A few of Connecticut’s Division 1 men’s teams are feeling good about themselves entering the holiday break. As of this weekend, the approximate mid-season recess has arrived for all but three clubs from the Tri-State area.
Sacred Heart resides closest to New York City and enjoyed a happy bus ride back home to Fairfield after sweeping RIT on the road for its first back-to-back wins of the season and the lone sweep in three Atlantic Hockey series played last weekend.
Head coach C.J. Marottolo’s team earned 4-3 and 6-4 wins over the Tigers, who have won two of the last four Atlantic Hockey postseason championships. The Pioneers did not sweep a league set last season until the first weekend of February at Mercyhurst, but the Pioneers have now won four straight contests in the head-to-head series with RIT dating back to March.
Senior Mike Lee (Hamden, Conn.) was named Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week after scoring a pair of go-ahead goals in the series opener. The Vermont transfer gave his team a 2-1 lead with 4:27 left in the second period before netting the game-winner with five seconds to play in overtime. Sophomore Matt Tugnutt scored twice in the second game of the series.
