WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross men's hockey team will open the season this Thursday, November 19 at 6pm at home against Long Island. It will be the first sporting event played at the Luth Athletic Complex since March. It will also be the first game in the history of LIU's program. The teams will play a second game in Worcester this Sunday, November 22 at 4pm.

TALKING POINTS:

• The Crusaders are returning 67% of their scoring from the 2019-20 season, including three of their top four scorers.
• Senior Logan Ferguson is the team's top returner in terms of points. As a junior, he put up seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points. Senior Pete Kessel and junior Conner Jean are the next-highest returning scorers, as both tallied 18 points and a team-high 12 goals last season
• Holy Cross has experience returning in goal this year as well as sophomore Matt Radomsky and senior Erik Gordon combined for 98% of the team's minutes in goal. Radomsky had an impressive freshman season where he posted a .903 save percentage and picked up 11 wins. He was named Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Month last October and Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Month in January.
• Kessel and Jean were also the team's top goal scorers on the power play last season, scoring five times each. Ferguson and junior Anthony Vincent were next with three.
• The Crusaders have the privilege of hosting LIU in the program's first-ever game. The Sharks' roster is made up of almost 60% freshmen. Four of the 10 players who aren't freshmen are graduate students.

Crusader Captains:

• Ferguson and junior Matt Slick will serve as the team's captains this year. Vincent and Kessel will serve as assistant captains.
• Ferguson served as an assistant captain for Holy Cross in 2019-20, playing in all 37 games. He received the team's Academic Achievement Award, given annually to the player with the highest grade-point average.
• Slick, who earned the team's MVP and Best Defensive Player awards for 2019-20, appeared in 34 games for the Crusaders last season, tallying 10 points and blocking 41 shots. The 10 points are the best among returning blue liners.
• Vincent will wear a letter for the second straight year, having served as an assistant captain in 2019-20. He appeared in 21 games last year, recording 11 points and blocking 27 shots.
• Kessel appeared in 34 games for Holy Cross during the 2019-20 season, recording a team-leading 12 goals and totaling 18 points and earning Most Improved Player honors from his teammates.

Season Openers:

• During head coach David Berard's time at Holy Cross, the Crusaders have gone 3-2-1 in season opening games.
• In the most recent four, the team is undefeated, going 3-0-1.
• To begin the 2019-20 season, Holy Cross knocked off then-No.6/7 Providence thanks to an overtime winner.

Balanced Scoring:

• The Crusaders saw 24 different skaters record at least a point last season.
• They are returning 17 of those players.

Newcomers:

• Holy Cross welcomes seven freshmen to the team this year: Jack Robilotti, Jake Higgins, Michael Kane, Ryan Pineault, Jack Ricketts, Alec Cicero, and Lucas Thorne.
• The group consists of four forwards and three defensemen.
• The Crusaders also welcome junior goaltender Matthew Coughlin.