game at Martire the following day as Paige McNeil scored in the extra session for the Pioneers.

UConn (13-7-3) was edged by Northeastern, 4-3, in the first men's game at Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, on Saturday before 2,691 spectators. The UConn women's team had opened Toscano the day before with a 4-1 victory over Vermont, as the Huskies' Kate Thurman notched the first-ever goal in the new rink.

Sacred Heart Wins First-Ever Connecticut Ice

The inaugural Connecticut Ice hockey classic was claimed by Sacred Heart University.

Following a 6-2 victory over Yale on Saturday, the Pioneers wrapped up the title and bragging rights in the Constitution State with a 4-1 win over No. 17 Quinnipiac on Sunday. All games were contested at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn., which currently doubles as SHU's home ice.

Jason Cotton paced the Pioneers with a goal and an assist in each game, while Matt Tugnutt scored one goal and set up two others. Josh Benson picked up both wins in net for SHU (16-8-2 overall), and stopped 43 of 46 shots on the weekend.

Quinnipiac (14-9-1) earned a berth in the final with a 3-2 win over Connecticut (9-12-4) on Saturday, before Yale (9-10-0) edged UConn, 3-2, in the consolation contest yesterday.