Men's Ice Hockey Hosts Merrimack and Carleton for Preseason Contests

Friday, October 2

Fairfield, Conn.

4:00 PM

Sacred Heart

Merrimack

Photo by: Josh Gee

Men's Ice Hockey Hosts Merrimack and Carleton for Preseason Contests

10/1/2026 11:22:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

Game Notes

SHU plays Merrimack on Friday at 4 p.m. before welcoming Carleton on Sunday at 2 p.m.

By: Josh Smith

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team is set to host Merrimack and Carleton to a pair of preseason games at the Martire Family Arena this weekend. SHU will play the Warriors first on Friday, Oct. 2 at 4:00 p.m. before welcoming Carleton on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 2:00 p.m.

Sacred Heart Preseason Games
vs. Merrimack | Friday, Oct. 2 – 4:00 p.m.
vs. Carleton | Sunday, Oct. 4 – 2:00 p.m.
Martire Family Arena – Fairfield, Conn.
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PRESEASON FAVORITES... AGAIN
For the third consecutive season, the Pioneers were picked as the preseason favorites in the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) Preseason Coaches Poll. SHU bested two-time defending AHA champs Bentley by one point, 59-58. Sacred Heart has lived up to these lofty expectations, tallying back-to-back 20-wins seasons and making the AHA Championship game in 2025-26. SHU became the first team since AIC to be named AHA preseason favorites for three straight seasons, as the Yellow Jackets earned the poll's No. 1 spot between 2019-22.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pios fell in an all-time AHA Championship game, 3-2, at Bentley. After a scoreless opening period, the Falcons took the game's first lead 2:43 into the second period. SHU wasted no time answering, evening the score with a goal from Vitaly Levyy at 5:59 in the frame. The Pioneers took a 2-1 lead at the 15:15 mark of the second, as Gavin Bryant cashed in on a power-play chance to send SHU into the third period up 2-1.

Unfortunately for Sacred Heart, the experience of Bentley shined in the third, as the Falcons scored twice in the first 12:47 of the frame to swing the lead. Gundarah did his best between the pipes, with 32 saves, but the Falcons' pair of third period goals proved to be enough to secure back-to-back championships.

MEET THE LEADERSHIP GROUP
On Tuesday, coach C.J. Marottolo announced the team's leadership group for the 2026-27 season. Jake Bongo will serve as the team's first solo captain since Marc Johnstone in 2020-21. Bongo has been a staple of the SHU lineup during one of its best stretches as a team, as he has seen back-to-back 20-win seasons and an appearance in the AHA Championship game.

Assisting Bongo will be alternate captains Aiden VanRooyan, Devin Phillips and Cole Galata. Phillips has a long history of donning a letter, as he was a captain and alternate captain in his time with Holy Cross. VanRooyan and Galata will take this role on for the first time, as both gained real leadership qualities down the stretch of last season.

AWARDING AJEET
A big reason the Pioneers were named the preseason AHA favorites is their standout backstop Ajeet Gundarah, who was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year. The outstanding junior has had an outstanding start to his career, as he enters the season with the highest save percentage (.933) amongst active goaltenders. Gundarah was also nearly unbeatable over the home stretch of the season when he returned from injury, ending the year 7-2-0 over his final nine appearances, tallying 250 saves, a 1.67 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage, and one shutout. He became the first Pioneer to be named the AHA Preseason Player of the Year since former SHU great Neil Shea was named Co-Player of the Year before the 2022-23 season.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Merrimack ended last season as one of the hottest teams in the country, going undefeated over its last seven games, including winning its first Hockey East Championship as the 8th seed in the event. The Warriors became the lowest seeded team to win the Hockey East Championship. Merrimack's Cinderella run came to an end with a 3-0 loss to No. 2/1 North Dakota at the Sioux Falls Regional in the NCAA Tournament.

Overall, the Warriors tallied a 21-16-2 record. The team ranked in the 20s on both sides of the puck, sitting at 22nd in goals per game (3.10) and 27th in goals allowed per game (2.82). SHU will have to contend with a challenging Merrimack power play, as the Warriors ended last year ranked sixth in the country with 34 power play goals and ninth with a 25.8% success rate on the extra man.

The Warriors return all three of their 30-point scorers from a season ago, as Parker Lalonde (37) and Justin Gill (35) return as sophomores and Trevor Hoskin (35) enters as a junior. Merrimack added Latvian standout Linards Feldbergs at goalie. The freshman was a standout at the 2025 World Juniors.

ALL-TIME SERIES
SHU will meet the Warriors for an eighth time on Friday. Merrimack holds a 6-1-0 record in the series, but many of the games have been close. SHU won a 2-1 regular-season contest in 2016, and two of the last three meetings were decided by one goal.

SCOUTING THE RAVENS
Carlton went 11-17-0 last season in U Sports (OUA conference). The team competes in Ottawa, Ontario, under head coach Patrick Delisle-Houde. The team returns both of its leading scorers from a season ago in Nick Mccarry (16-14-30) and Felix Bedard (8-19-27). In goal, Dylan Meilun returns after going 9-11-0 last year with 572 saves, a 3.30 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.

UP NEXT
The 2026-27 regular season kicks off on Friday, Oct. 9, with the Ice Breaker Tournament at the Martire Family Arena. SHU begins the event by hosting Bowling Green on Friday at 7 p.m. before welcoming No. 17 Penn State the following night at the same time.