Sometimes the catalyst for a team’s success is simply extra motivation.
Last season, the morning after Sacred Heart lost a three-game quarterfinal series to RIT in the Atlantic Hockey tournament, Pioneers head coach C.J. Marottolo got a phone call from Jason Cotton. The senior forward couldn’t stand how the season ended against the Tigers.
“‘Coach, I need to get better, I need to get on the ice every day this summer. I’m staying here at Sacred Heart, where can I skate?’” Marottolo recalled Cotton asking him.
Sacred Heart believed it should have made a deep run last year, and that bitter taste in the players’ mouths has helped lead to a memorable 2019-20 season. With one month of regular-season hockey to go, SHU is tied for first in the AHA standings and has already matched last season’s win total.
“I think that left a real pit in our stomach,” Marottolo said of the RIT loss. “Our leadership group was highly motivated going into this year to play at a level that would hopefully bring us to that final weekend in our league championship. There was a feeling we left a lot on the table, and it was hard to be watching last year’s final four in our league in Buffalo, and we weren’t there. I think that was where our motivation really kicked in, and that was the fuel.”
Most recently, the Pioneers defeated Yale and No. 17 Quinnipiac to win the inaugural Connecticut Ice Tournament on Jan. 26. Sacred Heart got 10 goals from eight players in the two games, earning great support from the student body at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.
Looking at the numbers, the Pioneers are averaging 3.92 goals per game, a full goal per game more than last season. That increase isn’t due to any changes in the game plan; rather, Marottolo cites the team’s depth as a huge factor. Four of the top seven scorers in the conference are from Sacred Heart.
Marottolo said his guys also put a lot of focus on offense this offseason, and that shows on the team’s overall quickness on the ice.
“I think our exits from our zone have been a lot cleaner,” Marottolo said. “We really get out of our zone better through the neutral zone with speed into the offensive zone.”
With eight conference games left until the AHA tournament, the Pioneers are in a good position. Extra motivation from a disappointing 2019-20 season can only help so much; now, Sacred Heart must find a way to win the close games and stay resilient when things don’t go its way.
To Marottolo, that means just taking it one game at a time.
“We’re just trying to play our best game, whatever team we’re playing, whatever night in front of us,” Marottolo said. “Keep building our team game, keep adding layers to our team play, that’s all we can do. That’s our messaging and that’s our focus, that’s the way we’re going to approach it.”
More Atlantic Hockey updates:
N-Ice trophy: Pioneers senior Jason Cotton was named MVP of the inaugural Connecticut Ice tournament, totaling two goals and two assists on the weekend. The former Northeastern forward now has eight points in his last six games and continues to be one of the more exciting playmakers in Atlantic Hockey.
“He’s been an unbelievable leader,” Marottolo said. “He’s the role model of how you want a player to act on your team. I couldn’t ask for a better ambassador to Sacred Heart hockey than Jason Cotton.”
Happy anniversary: During its series against Canisius, RIT celebrated the 10th anniversary of the program’s Final Four run. Many of the players from that 2010 team were in attendance to watch the Tigers score four goals in less than four minutes in the third period to complete a 5-4 comeback win on Jan. 25.
It was a special night at the Gene Polisseni Center that vaulted RIT into a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings. Meanwhile, the Golden Griffins had their eight-game unbeaten streak snapped.
Jacket attack: Two weeks ago, the AIC trailed Sacred Heart and Army by nine points. After back-to-back weekend sweeps, the Yellow Jackets are now tied for first with the Pioneers in the conference. Eric Lang’s squad has scored 14 goals in those four games and will play its next three games at home.
Block party: Bentley defenseman Connor Brassard (Fitchburg, Mass.) was named Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week. The senior had two goals and two assists in the sweep of Mercyhurst and blocked five shots as well. The performance helped the Falcons snap a five-game winless streak.
Sweep success: All five Atlantic Hockey series this past weekend ended in sweeps. RIT, AIC, Bentley, Holy Cross and Niagara call came away with six points, shaking up the AHA standings with a month left to play.
