Sacred Heart scored twice in less than three minutes in the third period, and freshman goalie Jack Spicer made 42 saves as the Pioneers rallied past No. 15 Cornell 3-2 Saturday night at Lynah Rink.
Cornell outshot Sacred Heart 44-22 but settled for a split of its season-opening men's hockey series. The Big Red fell to 1-1, while the Pioneers improved to 4-4, according to Cornell's recap.
Cornell answers an early breakaway goal
Diego Buttazzoni put Sacred Heart ahead at 5:18 of the first period. He took Gavin Bryant's long stretch pass from the Pioneers' defensive zone and beat Mathis Rousseau to the blocker side on a breakaway.
Cornell killed a penalty midway through the period before Gio DiGiulian tied it at 16:21. DiGiulian finished a rebound after Spicer stopped Ryland Randle's shot from the blue line. Aiden Long also assisted.
Randle became the 10th Cornell freshman defenseman to begin a season with points in multiple games, and the first since Ben Robertson opened 2023-24 with a seven-game point streak.
Tyler Catalano gave Cornell a 2-1 lead at 6:42 of the second period, taking Reegan Hiscock's pass in the low slot and sending a wrist shot over Spicer's glove into the near-side upper corner. Coco Armstrong earned his first collegiate point with the secondary assist in his debut.
Coach Casey Jones praised the fourth line, with Catalano centering Hiscock and freshmen Charlie Arend and Armstrong alternating on the other wing.
"I thought they were physical," Jones said. "I thought they were effective. They got a goal."
Pioneers turn the game in the third
Cornell outshot Sacred Heart 17-9 in the second period, but Spicer made 16 saves to keep the deficit at one. Thirteen of those saves came with Cornell on the power play, including seven during the Big Red's first opportunity.
Aiden VanRooyan tied the game at 9:34 of the third. Landon Hanson sent a backhanded centering pass from below the goal line, and VanRooyan beat Rousseau low to the blocker side from the right circle.
Spicer followed with a cross-crease save on Hiscock at 10:25. At 12:33, Cornell's clearing attempt from behind its net deflected off Hanson to Ethan Semeniuk at the left post. The freshman lifted the puck over Rousseau's left shoulder for his first college goal and a 3-2 lead.
Hanson finished with two assists, the game's only multi-point performance.
"We turned a lot of pucks over while we were exiting," Jones said. "That was our biggest problem."
Jones said Cornell "didn't have the same energy and same intensity and attention to detail we had last night."
Spicer holds off Cornell's late pressure
The Big Red held a 26-13 advantage in third-period attempts and a 14-5 edge in shots on goal. Cornell pulled Rousseau for a six-on-four advantage with 2:02 left but could not tie the game.
Spicer stopped the final 20 shots he faced to earn his first collegiate win. He was the first opponent to make 40 saves against Cornell since Sacred Heart teammate Ajeet Gundarah did so Jan. 10, 2025.
Cornell went 0-for-4 on the power play despite putting 16 shots on goal with the extra skater. The Big Red killed both Sacred Heart power plays and allowed two shots during those opportunities. Rousseau finished with 19 saves.
Captain Ryan Walsh won 26 of 36 faceoffs, including the game's final six draws and the last nine he took. Cornell said his 26 wins were the most by a Division I player in regulation since Denver's Cole Guttman won 29 of 34 against Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 12, 2022. The Big Red led 49-31 in faceoff wins overall.
"Learning how to close two games on the weekend is going to be crucial down the stretch," Catalano said. "When we get into ECAC league play, everyone shows up, especially at Lynah. This is everyone's Super Bowl, so it's coming ready to play every night."
Cornell opens ECAC Hockey play at home against No. 10 Quinnipiac, 5-2, on Friday, Nov. 6, and Princeton, 2-0, on Saturday, Nov. 7. Both games begin at 7 p.m.; tickets are available through BigRedTix.com.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
