BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut The American International College ice hockey team opened Atlantic Hockey Conference play with a 2-1 win against Sacred Heart University on Friday, October 18.

FAST FACTS:
SCORE:AIC 2, Sacred Heart 1
RECORDS:The Yellow Jackets stand at 1-2-0 on the season with a 1-0-0-0 AHC record; Sacred Heart drops to 0-3-1 overall and 0-1-0-0 in the AHC.
LOCATION:Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut

STATS:
Sacred Heart:
Vito Bavaro: One goal
Marc Johnstone: One assist
Mike Lee: One assist
Josh Benson: Loss (0-3-1), 24 saves in 58:40

AIC:
Tobias Fladeby: One goal, one assist
Martin Mellberg: One goal, one assist
Brennan Kapcheck: One assist
Blake Christensen: One assist
Zackarias Skog: Win (1-2-0), 32 saves in 59:41

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• On an early power play, the AIC offense flexed its muscle; senior Hugo Reinhardt won the draw back to junior Brennan Kapcheck. He went cross-point to the left side for senior Blake Christensen, who moved the puck down the left side to his classmate, Martin Mellberg, who in turn one-timed a pass to junior Tobias Fladeby inside of the right dot for a blast at 6:37 to make it 1-0. From the draw to Fladeby's first of the year took just 12 seconds.
• The Pioneers had a near-immediate response; Vito Bavaro finished a rush with Marc Johnstone and Mike Lee at 7:36 to tie the game; that score held through to intermission despite two more AIC power plays in the period.
• Early in the second, the Pioneers went to a power play and pounded at the net, but senior Zackarias Skog was up to the task, making five saves during the disadvantage to keep his team even at 1-1.
• The Yellow Jackets first full power play of the middle stanza was much more fruitful, as Fladeby passed from the right dot to Kapcheck at the mid-point for a shot; Mellberg deflected it over the shoulder of Josh Benson and into the net at 10:22 for his first of the year.
• Sacred Heart drew another penalty late in the frame, and the Pioneers thought they had tied the game with 2:16 remaining in the frame, but video review showed that Skog stopped the Austin Magera shot just shy of the line, keeping it 2-1. He stopped two additional shots as the penalty expired for another quintet of shorthanded saves.
• In the third, the Pioneers had yet another power play, but it was cut short by Reinhardt, who picked the pocket of a Sacred Heart defender to generate a breakaway and drew a slashing call.
• Sacred Heart pulled Benson in the final 90 seconds, but the defense held off the Pioneers attack to earn the 2-1 win.

SKOG SAYS NO:

• Skog was brilliant while the Yellow Jackets were down a man, making 16 saves on 16 shots on the penalty kill as well as one with the Pioneers skating 6-on-5 in the final minute.
• His 32 saves are a season high and give him 1753 on his career, passing Dan Ramirez for sixth on AIC's Division I-era list of most stops by a goalkeeper.
• He stands two wins behind Ben Meisner '13 for the most wins in program history; Skog is at 28, while Meisner compiled 30.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets skate for Pioneer Valley supremacy at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst on Friday, October 25 at 7 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.