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Brown University
2-6-0, 0-6-0ECAC
Connecticut
3-7-4, 2-3-1HEA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCONN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brown | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Naclerio, Ernst Lift Men's Hockey Over UConn, 1-0
11/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Junior Mark Naclerio (Milford, Conn.) scored the lone goal of the game in the third period and sophomore Tim Ernst (Pickering, Ontario) stopped all 25 shots he faced as the Brown men's hockey team shutout Connecticut, 1-0, in Saturday afternoon's non-conference matchup at Meehan Auditorium.
Brown improves to 2-6 overall to stop a six-game skid, while UConn moves to 3-7-4 on the season.
Naclerio broke a scoreless tie at 9:51 of the third period for his first goal of the season. Ernst made 25 saves in net for the Bears to earn the first shutout and win of his collegiate career. Rob Nichols made 27 saves for the Huskies. Brown outshot the Huskies by a 28-25 margin.
"It was a defensive battle," said head coach Brendan Whittet. "I thought we had a great first period, where we seemed to really limit what they had, and had a lot of chances ourselves. We did a lot of good things, but there are a lot of things we can clean up. The guys worked really hard and it was nice to be rewarded."
Brown raced out on the offensive to open the contest and continued to put pucks on net throughout the first period, outshooting the Huskies, 14-3. Brown picked up the pace on the other end of the ice as well, as the Bears blocked seven shots to keep the game scoreless at the first intermission.
UConn answered back in the second period with an advantage in shots, 13-9. Despite five combined power plays in the period and several chances in front, neither team was able to find the back of the net. After a pair of Brown penalties near the end of the stanza, UConn had a 5-on-3 with 41 seconds left to play, but Tim Ernst came up with a timely save to keep the game scoreless after two periods.
Brown killed off the remaining 39 seconds of the two-man advantage at the start of the third period, starting when Davey Middleton (Novi, Mich.) won the opening faceoff, which set the tone for the rest of the penalty kill.
Naclerio scored the only goal of the game at 9:51 of the third period. Connecticut lost control of the puck in front of its own net, where Naclerio took a advantage of the turnover, as he quickly buried a shot past Nichols to lift the home side in front, 1-0.
The Huskies kept up the pressure for the remainder of the period, but the Brown defense limited the amount of quality shots and Ernst took care of the rest as the Bears secured their first shutout of the season.
Brown returns to action tomorrow when they visit Holy Cross for a non-conference matchup at 1 p.m. Brown's next home game is Friday, December 5 when they play host to defending national champion Union at 7 p.m. Tickets for all Brown men's hockey games can be purchased online, calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or walking up to the Box Office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
