BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Sacred Heart's Troy Conzo scored with 4:33 remaining in the 3^rd period to break a 3-3 tie to help the Pioneers to a 5-3 win over Bentley University on Thursday night at Webster Bank Arena.

Bentley had battled back from being down 3-0 in the first period and 3-1 in the second period to tie the game. They scored two goals in the final 5:10 of the 2^nd period to tie the score, off the sticks of sophomore Cole Kodsi (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Brendan Hamblet (Hopkinton, Mass.).

The score stayed 3-3 deep into the 3^rd period until Conzo put the Pioneers in front. That was followed by an empty-net goal by Patrick Dawson with 58 seconds remaining.

Sacred Heart (9-10-2 AHA) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, but Bentley pulled one back when grad student Kohei Sato (Nishitokyo, Japan) scored his 3^rd of the season at the 16:56 mark.

Neither team was able to score for most of the second period, until Kodsi broke the deadlock with his 6^th tally of the season at 14:50. Matt Gosiewski (Wilton, Conn.) had control of the puck in the offensive zone and dropped a pass off for Kodsi at the top of the right face-off circle. Kodsi then fired on the face-off dot and beat SHU goalie Justin Robbins with a low shot to his stick side.

Bentley then tied the game with just two seconds left in the period on Hamblet's 2^nd goal of the season. Defenseman Ethan Roswell (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) pushed the puck forward from the defensive zone to the stick of Hamblet down the right wing. Hamblet then centered a pass to freshman Harrison Scott (San Jose, Calif.) who put a shot on net that Robbins saved. But Hamblet was there to tap in the rebound for the goal.

That however was Bentley's final goal of the night as SHU was able to pull ahead with the late goals.

Bentley (10-10-1 AHA) will look for the series split in the second game on Friday night at 6:05 PM.