While Sacred Heart was the consensus pick to finish first in Atlantic Hockey this season, coach CJ Marottolo, in his 16th year behind the Pioneers bench, knows his team is a work in progress.
His roster includes seven rookies as well as nine transfers, and it will take some time to gel.
After a split with Holy Cross to open league play, the Pioneers were swept by Bentley on Nov. 1-2, losing 4-2 and 6-4.
But Sacred Heart rebounded last weekend with an impressive road sweep against Mercyhurst. According to Marottolo, Saturday’s 4-1 win was the first time his team had played a complete 60 minutes.
“We’ve been inconsistent,” said Marottolo. “Up and down. A lot of good chunks, and some not-so-good chunks.
“We have a lot of new guys, and it does take time. I think (last) Friday night’s game (4-3 win) was better than most and Saturday was even better. It was a 60-minute effort from start to finish.”
The new guys are working out. Seven of the Pioneers’ top 11 scorers are transfers new to SHU, including leading scorer Felix Tredeau (11 points), a Maine transfer, as well as his former Black Bears linemate Reid Pabich (five points).
Also joining were a pair of former star Holy Cross players in Tyler Ghirardosi and Matt Guerra, who were linemates for multiple seasons in Worcester. Also new to SHU are former Army West Point players John Driscoll and Jake Hewitt.
Because Holy Cross does not offer graduate studies and could not offer a fifth year of eligibility that players were granted because of COVID, Ghirardosi and Guerra had to transfer if they wanted to play one more year.
“I think they would have stayed at Holy Cross,” said Marottolo. “But we are very glad to have them.”
Marottolo says that their new facility, the Martire Family Arena, which opened in Jan. 2023, and the school itself are what bring talented transfers to SHU. Case in point were Ghirardosi and Guerra.
“We hosted Holy Cross the second game after we opened,” said Marottolo. “The atmosphere was wild. Both of those guys mentioned it to me, the unbelievable atmosphere. They wanted to play in that environment.
“My coaching staff does a great job making connections and recruiting. Players have a great facility to help them develop to be the best they can be, and we provide a great education. If we can get players on campus, the school sells itself.”
Last weekend’s wins were the first for rookie goaltender Ajeet Gundarah, who stopped 60 of 64 shots in the series.
“Ajeet saw some time against Bentley, and while he might have wanted a goal or two back, we liked how he played,” said Marottolo. “We have confidence in both of our goalies.”
Veterans making big contributions include defensemen Mikey Adamson (nine points) and Hunter Sansbury (seven points) as well as forward John Jaworski (eight points)
“Guys are stepping up,” said Marottolo. “We have a good mix of new players and veterans, and hopefully we will continue to develop.”
Next up is a four-game homestand, leading off with a pair against Robert Morris this weekend. The Colonials are off to an excellent start at 4-1-1.
“They’re a good hockey team,” said Marottolo. “Derek (Schooley) has done a tremendous job considering where they were two years ago. They improved throughout last season and their freshmen last year were big contributors.
“I expect them to be hard to play against and a couple of good games.”
