Sacred Heart upsets No. 1 UMass Lowell in hockey

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It took Sacred Heart four months to win its first men's hockey game last year. It took 60 stunning minutes to win its first this time around.

Trumbull's Alex Vazzano made 35 saves Friday in his first game as a Pioneer as Sacred Heart stunned No. 1 UMass Lowell 2-1 at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.

Vazzano, a sophomore, had to sit out last year according to an NCAA rule after transferring from Vermont.

The River Hawks won Hockey East last year, losing in overtime to eventual champion Yale in the national semifinals. The Pioneers were 2-30-4 last year, opening 0-26-2 before finally beating Holy Cross on Feb. 19.

But junior forward Drew George's second goal, with 14:11 remaining, put Sacred Heart ahead for good Friday.

"I thought we played a pretty structured, disciplined game," Pioneers coach C.J. Marottolo said in the school's press release. "I liked our energy level throughout the whole game."

Sacred Heart faces No. 15 RPI on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport. Admission is free.

George scored on a power play 3:48 into Friday's game, and Vazzano and the Pioneers protected that lead into the third period.

Sacred Heart killed off a long power play early in the third, including a 16-second five-on-three. But Joseph Pendenza tied it 4:24 into the period.

It took George 85 seconds to break the tie off Ben Lake's faceoff win.

"The turning point in the game was our guys' response to the Lowell score," Marottolo said. "You could feel the energy level in the building rise, and we responded with a quick goal."

The Pioneers beat then-No. 8 Yale 7-6 in a zany evening Nov. 22, 2011, at Webster Bank Arena. It was their first and, until Friday, only win against a ranked opponent, a win they hoped would be a defining moment, but they were 7-47-7 since.

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SACRED HEART.................................1 0 1--2

UMASS LOWELL................................0 0 1--1

Records: Sacred Heart 1-0; UMass Lowell 0-1. Goals: SH--Drew George 2; ML--Joseph Pendenza; Assists: SH--David Iacono, Ben Lake; ML--Michael Kapla, A.J. White; Goalies: SH--Alex Vazzano (35 saves); ML--Connor Hellebuyck (23); Shots: SH--25; ML--36