60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart

2018-19 Record: 16-17-4 (14-11-3, 4th in Atlantic Hockey)
Head Coach: CJ Marottolo, 11th Year
Top returning scorer: Austin Magera (14G-13A)
Top returning goaltender: Josh Benson (So.)

While the record might not jump off the page at first glance, Sacred Heart is coming off its best season in a decade.

To be fair, this time around that might not last another decade. The Pioneers return the vast majority of a team that went 11-5-2 over its final 18 games and will be another year older. Only four teams got more offensive production from its underclassmen (1.89 goals per game) and two of those faced off for the national title. Two of the team's first-year players - forward Austin Magera and goaltender Josh Benson - were named to the Atlantic Hockey all-rookie team. It comes a year after now-junior forward Marc Johnstone earned the same honor.

So there are reasons to believe Sacred Heart, a season removed from the cellar and a team not finishing above seventh since 2009-10, has the capabilities to top last season's fourth-place finish in Atlantic Hockey.

What's New: The Pioneers unofficially host college hockey's newest attempt at an in-season tournament for in-state bragging rights (and in this case what I assume would be a pizza on a rectangular sheet pan).

The first version of the Connecticut Ice Festival (AKA the Nutmeg State's Beanpot) will be January 25-26 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, where Sacred Heart plays. Besides the Pioneers, the college hockey tournament features Connecticut, Quinnipiac, and Yale. Beyond the event will be a larger weekend celebration of Connecticut hockey from youth to the college level throughout the state.

Marottolo will have eight first-year players - four forwards, three defenders and a goalie - on his team this fall. That includes defender Jeppe Urup, forward Tim Clifton (no, not that one although both are from Monmouth County, NJ and went to CT colleges) and Alberta Junior Hockey League Goaltender of the Year Luke Lush, the first player in Sacred Heart history to come from the AJHL.

Closing Thoughts: It speaks to where Sacred Heart has been when the best season in a decade is a .500 record before the postseason. (At the same time, it speaks to Atlantic Hockey where SHU's finish is not the biggest surprise by any means.) The Pioneers built upon a strong finish in 2017-18 and now get the opportunity to do the same in 2019-20 following another strong closing stretch.

While it'll be interesting to see how Sacred Heart's underclassmen play now that the team is no longer under Atlantic Hockey's radar, it goes beyond the first-year and now-sophomores. Johnstone showed why he captained the Chicago Steel to a Clark Cup title. Senior forward Jason Cotton was rewarded for his play last season with an invite to the New York Islanders' development camp. The Pioneers, as a team, outshot every other Atlantic Hockey school.

Still, I'd be remiss to not mention Sacred Heart's defense being a catalyst. Compared to most contending teams, the Pioneers' stats (Benson's .899 save percentage, the 20th-best PK, the 35th-best goals against per game) don't stand out. From Sacred Heart's perspective, there's a big difference cutting down over half a goal (2.86 to 3.46) from one season to the next. A full season from Benson after stepping up down the stretch could tell a lot more.

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