Sacred Heart University (SHU) hosted the 5th annual Connecticut Ice tournament on Jan. 24 and 25. This tournament featured SHU, Yale University, 15th-ranked Quinnipiac University and 13th-ranked University of Connecticut (UConn). In round one on Friday, Jan. 24, UConn beat Quinnipiac 2-1 and SHU beat Yale 8-2. SHU was led by junior Felix Trudeau.

Source: Jack Cavicchi, Web Manager and Assistant Photo Editor
Trudeau was nominated for the Hobey Baker award, an award that is given to college hockey’s top player. He finished with a goal and two assists against Yale.
“To be honest, the confidence level is pretty good,” said Trudeau. “We beat UMass, we beat Cornell, you know we can beat anyone in the country if we play to our standards, and I’m confident we could get two wins.”
The team’s unity was apparent against Yale, as eight different SHU players scored a goal in the victory.
“I think our chemistry’s been really good, and, obviously, when you play for a good team, that’s when the individual success comes in too, so that helps a lot, and I couldn’t be prouder to be with this team,” said Trudeau.
SHU looked to ride that confidence and momentum into Saturday where they faced UConn in the CT Ice Finals.
“Confidence is definitely really high,” said sophomore goaltender Cullen DeYoung. “We’ve had some big wins this season, so we definitely know what we’re capable of.”
DeYoung came up big in the win versus Yale, stopping 22 out of 24 Yale shots. He came up big again on Saturday against UConn, making 15 saves on 16 shots. This strong effort would not be enough, however, as SHU fell 1-0 in the final.
UConn’s goalie, junior Tyler Muszelik, stopped all of SHU’s 23 shot attempts on his way to winning the tournament’s most outstanding player. SHU had two players make the all-tournament team: Trudeau and junior Mikey Adamson.
The Pioneers will now switch their focus to the final month of the season. Entering their last six games, SHU holds a narrow lead in the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) standings.
“Every game you get to league points, league points are so crucial. Our goal is to win a championship and to do that you have to bring it every night,” said Head Coach C.J. Marottolo.
Looking ahead, SHU will be on the road for all but one more game this season. All of the remaining games are against conference opponents, making them all very important to win.
“I give a lot of credit to our senior leadership, they’ve done a great job with our guys,” said Marottolo. “We have a lot of new faces this year, and they’ve done a really good job getting everybody together and buying in and over the past three or four weeks our team has created a really good identity, and we’re starting to believe.”
SHU will play their next game on the road against Niagara on Friday, Jan. 31 as they look to fend off the number two team in the conference in a pivotal series.
“We have a really tight knit group this season, and I think that plays a big role. I think just carrying forward the momentum that we have going right now, and I think would be in a good spot,” said DeYoung.
SHU vs. Niagara will be streaming on FloSports, and the next opportunity to see the Pioneers play at the Martire Family Arena will be Feb. 22 against Bentley.