Schwartz nets game-winner in 3-2 double overtime win over Sacred Heart
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Austin Schwartz scored the game-winner with 33 seconds left in the second overtime as Air Force defeated Sacred Heart, 3-2, in game two of the Atlantic Hockey quarterfinal series, Saturday, March 8, at Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Conn.
With the win, Air Force and Sacred Heart play the deciding third game of the best-of-three quarterfinal series on Sunday, March 9, at 5:05 pm ET. The game will be broadcast live on AM 740 KVOR.
Sacred Heart (20-11-5) took a 1-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. After winning a faceoff in the offensive end, Hunter Sansbury took a shot from the right point that was saved by Guy Blessing, but the puck trickled behind him. Reid Pabich tapped it in for his 12th goal of the season, and a 1-0 lead, at 3:21 of the first period.
Air Force (16-20-3) tied the game early in the second period. Chris Hedden sent a puck into the Pioneer zone and Sam Jacobs carried it behind the net. Jacobs found Andrew DeCarlo at the top of the crease and the senior tied the game at 4:25. The goal was his fifth of the season and his second of the year against SHU.
Early in the third period, SHU took a 2-1 lead just one second after a Pioneer power play expired. Matthew Guerra scored with a wrister from the left point that snuck through traffic. Just a few minutes later, the Pioneers were back on the power play. A shot by Pioneer Jake Bongo hit the post on the power play and Holt Oliphant carried the puck out of the zone. A shot by Mason McCormick was saved and Mitchell Digby scored his second short-handed goal of the season. His wrister from the right circle tied the game at 8:52.
In the first overtime period, Air Force outshot SHU, 14-3, but neither team was able to score. Sacred Heart had 2:30 of power-play time in overtime, while Air Force had 30 seconds.
In the second overtime, the Falcons had a 6-0 shot advantage in the first eight minutes. Late in overtime, the Falcons killed a Pioneer power play, blocking three SHU shots and a pair of saves by Guy Blessing. With under a minute left, DeCarlo took a shot that was blocked, but Brendan Gibbons kept the puck alive and found Hedden at the left point. Hedden’s shot was tipped by Schwartz at the hash marks. The puck flew high into the air, landed behind Gundarah and slid into the net for the game winner.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this group. They have a lot of spirit and fight in them,” head coach Frank Serratore said. “I’m so happy for our guys because we deserved to win this game. I thought they faded and we got stronger as the game kept going. I thought we were the alphas in the game. We came from behind twice, out-shot them by a large margin and won the territorial game. Blessing was confident and sound in there for us.We live to fight another day. It will be interesting to see how much both teams have left in the tank. Both teams used a lot of energy in these two games.”
Air Force had a season-high 58 shots in the game while SHU had 34. Blessing made 32 saves for the Falcons. SHU freshman Ajeet Gundarah made 55. Air Force was 0-for-2 on the power play and killed all five of the Pioneer man advantages.
