Ben Lepper’ 25
Chief Sports Editor
Courtney McKeen’ 27
Staff Writer
While snowflakes haven’t quite hit Mount Saint James just yet, winter athletics are well under way for the Crusaders, and the Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey teams have been lighting up the Hart Center Rink.
The Men’s team is being led this year by senior captain Jack Ricketts, accompanied by senior assistant captains Jack Robilotti, Jake Higgins, and Tyler Ghiradoshi. Ricketts currently leads the Crusaders in points for the season, putting up 8 goals and 8 assists in the team’s first 15 games, being followed closely by junior Liam McLinskey who has put up 4 goals and 11 assists. Star players to watch include freshman Jack Stockfish who has started off hot with 4 goals and 2 assists in his rookie season with the Crusaders. Stockfish won Atlantic Hockey’s Rookie of the Month Award in October for his impressive start, and it’s safe to say the future of Crusader hockey has a promising outlook with him.
Other top point scorers include junior Matt Shatsky, seniors Tyler Ghiradoshi, Matt Guerra, and Alec Cicero, and sophomore Matt Deboer. Goalie Thomas Gale has put up an impressive performance in net, especially in the back-to-back wins against Bentley, for which his performance earned him Atlantic Hockey’s Goaltender of the Week Award. The Crusaders currently hold a 7-6-2 record, with impressive wins over Long Island, UConn, Robert Morris, Bentley, and a recent 6-3 game against Brown on Friday. The team has 19 more games, including opponents such as Sacred Heart, Air Force, and Quinnipiac, and replays against West Point, AIC, and Bentley. They currently rank 5th in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
For what it’s worth, though, the men’s team hasn’t had the easiest time in the AHA. Starting in late October, they dropped two games to RIT and one to Canisius. They got some points back after tying a game to Canisius and winning the shootout, but then dropped two to AIC the next weekend. A two game sweep of Bentley the next week had things looking like they were headed back into the right direction, but the very next game, they lost to Army at home, a team that has one seven straight contests at the Hart center. To add insult to injury, that was Army’s second win of the season in their eleventh game. You can tell that the men felt that loss, as the dominant bounce-back win against Brown signals that things are headed in the right direction once again.
The Women’s season is led by senior captains Lily Feeney and Bryn Saarela, each of whom have contributed 4 points to the Crusaders this season. The team is led in points by sophomore Alexia Moreau who has put up an impressive 13 points in the first 14 games. She is followed closely by senior Millie Sirum and sophomore Casey Borgiel who have put up 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Crusaders’ net has been strongly defended by Madison Beck, who has won Hockey East’s Goaltender of the Week Award 2 times already this season for her performances in their games against Northeastern University and Boston College. Beck isn’t the only one receiving honors, though; junior Emilie Fortunato was also awarded Hockey East Defender of the Week honors for the first week of November.
With a 4-8-2 record, they currently stand at number 10 in Hockey East’s standings, trailing narrowly behind Boston University. They boast wins against Brown, Northeastern, Vermont, and a whopping 5-1 defeat over Assumption. Coming up, they’ll face New Hampshire, Maine, Boston University, and Providence, and replay competitors such as Vermont, Assumption, Northeastern, and Boston College.
While 10th place in Hockey East is not ideal, it is obvious that this team has made serious strides coming into this season. Aside from their losses to UConn, all of their games have been close and decided by one goal. This team should continue to pick up steam as they play their opponents close and tough.
Both teams have brought the energy to the Hart Center this season, with each team participating in various themes and events at their games. HC For a Cure hosted Pink the Rink at both the men’s and women’s games to raise awareness for breast cancer, and each team has also had a White Out night, and throwback music nights from various decades. Coming up, the men’s team will host a teddy bear toss against UMass-Lowell on December 9th and a New Year’s Celebration against Quinnipiac on January 2nd, and the women will host a sign night on January 13th against Merrimack College. Hopefully Sader Nation will show up and pack the barn for these exciting games!
Image courtesy of Pexels
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