MILFORD CT- The Sacred Heart Pioneers hosted the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers (RIT) on Friday night at the Milford Ice Pavilion. RIT was favored to win, not only by their all-time record of 4-1-0 against SHU, but also in preseason polls which ranked the Tigers second over the fourth-ranked Pioneers.

The difference in predicted ranks was difficult to see once the puck hit the ice, as the Pioneers led by 3-1 until the third period. The game finished in overtime play with a tie, 3-3.

The first period was almost dead, void of high penalty counts or ridiculous numbers of shots on goals. Then, with less than a minute left in the opening period Sacred Heart’s Eric Giosa stepped up to the puck, scoring the first goal of the game off a feed from Chris Bailer.

Period two saw a lot more action. Sacred Heart, although served an unsportsmanlike conduct call, concluded the period with very few penalties. Several penalties plagued the Tigers, including two unsportsmanlike conduct calls. However, the penalty box wasn’t the only thing warming; the nets were on fire too.

The Pioneers took advantage of their numerous powerplays, scoring the first two goals of the period, while the Tigers were down a man. At 4:32 into the period, Bear Trapp and Matt Gingera assisted Dave Berube with his goal. Shortly after, teammate Erik Boisvert put one past the goalie with the assistance of Patrick Knowlton.

The crowd went wild with excitement and confidence and also taunting the RIT goaltender, Louis Menard.

RIT refused to be silenced. Sean Murphy scored the first goal for the Tigers off a feed from Dan Ringwald and Tyler Brenner during a power play. Sacred Heart held onto the lead for one more period, 3-1.

The breakdown began coinciding perfectly with the third period. Sacred Heart’s goal scoring was behind them and RIT was just getting started. The Tigers opened with a goal by Cameron Burt with assistance of Alan Mazur and goalie Menard. Mazur then fed another pass, along with Anton Kharin, to Jesse Newman who tied the game, 3-3.

Overtime came and went with four unsuccessful shots on net by RIT and no shots by Sacred Heart. Pioneer goaltender Stefan Drew along with Tiger goalie Menard each made thirty saves, neither one able to claim a victory.

Tonight’s tie brings the Pioneers to a 0-4-1 record overall, with four consecutive losses to Air Force and Notre Dame. Their Atlantic Hockey Conference record still stands at 0-2-1 with games against Air Force and RIT factored in.

Tomorrow night the rivaling teams faceoff again as the Pioneers host the Tigers in night two of the showdown. The puck drops at 7:05.