UConn Defeated By Sacred Heart, 7-4

Freshman forward Max Letunov scored two goals for the Huskies
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 0:18  SAC1-0 EV Evan Jasper (7)Justin Danforth/14, Connor Doherty/5
1st 0:29  SAC2-0 EV Zach Luczyk (7)Alec Butcher/17, Liam Clare/6
1st 4:21  CON1-2 EV Maxim Letunov (12)Jesse Schwartz/7, Karl El-Mir/1
1st 8:50  SAC3-1 SH Justin Danforth (14) -
1st 9:04  CON2-3 PP Maxim Letunov (13)Tage Thompson/11
2nd 12:15  CON3-3 EV Spencer Naas (6)Johnny Austin/7, Tage Thompson/12
2nd 14:27  SAC4-3 EV Justin Danforth (15)Jordan Minello/9
2nd 15:28  SAC5-3 EV GW Jeff Carroll (1)Adam Durkee/1, Coltyn Hansen/3
3rd 7:47  SAC6-3 PP Mitch Nylen (3)Zach Luczyk/11, Justin Danforth/15
3rd 11:07  CON4-6 EV Shawn Pauly (5)Evan Richardson/5, Patrick Kirtland/8
3rd 18:34  SAC7-4 EV EN Jeff Carroll (2)Coltyn Hansen/4, Adam Durkee/2
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Sacred Heart  3227
Connecticut  2114
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Sacred Heart  11111032
Connecticut  951125
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Sacred Heart (10-13-3)  1/3 6/12 1
Connecticut (8-15-3)  1/6 3/6 0
Sacred Heart Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Brett Magnus (W, 10-11-3)59:584 741021
Empty Net0:020     
Connecticut Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Tanner Creel (L, 1-2-1)58:506 89825
Empty Net1:101     

HARTFORD, Conn. - UConn freshman Max Letunov (Moscow, Russia) scored a pair of goals to add to his team leading total but Sacred Heart University scored a season-high seven goals on the way to a 7-4 win over the Huskies at the XL Center Tuesday night. The Pioneers got a four point night from junior Justin Danforth who scored twice and assisted on two more in the win.

The non-conference loss drops the Huskies to 8-15-3 overall on the season while SHU improved to 10-13-3. The Pioneers also got a pair of goals from junior Jeff Carroll and a goal and an assist from senior Zach Luczyk.

UConn's Letunov scored twice in the first period to extend his point streak to six-straight games. He has notched at least a point in 14 of the last 15 games and has now scored a goal in the last four. The freshman leads the team with 13 goals and 29 points on the year.

Sacred Heart jumped out to a 2-0 lead just 29 seconds into the game and never looked back. Off the opening face-off, UConn got a solid scoring chance as Tage Thompson (Orange, Conn.) broke through on a break-away but was denied. The puck took a funny bounce and just as quickly as Thompson got a chance the Pioneers were up ice on a two-on-one chance. Danforth fed a perfect pass to Evan Jasper for a one-timer and a 1-0 lead just 18 seconds in.

On the game's next shift, SHU got another odd-man rush and Luczyk was able to bury a feed from Alec Butcher and the Pioneers had a 2-0 lead 29 seconds in, before many fans had a chance to settle in. UConn's Letunov cut the lead in half at 4:21, taking a feed from Jesse Schwartz (Toronto, Ontario) out of the corner and one-timing the puck home from right in front.

The Huskies first power play came at 8:42 of the first but the Pioneers needed just eight seconds to score shorthanded as Danforth caused a turnover at the blue line and broke up ice on a break-away, beating UConn goaltender Tanner Creel (Arlington Heights, Ill.) for his first and a 3-1 lead.

UConn got their second power play at 12:34 and Letunov notched his second of the night, cutting the lead to 3-2 at 9:04. Thompson fed his classmate with a cross ice pass to the left post and Letunov buried it for his 13th on the season. The Huskies pulled the game even at 12:15 in the second period as sophomore Spencer Naas (Minnetonka, Minn.) got a deflection in front of a Johnny Austin (St. Louis Park, Minn.) shot from the point, his sixth goal of the season.

SHU responded just over two minutes later and posted back-to-back goals in a span of 1:01 to take back control of the game. Danforth scored his second at 14:27 and Carroll scored his first of the night at 15:28, blasting a shot from the right wing that tucked right under the crossbar.

The Pioneers pushed their lead to 6-3 at 7:47 in the third, as Mitch Nylen scored on a rebound. UConn's Shawn Pauly cut the deficit back to two with a redirect goal on an Evan Richardson (Nanaimo, British Columbia) shot at 11:07 but that was a close as UConn would get. Carroll added an empty netter at 18:34.

The Huskies finished 1-for-6 on the power play and on the penalty kill, allowed their first goal in seven games, a streak of 21-straight kills.

UConn will be off until next Tuesday, February 1st when they play host to Brown University in their final non-conference home game of the season.