SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College ice hockey team used a 60-minute, total team effort to earn a signature win, downing the University of Connecticut 3-1 on Tuesday, January 11in a battle of teams receiving votes in the latest USCHO poll.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score: RV AIC 3, RV Connecticut 1
Records: The Yellow Jackets improve to 9-9-1 overall and remain 8-4-0-0-0-2 in Atlantic Hockey Association play, while the Huskies drop to 9-8-0 but remain 6-4-0-0-1-0 in Hockey East action.
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts

KEY STATS:
Connecticut:
Jachym Kondelik: One goal, 15-of-18 on faceoffs
Logan Terness: Loss (0-1-0), 28 saves

AIC:
Eric Otto: Two assists
Chris Van Os-Shaw: One goal
Chris Theodore: One goal
Luis Lindner: One goal
Jake Stella: One assist
Justin Young: One assist
Jake Kucharski: Win (7-6-1), 24 saves

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first period was characterized by astute defensive play by both sides, as neither team allowed the opposition space in front of the net.
• AIC took the lead off of a mistake, as the Huskies turned the puck over to Eric Otto just outside their own blueline. The winger cut back into the UConn end and deftly slipped a backhand pass to Chris Van Os-Shaw in the slot for a one-timer goal, his third of the year, at 15:47.
• In the second, the Huskies pushed, but found themselves unable to solve Jake Kucharski in goal. AIC's netminder turned aside 14 shots in the frame.
• In the third, AIC found the insurance goal it needed. Justin Young tipped a pass to Jake Stella on a rush up the right side, and as Stella came toward the goal line, he fired across to Chris Theodore for a tap-in at 5:19, his fifth of the season.
• The Huskies finally lit the lamp midway through the third. Jachym Kondelik wired home a shot from the slot at 11:45 to cut AIC's edge to 2-1.
• The Yellow Jackets clamped down on the Huskies from there, and took back the two-goal lead late in the frame. Otto took a pass from Luis Lindner as he came over the line, and Lindner continued his drive to the UConn net. Otto flicked the puck to the front, and the rookie defenseman redirected it over the shoulder of Logan Terness for his second of the season at 17:03, putting the game away.

KUCHARSKI STARS AGAIN:

• Kucharski has stopped 88 of the 94 shots he has faced since the start of the 2022 calendar year, a .936 save percentage.
• He made nine saves on the power play, including five on Connecticut's third advantage of the evening.

A SIGNATURE WIN:

• AIC's victory over Connecticut marked its first win against a Hockey East opponent other than the University of Massachusetts.
• The victory moved the Yellow Jackets up six spots in the Pairwise rankings used to seed the NCAA Tournament. AIC is now 21st, the only AHA team in the top half.

NEXT UP:

• AIC hosts Mercyhurst University for an AHA series on Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15. Both games are 1:05 p.m. starts.
• Tickets for the games are available at www.aicyellowjackets.com/hockeytickets.