Holy Cross opens the Hart Center with a non-conference battle with Merrimack on Oct. 17 at 7:05 p.m. The Crusaders will continue on their non-conference slate with a road game at No. 15/14 Northeastern on Oct. 19 for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.
 
Talking Points
• The Crusaders opened up the 2019-20 season with an overtime win at then-no. 6/7 Providence. The win marks the program's eighth win against a top-20 team and fourth against a top-10.
• The last time Holy Cross defeated a ranked opponent was on Nov. 1, 2016, when they topped Union, 6-4.
• Andrew Dumaresque returned to the Crusaders' lineup for the first time since Dec. 29, 2017. The junior forward rattled off one goal and one assist in the game. Dumaresque scored with 22 seconds in regulation to send the game to overtime.
• Kevin Darrar tallied the game-winner in overtime. His deke earned him the NCAA's top play for the weekend.
• The Crusaders' went perfect on the penalty kill, stopping the Friars from scoring on the power play three times.
• Dumaresque and Matt Radomsky earned Atlantic Hockey player of the week accolades for their performances. Dumaresque is the first Crusader to be named Player of the Week since Danny Lopez (1/16/2018). Radomsky earned the Rookie of the Week nod, being the first since Neil Robinson in 2016.
 
A Night of Firsts
• In the season opener, four Crusaders picked up collegiate firsts.
• Jake Pappalardo picked up his first goal with Mike Higgins getting his first assist on the play.
• Nick Hale recorded his first collegiate point, assisting on the overtime game-winner.
• Radomsky started in his first game and earned his first win at Providence. 
 
Crusaders in Exhibitions
• Holy Cross has played two exhibition games. On Oct. 5, the Crusaders defeated Simon Fraser, 9-0, and saw nine different goal scorers.
• On Oct. 13 the Crusaders faced the U.S. National Team Development Program and dropped the game, 4-2. Ryan Leibold and Anthony Vincent led the way, each with a goal. Erik Gordon made 20 saves in the game.
 
New Faces
• The Crusaders brought in a seven-man class made up of four forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender.
• Grayson Constable, a 6-2, 201 pound forward recorded 54 points in 52 games in the 2018-19 season in the AJHL.
• Nick Hale, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound defenseman, played for the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL where he tallied four goals and 16 assists in 39 games played. Hale also attended the Carolina Hurricanes 2019 Prospects Development Camp.
• Christian Hayes, a 5-foot-7, 167-pound forward, comes to the Crusaders from Thayer Academy.
• Mike Higgins, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound defenseman, picked up 35 points in 77 career games in the NAHL.
• Alex Peterson, a 5-foot-10, 172-pound forward, racked up 93 points in 114 games in the NAHL.
• Matt Radomsky, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound goalie, played to a .915 save percentage and 2.06 goals against average in the MJHL.
• Bobby Young, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward, picked up 76 points in 108 games in the AJHL.
• Junior Jake Pappalardo will also make his debut in a Crusaders jersey after transferring from the University of Maine.
 
2019-20 Schedule
• Holy Cross' non-conference schedule features six quality opponents, four of which were ranked in the preseason top-20: #7/6 Providence (Oct. 11), #15/14 Northeastern (Oct. 17), #8/11 Quinnipiac (Jan. 17), and #20 Arizona State (Feb. 7).
• On Oct. 11, the Crusaders open the season at #7 Providence, who advanced to the 2019 Frozen Four.
• Beyond the exhibition game with Simon Fraser, the Crusaders will also host the USA National Development Team Program on Oct. 13 at 4:05 p.m. at the Hart Center. The NDTP boasts eight first-round draft picks in the 2019 NHL Draft.
• The Crusaders will also welcome Merrimack (Oct. 17) and St. Lawrence (Oct. 25) to the Hart Center as a part of their non-conference slate.
• "Our strength of schedule is perhaps the best we have had," said head coach David Berard about the 2019-20 slate. "Besides the 28 Atlantic Hockey games, we are playing six quality non-conference opponents. All totaled, we will be playing 20 home games this year. It will be a fun and exciting year for Crusader Hockey!"
 
Leadership Core
• Surowiec will wear the 'C' for the Crusaders this season with Darrar, Vincent, and Ferguson sporting the 'A'.
• "We have a great leadership group that has done a tremendous job setting the example and integrating our freshmen class," said Berard. "We have a hard-working, competitive group with good team speed and depth at every position. We are looking to build off the success we had in the second half of last year and use that experience to lead us this year."
 
Recapping 2018-19
• The Crusaders finished the 2018-19 season with a 10-21-5 record and 10-14-4 mark in league action.
• After a first half plagued with injuries, the Crusaders finished the final 12 games of the regular season with a 6-4-2 record.
• Holy Cross finished tied for eighth in the Atlantic Hockey standings and traveled to Robert Morris for the Atlantic Hockey first round, where they fell in two games.
 
Scouting Merrimack
• The Warriors head to Worcester looking for their first win of the 2019-20 season. Merrimack most recently dropped a high-scoring battle to Wisconsin, 11-5, on Oct. 12.
• Tyler Irvine leads with four points on two goals and two assists.
• Merrimack opened their season at Lake Superior State and fell in both games.
• Currently, the Warriors' goals against average is 7.00.
 
All-time against the Warriors
• Merrimack leads the all-time series, 28-8-2.
• In last season's match-up the Crusaders scored in the final eight seconds to tie the game. Erik Gordon made 28 saves in the game.

 
Scouting #15/14 Northeastern
• The Huskies are off to a hot start, with a 3-0 record. Most recently, Northeastern upset #4 UMass, 3-1 on Oct. 15.
• The Huskies have allowed just one goal in each of their three games.
• Senior netminder Craig Pantano has played to a .960 save percentage through the opening of the season.
 • Sophomore defenseman Jordan Harris leads the Huskies with two goals and one assist for three points.
 
All-time against the Huskies
• Northeastern leads the all-time series, 5-1-0.
• The teams have not faced since 2013.
 
 Tale of the Tape vs. Merrimack

3.00............................. Goals Per Game................................ 3.33

2.00...................... Goals Allowed Per Game.......................... 7.00

27.0................................ Shots Per Game............................. 26.3

4.0................................ Penalties Per Game............................ 5.7

-%....................................... Power Play.................................... -%

100%.................................. Penalty Kill.............................. 69.2%

  Tale of the Tape vs. Northeastern

3.00............................. Goals Per Game................................ 2.33

2.00...................... Goals Allowed Per Game.......................... 1.00

27.0................................ Shots Per Game............................. 25.7

4.0................................ Penalties Per Game............................ 5.0

-%....................................... Power Play.................................... -%