Holy Cross at Sacred Heart
Jan. 20-21, 2023 - 7 p.m.
Martire Family Arena - Fairfield, Conn.
SNY / FloSports TV
The inaugural weekend at the sparkling new Martire Family Arena in the books, the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team holds its first Atlantic Hockey series in the new digs on Friday and Saturday night, as Holy Cross comes to town. Catch all the action live on both SNY and FloHockey both nights at 7 p.m. Randy Brochu and Bryan Leitch have the call on Friday night, while Paul Pacelli is on the air with Freddie Coleman on Saturday.
The Connecticut Hockey Foundation will hold its annual fundraiser in conjunction with Saturday's game. Formed in August 2016 in memory of Connecticut hockey icon Jason Pagni, the Connecticut Hockey Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization, with a mission to support the sport of hockey to participants of all backgrounds, regardless of one's ability or limited resources within Connecticut.
LAST TIME OUT
It was a night quite literally years in the making. SHU opened the Martire Family Arena last Saturday night before a sold-out crowd of 4103, with a date with No. 19/20 Boston College. The two teams traded blows throughout regulation, which ended in a 2-2 tie. BC played spoiler in overtime, courtesy of Marshall Warren's game-winner, but it could do little to dampen the festive atmosphere in Fairfield, as the Pios finally had a home to call their own.
A LOOK AT THE PIOS
SHU (11-9-1, 10-4-1 AHA) has dropped back-to-back games against Hockey East opponents, but carries a four-game Atlantic Hockey winning streak into the weekend. The Pios were last in league action on Jan. 5, when they shut out Army, 5-0, at Total Mortgage Arena. SHU sits in second place in the AHA, nine points behind first-place RIT and four points clear of third-place AIC, at an acronym-heavy top of the standings. Kevin Lombardi had a goal and an assist against BC on Saturday, and has posted multiple points in three of the last four games. Neil Shea remains the team's leading scorer at 7-12-19, and has at least one point in six of the last eight. Ryan Steele is fourth in the AHA in goals per game (0.47), while Todd Goehring is tied-fifth in goals (9). Luke Lush is second in the league in goals-against average (2.38).
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross (7-13-2, 6-7-1 AHA) swept Air Force at home last weekend, is 2-1-1 coming out of the semester break, and has a four-game Atlantic Hockey winning streak of its own heading into the weekend. The Crusaders come to Fairfield with the reigning AHA Defensive Player and Goaltender of the Week, in Nick Hale and Jason Grande, respectively. Hale provided assists on six of Holy Cross' nine goals in the sweep of the Falcons and was +3 on the weekend, while Grande stopped 46 of 49 shots across the two games. The Crusaders have struggled to find the net, and are dead last in the AHA in goals per game (2.00). Jack Ricketts leads the team at 9-6-15 through 22 games. Jason Grande is fourth in Atlantic Hockey in goals-against average (2.47) and fifth in save percentage (.912).
LAST MEETING
The Pios and the Crusaders opened their respective Atlantic Hockey slates against each other with a pair of games at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass., in mid-October. SHU swept away Holy Cross on its home ice, 3-2 and 5-1. Neil Shea had a goal in each game, but the Pioneers spread the offense around, with seven different players finding the net. Matt DeBoer had 1-1-2 in the front end of the series for Holy Cross.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Holy Cross is SHU's most-played opponent in program history. The two teams have met 87 times dating all the way back to 1994, with Holy Cross holding a slim, 43-39-5 advantage. The teams are dead even at 31-31-4 in 66 all-time Atlantic Hockey contests. Sacred Heart holds a 23-16-3 advantage in 42 meetings on home ice against Holy Cross, but this weekend will obviously mark the Crusaders' first-ever visit to Martire Family Arena. SHU has won eight of the last 11 meetings between the two teams, dating to November of 2019.
