I had the chance recently to talk to Pierre-Luc O’Brien, who starred for Sacred Heart from 2004 to 2008.
O’Brien was a three-time Atlantic Hockey all-star as well as a Hobey Baker finalist. He holds the school’s record for career points (156).
When asked about his favorite college hockey memory, O’Brien related the “Miracle at the MIC” that happened on Nov. 4, 2006, at the Mercyhurst Ice Center in a game between Mercyhurst and O’Brien’s Pioneers.
Trailing 4-0 with around four minutes to play, Sacred Heart scored four goals in three minutes, three by O’Brien, to send the game to overtime, with SHU getting the game-winner about three minutes into the extra frame.
Last Friday, there were echoes of that game in a contest between Sacred Heart and Mercyhurst at the MIC. Not quite a miracle, but something to behold.
Trailing 3-1 midway through the second period, Sacred Heart scored three times in 21 seconds to take a 4-3 lead that it would not relinquish, eventually prevailing 6-3.
Three goals.
21 seconds.
“I don’t know how you explain it,” said Pioneers coach C.J. Marottolo. “I can’t recall ever seeing anything like that. It was an incredible feat.”
Rookie Marcus Joughlin got things going at 10:03, followed by Dante Fantauzzi at 10:13. Ryan Steele’s second goal of the game came 11 seconds after that, at 10:24.
“After getting down by two, we were pushing hard to get that next goal and some momentum,” said Marottolo. “After the first one, the bench had a lot of energy.
“I picked my head up and it was Dante Fantauzzi getting the first goal of his college career. The third one, we won a race and threw it at the net.”
It was a huge momentum shift that Marottolo said he didn’t want to lose.
“I said to the guys that the next shift (after the third goal) was huge. We needed to keep doing what we were doing and not get caught up too much in the excitement.”
Sacred Heart earned five of six points at Mercyhurst and is tied with Rochester Institute of Technology atop the Atlantic Hockey standings.
The teams square off in Rochester this weekend. SHU brings a balanced, veteran group that is poised to make some noise this season. Steele is one of three players who opted for a fifth year for a chance to play in Sacred Heart’s new on-campus rink, the Martire Family Arena, which opens in January.
“There was a lot of anticipation going into this season for a lot of reasons,” said Marottolo. “We have a lot of depth, but we’re still working through the kinks as we move through the season. But we feel that we have a team that should be competing for a championship.”
A big challenge comes up this weekend against RIT.
“It will be a great test for us,” said Marottolo. “RIT’s obviously playing very well. Their special teams are at the top of college hockey. And it’s always a great atmosphere. They get great fan support. You really can’t ask for anything more.”
To be successful, Marattolo says his team needs to stick to the script and use its advantages.
“We need to stay out of the box and manage the puck well,” he said. “That doesn’t guarantee anything but it’s a good start. “We want to play fast, use our speed not just on offense but on defense too.”
The teams have developed a bit of a rivalry as a result of some fiercely contested postseason meetings.
Sacred Heart ended RIT’s season in 2018, and RIT returned the favor in 2019 and 2022, with all three playoff series requiring three games to settle.
“We always seem to end up playing each other,” said Marottolo. “We Know each other well. I have a lot of respect for (RIT coach) Wayne (Wilson) and his staff. They do things the right way.”
An early-season battle for first place ups the ante.
“There’s a little bit of a rivalry for sure,” said Marottolo. “Good rivalries start with good games, and we’ve had a lot of them.”
