AMHERST, Massachusetts-The American International College ice hockey team had a night of firsts, as two players netted their first collegiate goals and the Yellow Jackets earned a 3-0 win against the University of Massachusetts, their first-ever shutout of a Hockey East opponent.



AIC improves to 4-9-6 overall, remaining 3-5-5 in Atlantic Hockey, while the Minutemen fall to 5-14-2 on the year, with a 2-7-1 Hockey East mark.

Freshman Zackarias Skog was the starting goalkeeper, and he was tested early on, as Minuteman captain Steven Iacobellis had the game's first chance less than a minute in, a snapshot from the slot that the Gothenburg, Sweden native snared with his glove.

Rookie center Hugo Reinhardt had AIC's first quality opportunity about six minutes in, taking a breakaway pass and splitting the defense, but UMass's Nic Renyard was able to make the stop, and then did it again moments later as freshman right wing Dominik Florian also broke in behind the defense.

The Minutemen ramped up the pressure, with a dangerous chance by left wing Niko Hildebrand, but Skog was able to arm the redirection away.

The Yellow Jackets found themselves in a dire situation, taking three penalties in a span of 26 seconds late in the first, giving the hosts a long 5-on-3 power play for two minutes and another 1:34 of one-man advantage. However, the Minutemen were unable to capitalize, generating three shots in the extended man-up situation.

The last opportunity of the period came from the stick of freshman defender Nicolas Luka, who spun from the right point into the slot and whipped a wrister on target that Renyard caught with 21 seconds to go in the frame.

AIC struck first in the second period, with a turnover in the right circle allowing sophomore center Marc Dubeau to walk in and slam two pucks on Renyard; the keeper made the save, but freshman left wing Billy Vizzo pushed a chance from behind the net off of Renyard's skate and in at 2:37 for his first collegiate goal.

The teams traded power plays through the middle of the frame, and neither team was able to cash in, despite good chances at both ends. Skog was sharp on bids by left wings Brett Boeing and Kurt Keats as the period wore on, while Renyard made a strong save on Florian one-timer in the final minute.

The penalties continued into the third, and a four-on-four situation led to an AIC three-on-two, which sophomore defenseman Johnny Mueller stuffed into the net for his third of the year at 1:36 for a 2-0 Yellow Jackets edge. Freshman right wing Martin Mellberg had the lone assist on the play.

UMass had its turn on the power play midway through the stanza when Mueller was called for interference, but again Skog and the defense turned aside the chances, though Renyard made the most impressive save after the penalty ended, turning aside a spin-o-rama by junior center Bryant Christian to keep the deficit to two.

However, AIC would strike again to extend the lead to 3-0. Freshman right wing Kyle Stephan threw a pass from the left corner to the right point, where a rushing freshman defenseman Janis Jaks skated below the circle, faked a shot, and dished the puck to a waiting freshman left wing Joel Kocur, who potted his first career goal at 15:55.

That would be it for the scoring, as the Yellow Jackets' smothering defense kept the Minutemen from even earning a dangerous bid in the last minutes of the game, completing the team's shutout victory.

Skog, who made 27 saves in his first collegiate blanking of an opponent, improves to 2-5-4 on the campaign.

The Yellow Jackets return to Atlantic Hockey play with a two-game series at Robert Morris University beginning Friday at 7:05 p.m. at 84 Lumber Arena in Pittsburgh.