According to Sacred Heart Athletics, on Oct. 15, the Atlantic Hockey Association released the men’s ice hockey schedule for the 2020-21 season. The Sacred Heart University men’s ice hockey team will have 24 conference games and two non-conference games. The season will begin on the weekend of Nov. 13-14 and will conclude with the Atlantic Hockey Tournament in Buffalo, N.Y.
Other news that the Sacred Heart community can look forward to is the announcement of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s ice hockey tournament being held at
Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport in 2023. Sacred Heart will co-host Regionals with neighboring Division I program, Yale University.
“We are very excited to be starting our season on Nov. 24 at Quinnipiac,” said C.J. Marottolo, men’s ice hockey head coach. “Our league has done a terrific job in organizing our schedule so we can play the game we love in a safe environment.”
Marottolo also discussed how his team has been training throughout the fall semester, during which he and the staff divided their preseason into three phases.
September was focused on strength and conditioning in order to make sure the team was physically where they needed to be. October emphasized skill development on the ice and cultivating what they wanted their identity to be as a team. Finally, November will be when they get into their system of play.
“Our goals are very simple. We will strive to have the best GPA yet, be involved in our community in a positive way and work as hard as we can every day to bring an Atlantic Hockey Association championship to Sacred Heart University,” said Marottolo.
The players expressed their gratitude toward being able to play a season this year, as many other sports seasons have been postponed.
“I’m very grateful about the fact that we get to play games this year, even if it is shorter and starts later,” said sophomore Timmy Clifton.
Due to COVID-19, the men’s season was cut short last spring after the team won the inaugural Connecticut Ice Tournament and 21 in-season games.
According to Sacred Heart Athletics, Atlantic Hockey has separated the league into eastern and western pods, with the Air Force standing alone as the geographic outlier to limit some of the risk factors regarding COVID-19 exposure during travel.
“This will no doubt be the most difficult time that we will have to deal with as coaches and players alike. The players and coaches are wearing masks on the ice during practice, and that has taken some time to get used to. It is hard to communicate, but each day we make more progress on that front,” said Marottolo.
According to Clifton, there will unfortunately be no fans allowed at home games this year. Although there will not be that extra momentum from the crowd, he says they still know what it takes to win.
Looking toward the future, Webster Bank Arena will hopefully be filled with fans for the 2023 Regionals.
“We are thrilled to be co-hosting a NCAA regional at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.The people at Webster Bank know exactly what it will take to ensure a great student-athlete experience, plus a fun engaging experience for the fans as well,” said Marottolo.
Webster Bank Arena has previously hosted five NCAA men’s hockey tournaments. The men’s hockey players at Sacred Heart are excited for the opportunity to host regionals on their home ice in March of 2023.
“Sacred Heart hockey is constantly on the rise, and it is awesome that we are getting recognition because we are the real deal,” said Clifton.
