WORCESTER, Massachusetts The American International College ice hockey team broke a late draw thanks to an incredible goal by junior left wing Blake Christensen to take a 4-2 victory at The College of the Holy Cross in Atlantic Hockey Conference action on Saturday, December 1.

FAST FACTS:
SCORE:AIC 4, Holy Cross 2
RECORDS:AIC improves to 7-7-1 overall, with a 7-4-1 record in league play; Holy Cross falls to 1-10-2 overall and 1-6-1 in the AHC.
LOCATION:Hart Center, Worcester, Massachusetts

STATS:
AIC:
Kyle Stephan: One goal, one assist
Luka Maver: One goal
Blake Christensen: Game-winning goal
Jared Pike: One goal
Ryan Polin: Two assists
Zackarias Skog: Win (4-4-0), 26 saves in 59:44

Holy Cross:
Jack Surowiec: One goal
Matt Barry: One goal
Erik Gordon: Loss (0-8-2), 22 saves on 25 shots in 59:29

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross nearly scored first, as defenseman Johnny Coughlin rang a one-timer off of the crossbar, but a video review after play was halted confirmed that the puck did not cross the line. Off of the ensuing faceoff, senior center Shawn McBride won the draw cleanly to junior right wing Kyle Stephan, who fired the puck through goalkeeper Erik Gordon for his fourth of the season at 3:06 of the period.
• Late in the period, the Crusaders killed a penalty and then jumped onto the attack, with forward Jack Surowiec snapping a wrist shot home at 17:20 to tie the game 1-1.
• Holy Cross started the second period on a major power play, and was able to cash in at the tail end, as center Matt Barry fired a shot into the top of the net at 4:41 to put the host squad ahead 2-1.
• AIC drew two penalties to go on a five-on-three at the midpoint of the frame, but could not convert; a shot by Christensen rang the underside of the crossbar, but video review determined that it did not completely cross the goal line. A second power play after that one also came up empty.
• Undeterred, the Yellow Jackets launched a rush down the ice late in the frame, and Stephan sent a puck to the right side of the crease for senior defenseman Ryan Polin; Polin threw a cross-crease pass that hit redshirt freshman Luka Maver in the leg and went in. The officiating crew returned to the replay computer to see if the puck had been kicked in, but the call stood, giving Maver his fifth of the year at 15:44.
• AIC killed off a penalty to start the third, and both teams clamped down defensively thereafter, with the best chance coming from Maver on a partial breakaway near the midpoint of the period, but he was not able to get a clean shot off thanks to pressure from the back-check of the Crusaders.
• With overtime looming, Christensen made the decisive play in the game, getting behind the defense on a breakaway after a steal along the right-wing boards by Polin and subsequent flip pass over the middle. Christensen made two moves to beat Gordon, poking the puck into the net from his backside to scorehis sixth of the year with just 1:25 remaining.
• The Crusaders pulled Gordon, but junior left wing Jared Pike stole a cross-pass and buried his fourth of the year into the empty net to seal the win.

AT THE BREAK:

• AIC heads into the holiday break at 7-4-1, good for 15 points, which ties the Yellow Jackets with Niagara (7-4-1) and Army West Point (7-5-1) for second-most in Atlantic Hockey. The team has three more points than last year at the break despite playing two fewer games, as AIC's conference record heading into the stoppage was 5-7-2 for 12 points.
• The team has a positive goal differential and shot differential, and in their 12 conference contests, the Yellow Jackets are averaging 3.6 goals per game while allowing just 2.5. The +13 goal differential in Atlantic Hockey play is the best in the league to date.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets will take some time off before returning home to face Robert Morris University on Saturday, December 29 at 7:05 p.m.
  

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC ice hockey team, follow@AIC_HockeyonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAmerican International College Ice HockeyonFacebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow@AICAthleticsonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Yellow JacketsonFacebook.