C.J. McConnell broke a 3-3 tie with 3 minutes, 25 seconds left in the third period, and American International scored three goals in the third period to defeat Fairfield 4-3 in the semifinals of the Q-Cup.
It was the season opener for both teams. AIC will play Quinnipiac in the title game at 7 p.m. EDT Saturday; Fairfield will play Bentley in the consolation game at 4 p.m.
AIC’s Frank Novello made 35 saves for the victory. Fairfield’s Andrew Martin stopped only 15 of the 19 shots he faced.
Brian Payant and Rae Metz scored in the second period to break a 1-1 tie and give Fairfield a 3-1 lead after two periods.
But AIC took control in the third period, with Andy Walbert cutting the lead to one, Guillaume Caron tying the game at 15:38 and McConnell getting the winner 57 seconds later.
