Sacred Heart University men’s ice hockey was selected to finish first in the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) Preseason Coaches Poll for the third consecutive season, while junior goaltender Ajeet Gundarah was named the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year.
Junior Goaltender Ajeet Gundarah deflecting a shot puck at the Martire Family Arena.
| Jayden Hunter, Photo Editor|
The Pioneers are coming off a historic season, posting a program-best 23 wins and their third AHA championship appearance, their first in 16 years.
“Obviously being picked first and lately three years in a row tells us that people respect what we’re building within our program, what we’ve built here, and we should definitely be proud of that,” said head coach C.J. Marottolo. “That’s something to be proud of. But also understanding that it means nothing once the puck’s dropped.”
Junior defenseman Aidan Vanrooyan said the preseason ranking is “great, but at the end of the day it’s what it comes down to at the end of the season and who’s lifting the trophy.”
Despite the preseason recognition, the Pioneers said their focus remains on preparing for the season ahead with a strong returning core. After winning eight of their final 10 games last season, the team will look to carry that confidence into their 2026-27 campaign.
“It’s more just homing in on the little things, don’t look at the big picture, don’t really focus on the standings as much, just focus on the opponent at hand and just kind of get ready, take it game by game,” said Vanrooyan.
“As a team, we don’t even talk about that stuff. But you know, I think the league understands we have a good team. We know we have a good team. And so we just gotta go out there and show it,” said Gundarah.
“We’re just going to focus on today. We’re going to focus on having the best practice we can, the best lift we can, and basically control what we can control as we go through the year,” said Coach Marottolo.
While Marottolo is focused on taking the season one day at a time, Gundarah’s numbers from last season highlight why he enters the year with high expectations. Last year he posted a 7-2-0 record with 250 saves over his final nine appearances. His .928 save percentage and 2.1 goals-against average led the conference.
“It’s cool to get recognized for something, but, you know, just more focused on starting the season, the team playing well, and hopefully we can carry that into having a really good regular season and in the playoffs,” said Gundarah.
“Yeah, he is a tremendous kid, a tremendous competitor. He works at his game all the time trying to get better,” said Marottolo. “The biggest thing about Ajeet, I think, is that he gives our team unbelievable confidence.”
With another season for Gundarah under his belt and a new standard set by their recent success, the Pioneers look to build on their momentum this upcoming season and compete for an AHA Championship.
The Pios will open their season on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. against Bowling Green in the Ice Breaker Tournament at Martire Family Arena.
“Pios fans are going to see some great hockey, and I have no doubt we’ll be ready to go on October 9th,” said Marottolo.
Athletic Communications contributed to this article.
