FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Junior goalie Sam Lucchesi saved sophomore Logan Liljeberg's shot at the final horn to preserve Hobart College's 10-9 Northeast Conference win over Sacred Heart this afternoon. Lucchesi made a career-high 20 saves on the day, including seven in the fourth quarter, to lead the Statesmen to their fifth straight win.
 
Lucchesi is the first Statesman with 20 or more saves in a game since Jackson Brown '17 made 22 stops against Saint Joseph's in 2015. Lucchesi also picked up a career-high six ground balls.
 
Senior faceoff specialist Matthew Pedicine won 12 of 21 faceoffs and scooped up a game-high seven ground balls. Junior Justin Scott led the offense with four points on three goals and an assist. First-year Derrek Madonna contributed three points on a goal and two assists. Junior Eric Holden and first-year Jason Knox both scored twice.
 
The Pioneers (5-4, 1-1) were led by the three-point efforts of seniors Connor O'Reilly and Joe Saggese. O'Reilly logged a hat trick and Saggese scored twice with an assist. Senior defenseman Joseph Cippoletti matched Pedicine's seven ground balls and notched a game-high four caused turnovers. Junior goalie Brooks Dutton was nearly as sharp as Lucchesi, making 17 saves.
 
The game was tied 2-all at the end of the first quarter. Sacred Heart struck first less than three minutes into the contest. Holden got the Statesmen (7-1, 2-0) on the board with under three minutes left, hitting the far bottom corner of the cage with a jump shot from the right side. About two minutes later, Madonna scored an extra-man goal, rifling home a sidearm sling from 15 yards out. Scott was credited with the assist. The Pioneers pulled even 29 second before the end of the frame on a goal by Saggese.
 
Scott and Knox accounted for Hobart's second quarter scoring. In the first five minutes, SHU twice took a one-goal lead, but each time Scott equalized for the Statesmen. He netted his first goal with a run down the left alley, scoring on a backhanded shovel shot. Five minutes later, Scott scored on a 10-yard low-to-low shot, tying the game at 4. Knox followed with back-to-back goals, sending Hobart into the break with a 6-4 lead. With over six minutes to halftime, Knox buried a feed from Madonna to push the Statesmen back in front and then, inside the final minute, Knox picked up a rebound on the crease and dunked it home for his 23rd goal of the season.
 
The Statesmen extended their lead early in the third quarter when senior defenseman Franklin Marquet unleashed a 15-yard shot for his first career goal. The Pioneers roared back with four straight goals in a five minute span to take an 8-7 lead. Hobart regained the momentum with Holden's extra-man goal near the five minute mark. It was his team-leading 24th goal of the year. Senior Bryan Hancock put the Statesmen back in front with about two minutes left in the third quarter. That tally was set up by senior Chris Aslanian. It was the 85th assist of his career, matching Cam Stone '14 for first among Division I Statesmen.
 
It remained a one-goal game until Scott dodged past three defenders and scored from point-blank, giving the Statesmen a 10-8 edge with 5:13 to go. O'Reilly gave the Pioneers hope, completing his hat trick with 12 seconds remaining, but Lucchesi made his final stop of the day at the horn to avoid overtime.
 
Hobart had a 56-54 edge in shots and a 13-9 advantage in faceoffs. The Statesmen were 3-for-5 with the extra-man while killing off two of the Pioneers' three extra-man opportunities. Sacred Heart had a 33-31 edge in ground balls and committed seven fewer turnovers (16-23).
 
Hobart will return home for a pair of non-conference games, starting on Wednesday, March 27 when St. Bonaventure (0-7) makes its first trip to Boswell Field.