Men's Ice Hockey Begins AHA Postseason against Niagara

Friday, March 6

Fairfield, Conn.

7:00 PM

Sacred Heart

Niagara

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Men's Ice Hockey Begins AHA Postseason against Niagara

3/5/2026 12:18:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Game Notes

SHU hosts the Purple Eagles for a best-of-three series this weekend

By: Josh Smith

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – As the calendar flips to March, so begins playoffs in college hockey. No. 2 seeded Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey begins its postseason run in the AHA Quarterfinals on Friday-Sunday, March 6-8, in a best-of-three series against No. 8 Niagara at the Martire Family Arena.

No. 2 Sacred Heart vs No. 8 Niagara AHA Quarterfinals
Friday, March 6 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 8 – 5:00 p.m. (If Necessary)
Martire Family Arena – Fairfield, Conn.
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FELIX CHECK IN
At the end of the regular season, it is time to check in on standout senior Felix Trudeau. The Terrebonne, Quebec, native continues to lead the AHA in both points (41) and goals (23). Nationally, he ranks first in power play goals (11), second in hat tricks (2), third in goals per game (0.70), sixth in game-winning goals (5) and 13th in points per game (1.24). Trudeau is the Pioneers' 2026 Hobey Baker Award nominee, the December AHA Forward of the Month and a two-time AHA Forward of the Week. He heads into Friday tied for second on SHU's single-season goals leaderboard with Aaron Foust (1994-95).

GETTING HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME
The Pioneers have been outstanding in closing out the regular season, sweeping Army and Holy Cross in back-to-back weekends and winning six of their last eight games. This excellent close to the season set them up to clinch the No. 2 seed in the AHA for a second consecutive season, which would secure home ice for the quarterfinals and semifinals and a home championship game if No. 1 Bentley is upset along the way. SHU matched its longest win streak of the season and eyes its first five-game win streak since early in 2024-25. The Pios are also one win away from their second consecutive 20-win season and their fourth 20-win campaign in the C.J. Marottolo era.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers earned a split at Army this past weekend, skating to a pair of one-goal wins to clinch the No. 2 seed in the AHA Tournament. SHU took the first game 3-2, finishing the game without an even-strength goal. After a late first-period goal put the Pios in a 1-0 hole, Reid Pabich sparked the team with a shorthanded tally 4:23 into the second period. The goal came in the midst of a five-minute power play for the Black Knights and completely flipped the momentum in the game. Gavin Bryant then scored late in the second on a power play to make it 2-1 Pioneers. Felix Trudeau capped the night with an empty-netter.

Game two saw the Pioneers take the lead first, with Marcus Joughin scoring 11:48 into the first period. Army evened the score in the second and went to the third tied at 1-1. It didn't take long for the Pioneers to take the lead in the third, as John Driscoll made it 2-1 at 1:17. Army tied the score again 3:47 later before Bryant and Stephane Huard scored within a minute of each other to swing the game in a 4-3 Pioneers' win.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES
No. 8 Niagara heads into the AHA Postseason quarterfinals coming off a win over No. 9 Army in the first round on Tuesday evening in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The Purple Eagles won 5-4, coming back from a 4-3 deficit in the third period. Niagara improved to 13-21-1 overall with the playoff win and was 9-16-1 in the conference, earning the No. 8 seed in the tournament.

The Purple Eagles head into the weekend coming off five straight conference weekend splits, which followed being swept by Mercyhurst and Sacred Heart. These late-season setbacks can be partially attributed to the team's struggles on the road, as it is 2-11-1 away from Dwyer Arena.

Five Eagles head into the weekend with 20+ points, led by junior forward Declan McDonnell with 24. McDonnell is in a three-way tie for the team lead in goals with freshman Marshall Finnie and senior Noah Hackett at 12 each. Sophomore goaltender Deivs Rolovs paces the team with 1079:16 minutes and is 8-12-0 with a 3.00 goals against average and a .901 save percentage.

ALL-TIME SERIES
SHU meets Niagara for the 46th time in the two teams' histories on Friday. The series is remarkably close, as the Purple Eagles own a one-game advantage at 22-21-2. Sacred Heart took both games this regular season and has won four straight overall. Niagara has gotten the better of SHU in the playoffs, winning the 2023 and 2024 AHA quarterfinals at the Martire Family Arena.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers are aiming for a second straight trip to the AHA Postseason Semifinals. If SHU advances, it will host a best-of-three series on Friday-Sunday, March 13-15, at the Martire Family Arena.