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2
SHU SHU 2-4-0
8
Winner American Int'l AIC 11-3-0
SHU SHU
2-4-0
2
Final
8
American Int'l AIC
11-3-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
SHU SHU 1 1 0 2
American Int'l AIC 2 3 3 8

Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey |

Kapcheck sets program assists record in ice hockey's offensive explosion

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts The No. 19 American International College ice hockey team had an epic offensive performance, toppling Sacred Heart University 8-2 in an Atlantic Hockey Conference matchup on Tuesday, January 26.

FAST FACTS:
SCORE: No. 19 AIC 8, Sacred Heart 2
RECORDS: AIC improves to 11-3-0 on the season and 9-1-1-1 in the AHC; Sacred Heart drops to 2-4-0 overall and 1-2-1-1 in league action.
LOCATION: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts

STATS:
Sacred Heart:
Kevin Lombardi: One goal
Marcel Godbout: One goal
Josh Benson: Loss (2-3-0), 28 saves on 35 shots in 50:35
Luke Lush: No decision (0-1-0), four saves on five shots in 9:15

AIC:
Eric Otto: One goal, two assists
Chris Dodero: One goal, one assist
Justin Young: One goal, one assist
Nico Somerville: One goal, one assist, +4 rating
Justin Cole: One goal, one assist
Chris Theodore: Two assists
Brennan Kapcheck: Two assists, +4 rating
Julius Janhonen: Two assists
Elijiah Barriga; One goal
Blake Bennett: One goal
Aaron Grounds: One goal
Jake Kucharski: Win (4-0-0), 13 saves


HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • Sacred Heart opened the scoring by winning a battle along the left-side, as Derek Contessa found Kevin Lombardi on the left side for a shot into the net at 7:03.
  • AIC's offense went to work and quickly tied things up, as senior Brennan Kapcheck moved the puck down to redshirt sophomore Chris Theodore, and the winger set up his newest teammate, senior Justin Young, for an open one-timer at the top of the slot for his first as a Yellow Jacket at 11:46.
  • Less than two minutes later, AIC took the lead; redshirt sophomore Eric Otto won a faceoff in his own end to freshman Nico Somerville, and Somerville crossed the puck to the right side of the zone for sophomore Hunter Johannes, who returned it over the middle to Otto on the rush. Otto bulldozed to the net and jammed the puck under Pioneers goalkeeper Josh Benson for his second of the season at 13:40.
  • AIC started the second with a power play, and did not convert, but took a lead shortly after off a rush as Theodore, Young, and junior Elijiah Barriga executed a brilliant passing play, with the line's centerman there on the doorstep to pot his third of the year at 0:33.
  • Sacred Heart took advantage of a power play to cut into the lead as Marcel Godbout snapped home a goal at 3:24.
  • AIC quickly answered on the next shift as redshirt junior Justin Cole threw a hit in the offensive zone that led to a turnover, and freshman Julius Janhonen quickly flicked it forward to senior Chris Dodero, who went back across the slot for Cole to net his sixth of the season at 4:07.
  • Sophomore Blake Bennett took a penalty, but it turned out to pay off as the Yellow Jackets killed it and Otto sent Bennett in on a breakaway from the sin bin; Bennett lit the lamp for the second time on the year at 15:36.
  • Cole, Janhonen, and Dodero started the offense in the third, with Dodero nabbing his fourth of the year at 7:25 on a pass from his rookie center; the Pioneers challenged for goalkeeper interference but the officials ruled that the contact was outside of the crease.
  • AIC continued to pour on the scoring, with sophomore Jake Stella and freshman Michal Stinil getting to the net to create a scramble that freshman Nico Somerville shoveled home for his first collegiate goal at 10:16, ultimately chasing Benson from the net.
  • The Yellow Jackets closed out the scoring in spectacular fashion, as Otto set up Kapcheck for a one-timer and rookie Aaron Grounds managed to fire home the puck from on the ice for his fifth of the season at 14:14 for the 8-2 result.

STOUT DEFENSE:
  • In addition to the offensive eruption, AIC held the Pioneers to just 15 shots in the game; by comparison, the Yellow Jackets had 20 in the second frame alone.
  • AIC scored more goals in the third (three) than they allowed SHU to generate shots on target (two) in the frame.
  • Junior Parker Revering and sophomore Brett Callahan led AIC with four blocked shots as part of AIC's 19 total blocks.

AN APPLE A DAY FOR FOUR YEARS:
  • With his two assists on the evening, Kapcheck passed Blake Christensen '20 for the most assists in the Division I era of program history with 72.
  • Since the start of his collegiate career in 2017-18, Kapcheck is fourth in all of Division I among defenders in assists, behind only Alec Rauhauser of Bowling Green, Philip Beaulieu of Northern Michigan, and Scott Perunovich of Minnesota-Duluth.

NEXT UP:
  • AIC aims for a home-and-home series with the College of the Holy Cross beginning with a tilt in Worcester on Friday, January 29 at 5:05 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.
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