Sacred Heart Hockey Blog

2025 CT Hockey State of the Union with The Quinnipiac Hockey Blog, UConn Hockey Central, & The Yale Hockey Blog

1/22/2025

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Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: @SHUHockeyBlog
Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: @QHockeyBlog
UConn Hockey Central: @uconnhockeyctl
Andy (Yale Hockey Blog): @Yale_HockeyBlog

First off….vibe check? How are you feeling more than halfway into the season?

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: I am feeling pretty good overall. We’re sitting in first place in the Atlantic (for now with Bentley and Niagara catching up to us in games played…that regular season title race is going to be insane). The team has been humming since early November outside a bad weekend against Holy Cross. Beating two ranked teams in UMass to start the year and Cornell last weekend felt really good too.

UConn Hockey Central: I’m feeling very cautiously optimistic so far about this season. UConn is currently 11th in pairwise and 4th in Hockey East. Obviously UConn is outperforming expectations and a lot of guys have stepped up. That being said, they've been in this position before and not made the tournament so I don’t want to get too excited just yet.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: I’m actually feeling better about this team now than at the start of the season. Going into a 3-5 hole was a tough start to the season especially dropping the first two conference games at home but since then they are 10-2-1 with the only terrible game in that stretch against Northeastern which was an embarrassing 5-1 home loss. I am hoping that loss was the wake up call the team needed.

Yale Hockey Blog: I have mixed feelings at this point. They've clearly improved off last season, especially offensively. They're getting to inside ice much more than in the past few seasons and I've loved their freshman class. However, the rest of the ECAC has improved too so it's not obvious from the standings. I'm extremely happy that they are finally out of the basement of the ecac which they've been in the last few years. However, my goal for them was to hit .500. Instead they're 5-11-1 overall and 4-7-1 in the ecac.

Are preseason expectations being met?

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: So far, yes. My main expectation this year was to win the Atlantic Hockey Tournament and make the NCAA’s for the first time. This is especially after being picked to win the league and with how the last couple seasons have ended with us getting bounced early. Obviously, it’s still January, but personally that’s my expectation. I’d love to win the regular season title as well, but the tournament is my main focus. The team needs to keep chugging along and get to March.

UConn Hockey Central: So far my Preseason expectations have definitely been met. All I wanted was for them to be competitive since they had such a poor season last year and lost a ton of players. Outside of a series against Merrimack earlier in the year they’ve done just that.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: They were picked second in the ECAC prior to the season so being 6 points up on second place Clarkson is good right now. Clarkson does have 3 games in hand as Quinnipiac has played more conference games than anyone else. That will change on CT Ice weekend when the rest of the ECAC catches up. I think they have met expectations because I didn’t know what to expect of them since they essentially have a ton of new players and they only have 3 players remaining from the championship team of two years ago.

Yale Hockey Blog: My expectations (hopes) were that they could hit .500. I think if this were last year's ECAC, they might have done that but it's going to be an uphill climb for them to it this year. Offensively, they've made significant improvement but their defense seems to have stagnated and their goaltending has not been as good as past years. It's worth noting that their d group (including some of their better Dmen) is incredibly banged up which has caused some of the stagnation. It's so bad that they've been playing a forward at D this past weekend.

What, if anything, is the biggest change you feel your team needs to make in the second half of the year?

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: Special Teams. The Pioneer power play is 10th in Atlantic Hockey, only ahead of Army, at 15.0%. We also take too many penalties with 113 as of writing this, which is the third most in the conference. We desperately need to stay out of the box down the stretch. If the power play can take a step, this team is going to be hard to beat.

UConn Hockey Central: I think the biggest change UConn has to make as the 2nd half of the season is on the power play. Right now UConn is 3rd in Hockey East in Power Play opportunities yet only rank 7th in the conference in Power Play Percentage. I feel like that’s something they can improve on a little bit more.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: I think they just need to be more consistent every single weekend. There have been some lapses recently especially in the AIC game where they blew a big lead and needing a late goal to win and then having the awful effort against Northeastern. If this team can show the consistency week in and week out they will be tough to beat down the stretch.
Yale Hockey Blog: They need to tighten up defensively, get better goaltending (who doesn't) and show more consistent effort. They've been streaky. Some nights they're engaged and look like they can play with anyone. Other nights they look like they're chasing the puck and disengaged. Consistency has been a big problem for them. That's why they have wins over Dartmouth, BU and Cornell but also some bad losses to LIU and Princeton

Who’s been team MVP?

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: I am going to cheat and give two names. First is Felix Trudeau. The Maine transfer has been awesome in his first season as a Pio, leading the team in goals, assists, and points. He’s also tied for first in Atlantic Hockey in goals, and leads the league in points (He’s also 14th nationally in points). The other is Ajeet Gundarah, whose been ridiculous in net since he came back from injury. He’s 10-3-2, with a 1.92 GAA and a .932 SV% which is top ten in the country. He’s also only a freshman.

UConn Hockey Central: In my opinion the Team MVP has been Hudson Schandor. On the ice he leads the team in assists and is tied for team leader in Points Off the ice as a grad student he’s been a great leader for the team. Honorable mention to Ryan Tattle as well.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: I really can’t think of a team MVP as no one has stood out more than anyone else. The goaltenders have played about even and the forwards no one has been dominant and running away with the point total. At this point it’s really a toss-up.

Yale Hockey Blog: Probably freshman Ronan O'Donnell. He's averaging 0.88 pts/game as a freshman and has been really good lately. He has a rocket for a shot. For a team that desperately needed some finishing talent, he's provided it. David Chen is their best player but he was out for the first half of the season and only played 9 games.

Who is an under the radar player everyone should look out for?

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: I am going to go with Freshman Charles Tardif. He’s a physical forward who has played up and down the lineup all year. He’s 5th in assists and has blocked 15 shots. He’s young, but he does a bit of everything and I feel like he’s going to develop into a star.

UConn Hockey Central: An under the radar player that people need to know about for UConn is freshman defenseman Trey Scott. He leads all defenseman and Freshman in Points with 10. He also has 3 goals and is a Plus 7. This year he has been great in key situations like the Penalty Kill.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: I think freshman Chris Pelosi might be under the radar at this point. I know its hard to believe with him being a Boston Bruins 3rd round pick but he didn’t have the best first half of the season with only 5 points. But since the second half got underway he has 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) in 6 games. He might be primed for a second half breakout.

Yale Hockey Blog: Outside of Chen and O'Donnell, Donovan Frias has the size (6' 4") and ability to be a difference maker in any given game. Zach Wagnon is also a really crafty playmaker who you might not notice but seems to impact play most times that he is on the ice.

Favorite moment from the first half?

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: Again, I have two. The first is beating a ranked UMass at the Mullins Center. Mikey Adamson, who transferred from UMass, scored a goal that ended up being the winner which had to feel so good for him. The other is killing a full two minutes of five on three in the third period of a tie game against Cornell. That was an incredibly gutsy kill to keep a game tied. Ajeet Gundarah played a huge role in that. That game ended in a tie (I actually said to my fiancee that we’d win if we killed the penalties before it started, whoops), but still that was an incredible effort that just so encapsulates this team.

UConn Hockey Central: Favorite moment from the first half of the season has to be beating 2nd ranked Boston College on home ice. Not only did they win but the game was very entertaining as well

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: I think the tie vs. Cornell at Madison Square Garden was the best moment so far. Big crowd which was essentially a Cornell home game with the support they had there and Quinnipiac got off to terrible start trailing 2-0 after a period. But they stormed back in period two with 3 goals before Cornell tied it in the third period eventually ending in a tie.

Yale Hockey Blog: Beating BU 7-5 was pretty fun. They were engaged, playing really well together and creating tons of chances from between the dots. Josh Seguin noted that if they had just a little more finishing, they could have scored 10 goals that night.

What are the goals for the remainder of the season? This weekend included.

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: The goal for the remainder of the season is to win the Regular Season Atlantic Hockey Championship and win the Atlantic Hockey Tournament.

UConn Hockey Central: The goals for the remainder of the season is obviously to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history but also to get back to the TD Garden and compete for a Hockey East Championship as well winning CT Ice for the first time.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: The goals for Quinnipiac should be to win the Cleary Cup as the ECAC regular season champions. With the way this season has played out they may have to win the conference tournament in order to get in. CT Ice is definitely important to win because Quinnipiac plays UConn in the opening round and they are a top 15 pairwise team and its likely the Bobcats last shot to add a quality win to the resume.

Yale Hockey Blog: I think the goal should be to climb the mountain to .500 in the ECAC and then try to get to Lake Placid (ECAC championship weekend). They have the ability and with a bit more consistency I think they could get there but it would be pretty tough.

Thoughts on CT Ice as an Event? What do you like, dislike, etc.

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: I love it. I think it’s a great event where everyone in the CT Hockey Community can come together. I think it can become such a great event in the future. I would love for it to get back to including the youth hockey and high school hockey as it did during the first event (that we won btw lol). I would also like for the four women’s programs to be involved in this event. I know they have the Nutmeg Classic every year, but having both the men’s and women’s event under the same name and around the same time would make it so much better.

UConn Hockey Central: I love the CT Ice Tournament. I think it’s a great event for the State of Connecticut and hopefully it become Connecticut’s version of the Beanpot where CT kids want to stay at home play for the four CT schools and try to win that trophy.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: I like the tournament as a whole as its good for the state of Connecticut. It gives bragging rights to a school in the Nutmeg State for that year. Its never going to be on the level of the Beanpot but it’s a good tournament for the region.

Yale Hockey Blog: I LOVE it! I had been wanting this for years before they finally did it. I'm just sad they finally got their act together after Yale's golden years between 2006-2016. I think it's great for hockey in the state and great for the programs. My dream is that they try to grow it into something like the Beanpot in terms of prestige. That will take years and dedication but I hope they try.

Do you prefer the rotation of venues for CT Ice? Or would you prefer one set location?

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: I want CT Ice to become our Beanpot. I think to do that, it needs one central location and that’s in Hartford. I’ve gotten some pushback from SHU fans for having that opinion, mainly due to distance from campus, but it’s a central location, it’s a big arena, it has all the bars within walking distance. I think it would be perfect. You could even keep a banner like they do at TD Garden with all four schools and the winner up all year.

UConn Hockey Central: I would prefer the CT Ice Tournament to be held in Hartford every year instead of rotating through the different schools. I just feel like Hartford is a good central location near all of the universities. The capacity of the arena also makes the atmosphere of the games much better versus what you will get some of the other arenas in the state.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: I like the rotation of venues because it can guarantee a sellout crowd especially at Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart and Yale. UConn who knows because they would probably use the XL Center vs the on campus arena.

Yale Hockey Blog: I don't really have a hard opinion on the venue. I wish they could do the Beanpot thing at an NHL arena but obviously CT doesn't have that. I think rotating it is probably the next best option especially with the new arenas at UCONN and Sacred Heart. Bridgeport just kind of felt too big and couldn't bring as much energy as energy as you'd want for a tournament like this.

Predictions for this weekend?

Sacred Heart Hockey Blog: Trying to be as non-homer here as possible. I think we get a Sacred Heart-UConn final, and I think UConn wins CT Ice for the first time with Quinnipiac handling Yale for third. I think they’ve been rolling and their momentum carries into this weekend. I do think it’s a game though, maybe like a 4-3 or 5-3 final score.

UConn Hockey Central: I’m going to be biased and say that UConn will win CT Ice for the very first time. I just feel like the way they have been this year has been great and I feel like they’re due to win this trophy since they’ve come so close so many times in the past. That being said you can never count out Quinnipiac and Rand Pecknold and I will be interested to see if SHU home ice advantage helps them out in any way. Should be a fun tournament though.

Quinnipiac Hockey Blog: I think Quinnipiac has the best team in the tournament. But UConn and Sacred Heart have played very well this year as well. The Bobcats have the tougher first round matchup against UConn which they really need to win for pairwise. UConn is a good team but they have been inconsistent at times with weird losses to Holy Cross and Merrimack two teams that aren’t at the top of their league standings. I think Quinnipiac beats UConn and then edges Sacred Heart out for the title in a hard fought battle.

Yale Hockey Blog: Sacred Heart beats Yale, QU beats UCONN, UCONN beats Yale, QU beats Sacred Heart

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Blogservations 10/25 & 10/26, 2024

10/28/2024

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SHU Men vs. Holy Cross 10/25/24 | 2-1 OTL

First Atlantic Hockey game of the season
Injury Updates: Daniel Ebrahim is still week to week. We did get two new developments during warmups. Ajeet Gundarah was dressed for the first time, so he is getting closer. Jake Bongo was not on the ice for warmups. He is also banged up and is week to week. The Sophomore had two assists in four games
Lineup
- Ghirardosi - Joughin - Pabich
- Minnehan - Dorrington - Levyy
- Trudeau - Guerra - Jaworski
- Hewitt - Tardif - Galata (Dumas was the Extra Skater)
  - Blanchard - Sansbury
  - Driscoll - Adamson
  - VanRooyan - Sundquist
    - DeYoung (Gundarah and O'Donnell backed up)
Sacred Heart came into this game on a three game losing streak against Holy Cross, in which they were out scored 12-4 (all last year). Prior to that skid, SHU was unbeaten in 8 of the previous 10 (1 tie) against the Crusaders
Cullen DeYoung would get his 5th consecutive start to begin the season. Very curious to see if Gundarah gets a shot when he's healthy
Sacred Heart found itself on the Penalty Kill just two minutes into the game (this would be a theme) when Paul Minnehan was called for a trip. Opening kill was a good one for the Pios, capped by a great DeYoung save and a heads up play by Hunter Sansbury to clear the puck from in front of the net
Less than three minutes later, Mack Oliphant was called for a trip…seventeen seconds into the ensuing power play, Hunter Sansbury blasted one home to give Sacred Heart a 1-0 lead. Matt Guerra had another great chance on a two on one just 1:09 later, but either went wide, or Thomas Gale barely got a piece of it
John Driscoll and Tyler Ghirardosi got assists on Sansbury’s goal
Sacred Heart would get two more power play opportunities, including 25 seconds of a 5 on 3, but couldn’t convert
John Driscoll made a great pass to find John Jaworski with a chance to make it 2-0 with 2:50 left in the first, but was turned away by Gale who made a great save
The first period ended 1-0 Sacred Heart. The Pios all but controlled every facet of the frame, outshooting Holy Cross 17-4
The second period got off to a flying start when Cullen DeYoung made another great save and play with the paddle to clear the puck away from an open net. Then on the other end, Max Dorrington was denied on a breakaway, and the Charles Tardif was also stuffed when he tried to jam the puck in
Then the cascades of penalties started. First, Mikey Adamson was called for a cross check 7:53 into the period. That PK only lasted for 39 seconds after Jack Stockfish was called for interference
Sacred Heart was then called for three penalties in a span of seven minutes…first for too many men, then boarding on Hunter Sansbury, and a rough on Matt Guerra. The PK after the Guerra penalty only lasted 24 seconds due to Matt DeBoer being called for unsportsmanlike conduct before a faceoff
The second period ended with SHU still up 1-0, but Holy Cross had gotten back into it. Outshooting the Pios 12-7 (8 of those shots on the Power Play). This frame was much more even than the first
The third period felt like it was all Holy Cross. Basically the exact opposite of the first period. The majority of play was in the SHU end
John Driscoll got called for interference 5:42 into the third, and Holy Cross finally made Sacred Heart pay for all the penalties when Jack Stockfish scored on a rip from the slot. That was the 6th power play opportunity for the Crusaders. Way to many bites at the apple
The Pioneers would get one more shot on the power play in regulation when Nic Petruolo was called for High-Sticking. John Driscoll fired a shot from the just inside the blue line that was stopped, but found it’s way to Matt Guerra who quickly made a move to his backhand and put one on…from the stands, I thought it was going in but Thomas Gale made an unreal windmill glove save to keep the game tied. Tough break for SHU
Regulation would end 1-1, so Sacred Heart would get at least one point. This would be the third OT game for the Pios in just five regular season games
OT would not last long. 1:15 into the extra session, Liam McLinskey found the puck, circled around to the blueline and thanks to a little pick found himself with a ton of room and fired one home from the near circle to give Holy Cross the 2-1 win. Felt like SHU let one get away after a dominant start
SHU’s OT record is now 0-2-1 (they did win the the shootout at Colgate)
SOG finished 32-30 Holy Cross. Sacred Heart had just 13 SOG in the second and third periods, after having 17 in the first
Cullen DeYoung did have a really good night despite the loss, stopping 30 of 32 Crusader shots
Hunter Sansbury blocked six shots on defense, and had the Pioneer goal. He was everywhere
Not to be outdone, Garrett Sundquist had four blocked shots

SHU Men vs. Holy Cross 10/26/24 | 2-1 W

I did not watch this game live…but I had seen the tweets about problems with FloSports. Apparently, the stream only kicked on after the first period. I get technical difficulties happen, but I understand why fans on X were frustrated
Cullen DeYoung got the start again. He’s started every game this season for the Pioneers
Lineup
- Trudeau - Guerra - Pabich
- Ghirardosi - Dorrington -Jaworski
- Dumas - Tardif - Hewitt
- Minnehan - Joughin - Galata (Tremblay extra skater)
  - Blanchard - Sansbury
  - Driscoll - Adamson
  - VanRooyan - Sundquist
    - DeYoung (Gundarah and O'Donnell backed up)
Pabich, Dorrington, and Galata were the only forwards in the same spot as the night before. D-Core and Extra Skater remained the same
First period ended scoreless, with shots on goal tied 8-8. Sacred Heart did have a power play after an Interference penalty, but didn’t register a shot on goal. That’s really all I’ve got on the first period with no video
Early penalty called on Holy Cross 39 seconds into the second for a hook. Mikey Adamson a shot right away but that was the lone SOG. Felix Trudeau had to make a really nice blocking play to avoid a shorthanded chance
DeYoung had to make a great save on a two on one shortly after the power play ended
Holy Cross got on the board with 12:39 to go. Stockfish. Great pash, great move in front to go five hole. Period felt pretty even before then. That goal made SOG 11-11
Extended zone time for over a minute after the goal. DeYoung had to make a couple saves, Charles Tardif made a heads up play to clear the puck away in front. Net was open for a rebound
DeYoung made another really good glove save around the 8 minute mark off a SHU turnover to keep it 1-0. He was very good again
Pios were very sloppy with the puck after the Holy Cross goal
Matt DeBoer was called for a hook in the neutral zone with 6:09 left in the second. Liam McLinskey ended up with a partial breakaway that got kicked away right after the power play started. Good backcheck from Mikey Adamson to help prevent a better chance
Felix Trudeau was left WIDE open in front of the net, and he wrapped it around Gale to tie the game 1-1. Great feed from Jaworski. Max Dorrington got the other assist
Pios had a power play goal in both games this weekend
The replay of the game skipped the last 1:23 of the second…but the frame ended 1-1. Edge to Holy Cross, especially after the goal. SOG were 10-4 Crusaders in the frame
Great passing from Jake Hewitt, Charles Tardif, and Brendan Dumas leads to a Tardif chance that Gale got his right pad on. Great chance early for the Pioneers
Pios went back on the Power Play 1:52 into the third when Timothy Heineken hit Hunter Sansbury from behind. Again, Adamson had a SOG immediately but that was it
Aiden VanRooyan was called for a trio moments after the Pioneers own power play ended. PK showed up, HC had a couple shots from the circles that went wide, but nothing on goal
Reid Pabich had an awesome individual effort to score and put SHU up 2-1 with 11:45 to play. Forcing the turnover in the neutral zone, made a nice little move at the near circle and fired a wrister past Gale. Beautiful goal
Pios got another power play in the third after Nic Petruolo was called for a cross check at 9:12. Pios didnt have a SOG, but Holy Cross had three. McLinskey had a partial breakaway (good back check by Driscoll), and the DeYoung had to make two terrific saves on John Gelatt at point blank range. Again, DeYoung had a great weekend
Against, immediately after the Sacred Heart penalty expired, the Pios took a penalty when Jake Hewitt was called for kneeing with 8:47 to play. DeBoer had a shot that DeYoung kicked away with his left pad, but that was the best chance
A day after taking six penalties, Sacred Heart only took two and killed both (both in the third, but still better)
DeYoung had another massive save with 2:42 to go on Ben LeFranc who was all alone at the far circle
Holy Cross pulled Gale with 2:15 to play
Tyler Ghirardosi barely missed an empty net goal with 1:34 to play, but it trickled just past the right post. Joughin also had a chance that was blocked with 1:12 to go
Marcus Joughin had one final block in the last few seconds to help secure a 2-1 SHU win
Sacred Heart took four out of a possible six points on the weekend
This win snapped a four game losing streak against Holy Cross
Cullen DeYoung had another 30 saves. Finishing with 60 stops on 63 shots (.952 SV%) on the weekend
Gabe Blanchard blocked four shots, Hunter Sansbury blocked three
Matt Guerra won 10 of his 15 faceoffs

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Weekend Blogservations: 10/11 & 10/12, 2024

10/14/2024

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SHU Women vs. Saint Anselm 10/11/24 | 4-3 L

First NEWHA game of the year
Sydney Antonakis scored her first of the season 4:54 in on a goal that was assisted by her sister Alyssa, who transferred in from Northeastern
33 seconds after the Antonaskis’s connected for the first Pioneer goal, Ally Cohen scored to make it 2-0 Sacred Heart. It was Cohen’s first collegiate goal, assisted by Izzy Chaput and Kailey Smith
Sacred Heart’s lead would be cut in half late in the first when Tyra Turner scored unassisted. The frame would end 2-1 SHU, with the Pios outshooting the Hawks 15-8
No goals were scored in the second period but there were a lot of penalties. The Pios were called for to many players on the ice, Paige McNeil was called for a slash, and Anastasia Sloan was called for two trips. All of them were killed off, but that is still a lot of penalties
Saint A’s took control of the game in a span of 5:09 in the third period. Brooklyn Schneiderhan scored to tie the game at two 4:45 in, then Brenna Young scored to give the Hawks the lead 30 seconds later. Heather McAvoy added another 4:39 after the Young goal to give the Hawks a 4-2 lead midway through the third
Isabella Chaput scored on the Power Play with 4:44 to play for her first goal of the year to cut the deficit to 4-3 (Ella Holm had an assist on the goal, her first in college), but the Pios couldn't find the equalizer with the goalie pulled
Decent special teams night. The PK was 7-7 (still too many penalties) and the PP was 1-4
Jillian Petruno stopped 24 shots and took the loss. Petruno left the game after the Hawks fourth goal with an injury (it looked like she was grabbing her arm or hand), so Carly Greene came in to finish the game, stopping all seven shots she faced
Seven Pioneers picked up a point

SHU Men at Colgate 10/11/24 | 6-5 OTL

Injuries: Daniel Ebrahim wasn’t in the lineup. He’s banged up, but it will hopefully be just a couple of games. Freshman goalie Ajeet Gundarah is also hurt, he is week to week
Cullen DeYoung got the start
Early first PK after a Trudeau hook killed. DeYoung had to make one tough glove save. Other than that PK looked good, extended zone time but only the one chance
Colgate broadcaster: “SHU wants to put dents in the bus and make it look mean”. Love a slap shot reference
Felt like the Pios controlled possession the first six and a half ish minutes other than the Colgate PP
First Colgate goal came off a great cross ice feed. Schneider was wide open, no shot for DeYoung
Two good chances immediately for Colgate right after the goal, DeYoung rebounded nicely
Not long after, Colgate scored the second. Nic Belpedio kind of just threw one on net that got deflected in. Lotta traffic in front. Goals 1:32 apart
Period totally flipped after the first goal. Colgate was in total control, possession was almost totally in their offensive end
Jake Bongo with a decent chance with 6:39 is left. That line stopped the bleeding a bit, and got the game pace kind of back to even
Third goal came with 24.3 to go in the third. After a defensive zone faceoff, John Driscoll cleared the puck into the neutral zone, but Colgate came quickly back in on a two on two and scored on a feed to the slot right in front
15-8 Colgate in SOG in the first. It’s not like SHU got caved in or dominated in the period, but being down 3-0 after one can’t be described as a good period
31 seconds into the second, Felix Trudeau scored right in front to make it 3-1. Nice quick pass from Max Dorrington from right behind the goal line
I love the top line Trudeau-Dorrington-Bongo. So active
Less than two minutes later, Trudeau absolutely sniped one from the circle on the power play to make it 3-2. Lotta traffic in front, and the Pios take advantage of the first Power Play of the year
That would be the lone power play of the day for SHU. Colgate had three
After Sacred Heart killed the second Colgate Power Play (2 SOG, DeYoung and D held), Trudeau barely missed a hat trick after a nice pass from Bongo, then Aiden VanRooyan scored his first collegiate goal to throw the game at three. A couple Pioneers in front helped that goal get through
Three goals in the first 5:54 of the second to tie it for Sacred Heart
Tyler Ghirardosi was called for a trip 8:21 into the second, Colgate scored 35 seconds later to go back up 4-3. Looked like he just lost his footing and threw a poke check as he was going down, which led to the penalty
Around the 11 minute mark of the second, the Pios looked like they would tie the game again, Marcus Joughin drove the net and was stopped, but Jake Hewitt had a golden rebound that Colgate goaltender Andrew Takacs absolutely robbed. His best of the day
He made another insane save about a minute later. Couldn’t tell exactly who it was (maybe Hewitt again?), Trudeau had the pass that lead to the chance
DeYoung made a beautiful glove save as the game hit the second period media timeout with 6:22 left. Tough to see with the traffic in front
Colgate scored again with 5:32 left in the second. Couldn’t tell exactly cause of the camera work, but the broadcasters seemed to think a blast from the point deflected off a Pioneer on its way in
Colgate barely missed making it 6-3 with 4 and a half left in the frame, but Daniel Panetta went wide
The 4th SHU goal was a weird one, the puck bounced up over the net and Dorrington baseball swung it in. Refs looked at it, was called a goal. That was his first goal as a Pioneer
Great action in the second period. Was up and down the whole 20 minutes, and pretty even. Six total goals, and SOG were 14-9 SHU
Great save by DeYoung two and a half into the third. Antonio Fernandez had an open shot from the circle that was blockered away
I love the Colgate play by play guy. He made a “let’s do that hockey” reference at the start of the third, and then a “you shall not pass” joke five minutes in
Cole Galata scored his first collegiate goal to tie the game 7:39 into the third. The puck deflected off a Colgate skate, right to Galata in front, who made a nice move to his backhand to bury it
Charles Tardif picked up his first collegiate point with an assist on the Galata goal
The rest of the period ended scoreless, so we’d head to overtime. It would be the first time Sacred Heart had taken Colgate to OT.
Daniel Panetta would score the game-winner with 33 seconds left in the extra frame, to win the game for the Raiders 6-5. The Pios have not won their season opener since 2020-21 when they beat Holy Cross 2-1 in Worcester
Coach: “We're disappointed with the OT loss, but there are a lot of really good things we can pull from this game and build on”
Cullen DeYoung finished with 26 saves on 32 shots
Felix Trudeau had a three-point night with two goals and an assist. Mikey Adamson picked up two assists, and Max Dorrington had a goal and an assist.
3 blocks for Hunter Sansbury

SHU Women vs. Saint Anselm 10/12/24 | 4-0 W

Carly Greene got the start after the injury to Jillian Petruno
Sami Bowlby opened the scoring 10:58 into the first with her second goal of the year. Oliva Laroche got her first point of the season with an assist (Kate Helgeson got the other)
A little less than seven minutes later Brianna Morden scored her first collegiate goal with an assist going to fellow freshman Ally Cohen, who had a point in both games against Saint A’s
Kate Helgeson would score her first goal of the year at the 4:11 mark of the second period to make it 3-0 Pioneers. Kailey Smith and Paige McNeil assisted. Smith had assists in both games this weekend. The goal gave Helgeson a two point night.
Sacred Heart would then take advantage of their lone power play midway through period two. Ella Holm got her first collegiate goal to make it 4-0 Pioneers, which would be the final
Carly Greene was excellent, stopping all 45 Hawk shots en route to her 6th career shutout
SHU had four different goal scorers, and eight Pios grabbed a point
The SHU Special Teams had another good night, especially the Penalty Kill. Saint A’s was 0-4 on the Power Play, and 0-11 on the weekend. With Holm’s PP goal, SHU finished the weekend 2-5 with the man advantage
SHU is on the road for the first time next season, when they take on Stonehill

SHU Men at Colgate 10/12/24 | 3-3 T (SHU wins SO 1-0)

Cullen DeYoung got the start in net again
Colgate jumped on the scoreboard first when Ben Raymond scored. The rest of the first was quiet
Then, Sacred Heart exploded in the third. They scored three goals in less than five minutes first was Matt Guerra, then John Driscoll, and finally, Felix Trudeau scored his third of the weekend. 3-1 Pioneers with less than three minutes to go in period two
Transfers scored all three goals. In fact, the only non-transfer to pickup a point was John Jaworski (Tyler Ghirardosi had two assists, Gabe Blanchard and Max Dorrington each had one)
Antonio Fernandez did get one back with 50 seconds to go in the second. So it would be 3-2 after two. SHU outshot Colgate 13-9 in the frame
Brett Merner would score for Colgate 7:01 into the third, tying the game at three. That would be the final goal, and we’d go to overtime for the second night in a row
SHU would only manage one shot on goal in OT, Colgate would have three. All were stopped, and game two would end in a 3-3 tie
This was the first time Colgate had not beaten Sacred Heart. They were 14-0-0 coming in.
The teams would play a shootout (for pride I guess? Or practice?), which Sacred Heart would win 1-0. Matt Guerra scored the Pio goal in the shootout
Cullen DeYoung finished with 30 saves on 33 shots
5 blocks for Hunter Sansbury. He had 8 on the weekend, SHU had 32 as a team
Charles Tardif was 9-1 on faceoffs
The Pios have a home and home with #15 UMass this weekend

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Weekend Blogservations: 10/4, 10/5, & 10/6, 2024

10/7/2024

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SHU Women vs. RPI 10/4/24 | 2-1 OT W

Originally slated for ESPN+, this game had to be moved to Pioneer+ “due to unforeseen circumstances. My feed kicked on 8 minutes into the game
SHU led in shots after the first period 8-5 and had a late power play, but they were kept off the scoresheet
The Pios killed their first penalty of the year two minutes into the second when Kate Helgeson was called for a trip. PK looked good allowing no high danger chances
We got through two periods scoreless. The second period was controlled mainly by RPI, who outshot SHU 13-6 in the frame. Sacred Heart got another late power play in the period after a hook, but RPI killed that off
SHU came out of the locker room to start the third flying. Sami Bowlby and Bria Holm had the best chances early, followed by a Nicole Bessinger chance on a two-on-one
RPI was called for a cross-check with 14:49 to go in the third, 1:28 later, Sami Bowlby buried the first goal of the season off a great feed from Kate Helgeson. Paige McNeil grabbed the secondary assist.
The Pio Power Play finished 1-3
After a hook on Brianna Morden, Savannah Popick had two huge blocks on the ensuing penalty kill to keep SHU up 1-0. She finished with three total
RPI equalized with 2:52 to play on the Power Play. That would keep the game 1-1 through regulation, and we’d head to overtime
The Pioneers were 1-1-2 in overtime last year. Playing all four OT games in a four-game stretch
Savannah Popick would get the winner. Beating an RPI defender to the puck, cutting to the net, and scoring on a quick deke to her backhand. A beautiful goal that was assisted by Alyssa Antonakis and Izzy Chaput
Both Pioneer goals were scored by transfers
Jillian Petruno finished with 33 saves

SHU Men at Merrimack (Exhibition) 10/5/24 | 3-2 L

Goalie notes: Freshman goaltender Ajeet Gundarah was not dressed. Jack O’Dea, Cullen DeYoung, and Cole O’Donnell were in the lineup. DeYoung got the start and played the whole game
The lineup consisted of 14 newcomers. 8 transfers, and 6 freshman
Merrimack struck first on a first-period goal by Ty Daneault. SHU answered by four minutes later when John Jaworski (who almost transferred to Merrimack) scored
Antonio Venuto gave Merrimack the lead back 13:59 into the second, but again, Sacred Heart answered back when Reid Pabich beat the buzzer. Scoring with two tenths of a second to go in the second period, which ended 2-2
Merrimack would score the winner 5:46 into the third when Nick Pierre scored. The Pios did pull DeYoung late, but couldn’t equalize
Sacred Heart went 0/2 on the Power Play and put up 17 shots on goal
Cullen DeYoung stopped 25 of 28 shots

SHU Women at RPI 10/5/24 | 4-0 L

First game at RPI since October 9th of 2005
RPI scored just 5:07 into the game, and then again 11:35 into the second. They’d tack on the last two with six minutes to play, and then four seconds left
Only 11 SOG for the Pioneers in the game, and just two in the second period. RPI put up 42 SOG
Pios Power Play was 0-3 on the day…RPI was 2-5
Three penalties were called on Freshman Lake Bethard (Cross Check, Trip, and a Slash)
Jillian Petruno got the start again, stopping 38 of 42 Engineer shots
The Pios are back at Martire Family Arena next weekend against conference foe Saint Anselm. SHU went 1-3-0 against the Hawks last season

SHU Men vs. Simon Fraser (Exhibition) 10/4/24 | 7-3 W

So much red during for this game lol
The same three goalies dressed, but Cole O’Donnell got the start
Bit of a sloppy start for the Pioneers. Reid Pabich got called for a penalty 2:19 in, which was killed off. But the majority of the play was in the SFU offensive zone for the first 8ish minutes
Simon Fraser would score the opening goal with 12:02 to go in the first, before SHU even registered a shot on goal
The first shot on goal for the Pioneers came less than 30 seconds later when John Jaworski scored. Everyone in the building had kind of a delayed reaction to the goal, as it first looked like he rung the shot off the crossbar
Later in the first, Matt Guerra and Max Dorrington (who was very active in this one, especially in front of the SFU net) scored in a span of eight seconds to make it 3-1 Sacred Heart. With excellent passes from Mikey Adamson and Felix Trudeau respectively
SFU would score with 13 seconds to play in the first, making the score 3-2 after one. A really up and down inconsistent period for the Pios. They looked like a team with 15 new players
58 seconds into the second, Jeremi Tremblay scored off a beautiful feed from Vitaly Levyy. 4-2 Pios. That would be the lone goal of the second period
There were 9 total penalties called in the second period on both team
39 seconds into the third, John Jaworski scored his second of the day. Jaws put up three goals in preseason play
After a few great SHU chances close in front, big man Luke Amell tapped one home to make it 6-2. Amell is listed at 6’5’’ without skates. He’s confirmed huge
SFU scored on a power play with 5:10 to go to make it 6-3 Sacred Heart from an odd angle. The Pios took seven penalties in this one. Outside the final 30 seconds of the first one and the goal, the PK look good. The Power Play was 0-4, but SHU did put 7 shots on goal
Mikey Adamson answered the power play goal with a goal of his own with 4:16 to go, making the final score 7-3. The Pios outshot the Red Leafs 31-14, allowing just two shots on goal in the second period
Cole O’Donnell stopped 11 of the 14 shots he faced. He and Cullen DeYoung were the two goalies who saw preseason action. Uneducated guess, I would think DeYoung gets the start Friday night against Colgate. He got the start against the Hockey East team. Then again, I’ve been wrong before
Mikey Adamson had a goal along with two assists to lead the team with three points. Vitaly Levyy and Felix Trudeau both had two assists. Max Dorrington and Matt Guerra both had a goal and an assist, while John Driscoll and Cole Galata both got on the scoresheet with assists
SHU opens the regular season with a two-game road trip to Colgate. The Pios are 0-13-0 against the Raiders all time, losing two at Martire Family Arena last year 3-2 and 6-1

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The Night Before Hockey: 2024-2025

10/3/2024

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March 9th, 2024 was the night the 2023-24 hockey season ended for Sacred Heart. The Pioneer men’s team dropped a 5-1 Atlantic Quarterfinal Game 2 to Niagara, ending the Pioneers' season prematurely and disappointingly….at home.

Two weeks earlier, the Sacred Heart women saw their season come to an end similarly, in a NEWHA Quarterfinal Game 2…at home. Both games were sweeps with both having disappointing ends.

There is, however, optimism in Pioneer nation heading into 2024-25. Key contributors return in the likes of John Jaworski, Hunter Sansbury, Paige McNeil, and Izzy Chaput among others. They are mixed in with newcomers (both from the portal and the 2024 recruiting class) who will have to mesh quickly and have an immediate impact.

Both teams have lofty expectations, which is what you should expect to happen when you invest what the school has invested into the programs. The Pioneer women were picked third in NEWHA, looking for their second championship and first trip to the NCAA Tournament. While the men were picked to win Atlantic Hockey for the first time. Again, looking for that elusive conference crown and NCAA Tournament bid. I have said this before, the expectations for both programs have continued to rise. Which is exactly what you want and what should happen…but now they have to rise up and meet them.

My big questions heading into the new year….

Is this finally the year the SHU Men get over the hump and win Atlantic Hockey? I feel like it’s championship or bust for SHU in 24-25.
Can the Women break through and get past the quarterfinals? SHU has not been to the semifinal round of the NEWHA Tournament since 2022. To get bounced early again would be disappointing.
Who starts in goal for the men? Sophomore Cullen DeYoung (3 GP in 23-24) and Senior Jack O’Dea (DNP in 23-24) are the returning netminders with Freshmen Ajeet Gundarah and Cole O’Donnell coming in. Not a ton of experience in net for a team that had a .892 save percentage last year (T-50th nationally).
Can Jillian Petruno challenge for NEWHA Goalie of the year? She was second team all NEWHA only behind Tindra Holm, who is now at Minnesota-Duluth.
How will the new pieces mesh? Only 9 players who dressed in the final game against Niagara are returning on the men’s side. SHU Men’s team welcomes 10 freshmen and 8 transfers. The Women’s team has 11 freshmen and 5 transfers.
Will we see a scoring uptick for the men? SHU only scored 91 goals last season, which was 49th nationally (2.5 G/G, T-50th Nationally). The Pios also only put 27.4 shots on goal per game, which was 52nd nationally and last in the Atlantic. What about the Power Play that finished 7th in the Atlantic?
What about a scoring uptick from the women? The Pios only averaged 1.8 goals per game last year, which was 38th nationally (out of 44).
Hunter Sansbury blocked 102 shots last year, only behind Cade Webber of BU nationally. What does he have in store for an encore?
How do the young players continue to develop? Specifically Jake Bongo, Mikey Adamson, and Marcus Joughin after double-digit point seasons for the Men, and Izzy Chaput (who was on the NEWHA All-Rookie team last year and was the team's leading scorer) for the women.
How does John Jaworski follow up his Third Team All AHA Season?

It will be a long season. There will be ups, there will be downs. There will be frustration, there will be moments of celebration, but that’s hockey. The goals are lofty, time to rise to the occasion and meet them.

Happy Hockey season. Let’s Go Pios!

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2024 Transfer Profile: G Cole O'Donnell

8/2/2024

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Player Name: Cole O’Donnell

Hometown: Rochester, New York

Birthday: August 14th, 2003

Height: 6’1’’

Weight: 181 LBS

Catches: R

Position: Goalie

Last Played For: Rochester Jr. Americans (NAHL)

2023-24 Rochester Stats
- 18 GP, 3.37 GAA, .887 SV%, 5-7-4 Record
- .931 SV% in three playoff games
Played for the Berkshire School (Suffield, Mass) for two seasons (2021-22 & 2022-23)
- 30 games played
Brother Clay is signed to play with fellow Atlantic Hockey America member Mercyhurst
Coach Marottolo: "Had a strong year for the Rochester Jr. Americans, an expansion franchise in the NAHL, and helped lead them to the playoffs. Also had two strong years at the Berkshire School. A student of the game." (via SHU Athletics)

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2024 Transfer Profile: D Savannah Popick

7/26/2024

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Senior Defensemen Savannah Popick

Former School: Saint Anselm

Hometown: South Windsor, Connecticut

Birthday: January 10th, 2001

Height: 5’9’’

Shoots: R

Junior Hockey Career

Played hockey for four years at The Gunnery School, earning team MVP as a senior
- All NEPSAC Honorable Mention in 2018-19
Played club hockey with the Connecticut Polar Bears
Three-time USA Hockey National Camp attendee

College Hockey Career

85 games played at Saint Anselm
- 5 goals, 26 assists, 31 points
- 4 goals, 13 assists, and 17 points in 2023-24 (all career highs)
2023-24 NEWHA All-Conference Second Team
- Defensive player of the month in December
- 3x Defensive Player of the Week (also DPOTW in Nov. 2021, Nov. 2022, and Jan. 2023)
- Was second among defensemen in points (17) and assists (13) in NEWHA play
- +11 in 23-24 (5th in the NEWHA)
Hawks Co-Captain in 2023-24
Led the team in blocked shots with 67 in 23-24
- Started the season blocking a shot in 14 straight games, had 22 games with two or more blocks, and had five blocked shots against Franklin Pierce on Nov. 18th

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2024 Recruit Profile: D Luke Amell

7/17/2024

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Player Name: Luke Amell

Hometown: Mars, Pennsylvania

Birthday: September 2nd, 2003

Height: 6’4’’

Weight: 210 LBS

Shoots: R

Position: Defensemen

Last Played For: Maryland Black Bears (NAHL)

2023-24 Maryland Stats
- 59 games played, 6 goals, 19 assists, 25 points
He also played 19 games for the Black Bears in 2022-23, grabbing two assists
Played the first half of 2022-23 with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL
- 23 games played, goal
- Was drafted by the Lancers in the 15th round in 2021 and 23rd round in 2022
Skated with the Aberdeen Wings of the NAHL in 2021-22
- 36 games played, goal, two assists
T1EHL 15U Champion in 2018-19 with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15U team

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2024 Recruit Profile: C Willyam Gendron

7/16/2024

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Player Name: Willyam Gendron

Hometown: Boisbriand, Quebec

Birthday: July 1st, 2003

Height: 5’10’’

Weight: 181 LBS

Shoots: L

Position: Center

Last Played For: Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)

2023-24 (for both Nanaimo and Chilliwack): 52 games played, 15 goals, 28 assists, 43 points
35 goals, 44 assists for 79 points in 95 career games in the BCHL
- With the Nanaimo Clippers and Chilliwack Chiefs
Also played for the Hawkesbury Hawks (CCHL) and the South Shore Kings (NCDC) in 2021-22
- Hawkesbury: 54 games played, 16 goals, 28 assists, 44 points
- South Shore: 7 games played, 6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points

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2024 Recruit Profile: G Ajeet Gundarah

7/7/2024

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Player Name: Ajeet Gundarah

Hometown: Richmond, British Columbia

Birthday: May 9th, 2003

Height: 5’10’’

Weight: 181 LBS

Catches: L

Position: Goalie

Last Played For: Surrey Eagles (BCHL)

2023-24: 33 GP, 2.14 GAA, .931 SV% (Best in the BCHL), 2 shutouts, 25-6-1 record
Won the 2024 Michael Garteig Trophy, awarded to the top BCHL goaltender (Voted on by the coaches)
2024 Fred Page Cup Champion
BCHL All-Rookie Team in 2021-22 with the Langley Rivermen
- 2.65 GAA, .922 SV%, 16-9-2 record
- 2.69 GAA, .918 SV% in 15 playoff games
PIJHL Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 with the Langley Trappers
- 2.62 GAA, .928 SV% (Best in the league)

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Welcome to the Sacred Heart Hockey Blog!

2025 CT Hockey State of the Union with The Quinnipiac Hockey Blog, UConn Hockey Central, & The Yale Hockey Blog

Blogservations 10/25 & 10/26, 2024

Weekend Blogservations: 10/11 & 10/12, 2024

Weekend Blogservations: 10/4, 10/5, & 10/6, 2024

The Night Before Hockey: 2024-2025

2024 Transfer Profile: G Cole O'Donnell

2024 Transfer Profile: D Savannah Popick

2024 Recruit Profile: D Luke Amell

2024 Recruit Profile: C Willyam Gendron

2024 Recruit Profile: G Ajeet Gundarah

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