Pioneers Set The Tone Against Ohio State

By: Mackenzie Guarascio | Fairfield, CT | October 16, 2026 |

FAIRFIELD, CT — Sacred Heart welcomed the Ohio State Buckeyes to Martire Family Arena on Friday night, October 16, 2026, for the sixth meeting in history between the two programs. With a hard-fought 5-3 victory, the Pioneers chipped away at the historic series deficit, which now stands at 3-2-0 in favor of the Buckeyes.

Setting the Tone in the Opening Frame

Special teams took center stage early as the two squads traded a pair of minor penalties apiece in a highly physical first period. The initial infraction was assessed against Ohio State captain Ryan Gordon for cross-checking—the first of his two minors on the evening.

Sacred Heart defenseman Aiden VanRooyan matched Gordon’s discipline issues by picking up two separate tripping minors in the first frame alone. However, VanRooyan quickly redeemed himself at the 15:31 mark, launching an even-strength rocket to open the scoring. Assisted by Gavin Bryant and Mirko Buttazzoni, the ice-breaker gave the Pioneers a 1-0 cushion heading into the first intermission.

Taking Charge in the Second

The Pioneers exploded early in the middle frame, extending their lead beyond expectations. At 4:36, Ashton Dahms buried an even-strength tally off a feed from Jack Hillier to double the advantage. Minutes later, at 7:04 with Ryan Gordon back in the box for tripping, Nick Bernardo capitalized on the power play, assisted by Mirko Buttazzoni and Cole Galata, to push the lead to a commanding 3-0.

Ohio State refused to go quietly, mounting a furious response led by forward Evan Jardine. At 10:58, Jardine netted his first goal of the season on the power play, assisted by William Smith and Félix Caron. Jardine struck again late in the period at 19:13, burying his second of the night off passes from Nathan McBrayer and Will Tomko to pull the Buckeyes within one goal entering the final intermission.

Third Period Chaos

Sacred Heart briefly recaptured momentum early in the third period when Gavin Bryant struck on the man advantage at 1:07, assisted by Diego Buttazzoni and VanRooyan, to restore a 4-2 lead.

From there, the game descended into structural chaos. Ajeet Gundarah was run over in the crease twice by desperate Buckeye forwards. The second incident triggered simultaneous coaching challenges from both benches regarding a potential major upgrade. When officials confirmed the minor penalty stood, both teams lost their respective timeouts and challenges.

Instead of icing the game on the ensuing power play, a critical puck-handling error allowed Ohio State’s Ryan Gordon to score a shorthanded goal at 17:20, assisted by McBrayer, cutting the deficit to 4-3.

The Buckeyes pulled their netminder for an extra attacker in the final minute, but the Pioneers insulated the zone perfectly. Landen Gunderson intercepted a loose puck and fired it into the empty net at 19:23, assisted by Jake Bongo and Cole Galata, to secure the historic 5-3 victory.

Up Next

The two teams will close out their weekend series tomorrow night back in Fairfield. Sacred Heart will hunt for a perfect 3-0 record against Big Ten opponents this season, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 PM at Martire Family Arena. Live broadcast coverage will be available on FloSports.