Men's Ice Hockey Hosts Ice Breaker Tournament this Weekend

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The start of the 2026-27 regular season is finally here for the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team, as the Pioneers host Bowling Green and No. 17 Penn State for the Ice Breaker Tournament at the Martire Family Arena this weekend.

Sacred Heart vs. Bowling Green
    Friday, Oct. 9 – 7:00 p.m.
Sacred Heart vs. No. 17 Penn State
    Saturday, Oct. 10 – 7:00 p.m. (Live on SNY)
Martire Family Arena – Fairfield, Conn.
LIVE on FloHockey

LAST TIME OUT
The Pios played in a pair of preseason games, falling to No. 20 Merrimack, 3-1, on Friday before bouncing back with a 3-0 win over Carleton on Sunday afternoon. Against the Warriors, the visitors held a 1-0 lead after one period before the Pioneers evened things up in the second with a goal by newcomer Diego Buttazzoni. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, a pair of third-period turnovers turned costly as they led to Merrimack goals, which propelled the visitors to a win.

SHU wasted no time taking control of the second game against Carleton, scoring a pair of first period goals to take the lead. Vitaly Levyy netted both goals for the Pios in the first, capitalizing on an Emmanuel Vermette pass in front of the crease and by tipping a Chase Ramsay shot by the opposing netminder. Vermette iced the SHU win with an empty-netter late in the third, capping a 40-8 advantage in shots by the Pioneers.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
The Falcons are the lone team in the tournament that opened the 2026-27 season already. Bowling Green fell in a home-and-home series against No. 2 Michigan, 7-2 and 4-3. The one-goal game came at Bowling Green and saw the home team up 2-0 in the first period before a three-goal second by the Wolverines resulted in a defeat. The Falcons are coming off an 18-11-7 2025-26 that ended in the CCHA Mason Cup Quarterfinals.

Through two games, sophomore forward Jeremie Minville leads the team with two goals, lighting the lamp in both games against the Wolverines. Connor Levis (1-1-2) and Carson Campbell (0-2-2) also have two points heading into this weekend. Jacob Steinman started both games in goal for the Falcons, making 57 saves with an .864 save percentage. He is coming off an 8-3-3 between the pipes last season with 352 saves and a .921 save percentage in 15 appearances.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BOWLING GREEN
The Pios will meet the Falcons for the first time in both teams' histories on Friday evening.

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State is coming off its second straight season making the NCAA Tournament, going 21-14-2 overall and 12-10-2 in the Big Ten in 2025-26. Last year, PSU made an appearance in the Big Ten Semifinals and bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the Albany Regional bout to No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth, 3-1.

The Nittany Lions ended the season with one of the most potent offenses in the country, ranking fifth in goals per game (3.68), sixth in team points (682) and eighth in power play percentage (26.0). However, heading into the year, PSU will have to replace a lot of its fire power, as it lost its four leading scorers, who accounted for 167 points. Gavin McKenna, the NHL No. 1 overall draft pick, Matt DiMarsico and Aiden Fink all signed professional deals, while JJ Wiebusch transferred.

Despite the losses, the Nittany Lions return and added a lot of fire power. First round NHL draft pick Jackson Smith (15-11-26) and captain Reese Laubach (12-16-28) are both set up to play an important role on the team this season. Maine transfer Justin Poirier, a former 5th-round NHL draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, also stands to be an important part of the team's offense. Sophomore goaltender Josh Fleming will look to build upon an outstanding freshman campaign, where he went 10-7-2 with two shutouts, 617 saves, a 2.6 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. PSU
SHU and PSU will meet for a seventh all-time meeting on Saturday. The Nittany Lions hold a 6-0-0 lead in the series, but half of those games were decided by one goal. Penn State will make its first trip to Sacred Heart since the 2012 campaign.

UP NEXT
The early-season tests for the Pioneers keep coming as SHU next hosts the Big Ten's Ohio State for a pair of games on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 16-17. Both games against the Buckeyes are slated to start at 7 p.m. at the Martire Family Arena.

Players Mentioned

Diego Buttazzoni

Vitaly Levyy

Chase Ramsay

Emmanuel Vermette

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