FAIRFIELD, Conn – It's been 202 days since the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team last played at the Martire Family Arena, but that wait is almost over, as SHU welcomes Merrimack and Simon Fraser (B.C.) for an exhibition and a scrimmage this weekend. 

Sacred Heart vs. Merrimack
    Friday, Oct. 4 -- 6 p.m.
Sacred Heart vs. Simon Fraser (B.C.)
    Saturday, Oct. 5-- 4 p.m.
Martire Family Arena -- Fairfield, Conn.
LIVE on FloSports

MEET THE LEADERSHIP GROUP
On Tuesday, head coach C.J. Marottolo debuted the team's leadership group for the 2025-26 season. Mikey Adamson and Reid Pabich will serve as co-captains, while John Driscoll and Marcus Joughin were named alternate captains. Adamson is the lone captain retained from last year, as he is trading an "A" for a "C". 

PRESEASON FAVORITES
For the second straight season, the Pioneers were picked as the favorites in the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) Preseason Coaches Poll. SHU earned seven of the 10 first-place votes. Sacred Heart went 16-7-3 in the conference last season and was the second seed in the AHA Tournament, topping Air Force in the AHA Quarterfinals before falling to eventual champs Bentley in the Semifinals. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers' season came to a close in the Atlantic Hockey America semifinals against eventual champs Bentley. SHU led 2-0 after the first period in the opener, but a furious rally by the Falcons led them to a 5-2 win. Bently got the better of SHU in a goaltender battle in the second game, with a goal in the first 56 seconds on a loose puck proving to be the lone score until the Falcons buried two empty-netters. Ajeet Gundarah capped his outstanding debut season with 33 saves on 34 shots. 

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Merrimack went 13-21-1 last season, earning the No. 8 seed in the Hockey East Tournament after going 5-18-4 in league play. The Warriors struggled all season to find their footing, ranking 10th in Hockey East in scoring defense (3.20), 11th in scoring offense (2.31), and 11th in scoring margin (-0.89). Returning for Merrimack are rising juniors Max Lundgren and Seamus Powell. Lundgren led the defense with 638 saves and a .909 save percentage, while Powell paced the offense with 21 points and 16 assists. In addition to the returners, the Warriors added 13 newcomers, including three transfers and 10 rookies. 

ALL-TIME SERIES VS MERRIMACK
The Pioneers and Warriors will meet for a seventh time on Saturday, with the last two games being exhibition matches. Merrimack owns a 5-1-0 lead in the series, winning the last four meetings. SHU's victory in the series came on Oct. 9, 2016, by a 2-1 final score. The Pios went to Lawler Rink in North Andover, Mass., and scored a pair of second-period goals to earn a road win over a stellar Merrimack team. 

ALL-TIME SERIES VS SIMON FRASER (B.C.)
SHU battles the Red Leafs for a third time on Sunday afternoon. The Pioneers won the previous three meetings by a 16-4 combined score. Sacred Heart got the better end of last season's meeting by a 7-3 final score, with Luke Amell and Mikey Adamson both scoring goals. 

UP NEXT
The Pioneers will hit the road on Friday, October 10, for the first of two games against RIT, which will kick off the 2025-26 regular season. The opening bout against the Tigers is slated to start at 7:05 p.m., while the second game on Saturday will be a 5:05 p.m. start at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester, N.Y.