Takeaways from Sacred Heart's 4-3 OT Connecticut Ice consolation win over Yale, including Todd Goehring's game-winning goal

The Connecticut Ice consolation game between Sacred Heart and Yale did not disappoint. A back-and-forth battle between the Pioneers and Bulldogs men's hockey teams ended in a 4-3 Sacred Heart overtime win over Yale at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.

Five things to know from Sunday's game

1. The two programs entered the 1 p.m. start on SNY after a pair of tough losses Saturday. Yale suffered a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of UConn while Sacred Heart's near upset of Quinnipiac fell apart late in a 3-2 overtime loss to the No. 2 Bobcats.

More than midway through the first period, the Bulldogs broke through, building an early 2-0 lead on goals by sophomore forwards Henry Wagner (7:27) and Ian Carpentier (power play, 4:09) roughly three minutes apart. The Pioneers answered with a score from senior forward Ryan Steele (1:14) before the first intermission, but Yale led 2-1 over Sacred Heart.

2. The second period was relatively quiet until Pioneers junior forward Braeden Tuck (4:14) found the back of the net in the final two minutes, tying Sacred Heart and the Bulldogs at 2-2. Pioneers senior forward Austin Magera shook free from a Yale defender on the left side and found a cutting Tuck for the perfectly-timed cross and shot snuck past Yale sophomore goaltender Nathan Reid.

3. Not even a minute later, though, the Bulldogs responded on a power play in which senior forward Kyle Johnson (3:27) slipped behind Pioneers fifth-year senior defenseman Rourke Russell during a switch and scored his first career goal. Yale sophomore defenseman Ryan Conroy, retreating from the right corner, found a cutting Johnson while Russell's back was turned and Johnson's tap past Sacred Heart senior goaltender Josh Benson put the Bulldogs back in front of a 3-2 lead entering the third period.

4. Sacred Heart refused to go away, however, knotting the game back up at a 3-3 tie on a power-play goal by Pioneers fifth-year senior forward Dante Palecco (16:57). In the right place at the right time during a shot by freshman defenseman Hunter Sansbury, Palecco cut and deflected the puck under the legs of Reid and eventually forced overtime.

5. In the five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period, senior forward Todd Goehring (1:40) lasered a wrist shot for the game-winning score and secured Sacred Heart a 4-3 walk-off victory. Steele sent the puck up and across to Goehring, who took advantage of a screening sophomore defenseman Andrius Kulbis-Marino and sniped the decisive shot past Reid's right shoulder.

Highlights

What's next

While Quinnipiac (20-2-3, 10-1-1 ECAC) and UConn (12-10, 8-6 Hockey East) battle for the Connecticut Ice crown in the championship game at 4:30 p.m. on SNY, Sacred Heart (10-12-3, 7-8-8-2 Atlantic Hockey) looks to build off the consolation momentum with Tuesday's 2 p.m. conference matchup against RIT.

Yale (5-12-1, 4-7-1 ECAC), meanwhile, hopes to bounce back in Friday's 7 p.m. game versus St. Lawrence.