The Sacred Heart University men’s ice hockey team has had a challenging beginning to their season due to COVID-19. Their record is 6-8-2 overall and 5-3-1 in their conference.
“There’s no playbook for this year,” said head coach CJ Marottolo. “We’ve had some stops and gos, and pauses due to COVID, and it’s been hard.”
Junior forward Nick Boyagian also spoke on how COVID-19 has affected the team.
“One of the biggest challenges for our team this year has been trying to find a rhythm,” said Boyagian. “We’ve had three different times now we’ve had to quarantine for 10 plus days.”
Marottolo expressed his excitement about his returning players, and had a very positive outlook on the upcoming season.
“We started [quarantine] Sunday for the third time,” said junior forward Emil Öhrvall. “Hopefully we are good to go for the playoffs.”
The playoffs will begin on March 7, just days after their scheduled end of quarantine.
“The biggest challenge is dealing with all the stops and gos,” said Marottolo. “As a player and a coach, you get into a routine, and right now we have no set schedule.”
Boyagain mentioned that the teams’ longest stretch was only two weeks long and that it has been difficult to develop the chemistry needed for the team.
Although the challenges may seem too much to overcome, the Pioneers are committed to continuing success.
“They’ll do anything to play the game they love,” said Marottolo.
On Feb. 20, senior night honored eight players resulting in a 5-3 win against Holy Cross. Families of the graduating players were not able to attend the game at Webster Bank arena due to Sacred Heart’s no spectator policy in accordance with COVID-19 regulations.
“All the seniors got videos on the scoreboard from their families which was pretty special,” said Boyagian. “I know it meant a lot to those guys.”
Marottolo, along with staff from Sacred Heart, presented videos of each of the athletes’ families before the game to accommodate for the families’ absences.
“Senior night is obviously a very important night for the seniors and also the parents,” said Marottolo.
According to Sacred Heart Athletics, Braeden Tuck scored on an empty net in the closing minutes of the third period to seal the 5-3 victory for the Pioneers.
“We all went out there and played that game for them,” said Boyagain. “It was a special game, and I’m glad that we were able to come out with a win.”
According to Sacred Heart Athletics, on Feb. 19, the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) announced there would be a change during the 2021 Atlantic Hockey Tournament.
Due to COVID-19, teams in the West will continue to only play teams in the West half of the division, and likewise for the East. This will continue throughout the playoffs until the final four.
“We will be very familiar with our opponents,” said Marottolo. “We’ll know what to expect for sure.”
In this new format, the Pioneers are excited and ready to get started.
According to Sacred Heart Athletics, the next game for the Pioneers is yet to be determined. The team was scheduled to compete against Bentley on Feb. 23, but was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions and the final two games against American International on Feb. 26-27 were canceled.
