WORCESTER, Mass. - Holy Cross men's ice hockey is set to host Brown on Friday night at the Hart Center Rink. The matchup will stream live on NESN+ and FloHockey, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HOLY CROSS (6-6-2, 3-6-2 ATLANTIC HOCKEY):

• Holy Cross shutout Bentley over the weekend in back-to-back games, marking the first time in program history that the Crusaders have pitched shutouts in consecutive games. On Tuesday, the Crusaders' comeback attempt against Army fell just short, with the Crusaders losing to the Black Knights, 3-2.
• Junior Thomas Gale received Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week honors, along with a Player of the Week honorable mention, for his two shutouts and 52 combined saves this weekend. The shutouts were his second and third of his collegiate career, after he picked up his first on Feb. 17, 2023, against Niagara.
• In the national rankings: Gale entered the national rankings this week, with his 1.59 goals-against average and .942 save percentage ranking as the second-best mark in the country in each category. Senior goalkeeper Jason Grande's 2.11 goals-against average ranks him 13th nationally, while his .924 save percentage places him 14th in the national rankings. Holy Cross owns the nation's sixth-best scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 2.15 goals per game. The team is tied for sixth nationally in short-handed goals, with three this season.
• In the AHA standings: Senior Jack Ricketts is tied for second in Atlantic Hockey in points this season, racking up 14 over the start of the season on six goals and eight assists. Gale tops the rankings in both save percentage and goals-against average, while Grande stands in fourth in goals-against and third in save percentage.

 
SCOUTING BROWN (3-5-0, 2-5-0 ECAC):

• Brown holds a 3-5 record going into Friday's matchup.
• Brown has played five one goal games this season with a 2-3 record in such games.
• The Bears added eight freshman this season, including netminder Lawton Zacher. Zacher's .926 save percentage ranks him tenth nationally, while his 2.24 goals-against average ranks him 16^th.
• Freshman Max Scott leads the squad with ten points on two goals and a team-leading eight assists. Sophomore Ryan St. Louis paces the team with eight goals.

 
LAST TIME THEY MET:

• Friday's contest marks the 14^th meeting all-time between the two teams, with Holy Cross holding a 7-6 edge. Since 2011, the Crusaders are 5-3 in matchups between the two teams.
• The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 25, 2022. Brown was victorious, shutting out the Crusaders, 3-0.
• The last time the Crusaders won was on Nov. 26, 2021, by a score of 5-1. Seniors Jack Ricketts, Alec Cicero, and Lucas Thorne scored in the contest, while senior Matt Guerra, junior John Gelatt, and junior Matt Shatsky picked up assists.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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