SHU forced to shuffle its schedule

Sacred Heart men’s hockey coach C.J. Marottolo was understandably excited about the Pioneers’ non-conference schedule for the upcoming season.

The six open dates would include two games each at three high-profile in-season tournaments. There was the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland; the Fortress Invitational in Las Vegas and the Connecticut

Ice Festival, to be played on the Pioneers’ home ice at Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Arena.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of the Las Vegas tournament.

“They emailed a couple of weeks ago and said they wouldn’t be able to pull it off,” Marottolo said.

Around the country, more dominoes are certain to fall as college athletic departments face major budget challenges and health risks due to the coronavirus.

Earlier this month the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald reported Holy Cross canceled a two-game series at Arizona State for the upcoming winter due to a budget crunch at the school. The same outlet reported St. Cloud State was considering canceling an October trip to play at Boston College and Boston University, while BU was exploring moving a two-game series at Northern

Michigan to the 2021-22 season.

Last week Alabama-Huntsville announced it was dropping its men’s hockey program, effective immediately, due to budget problems. It had competed in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association since 2013.

Marottolo said Tuesday organizers of the Friendship Four in Belfast are working hard to keep the November event on as scheduled. Quinnipiac, Mercyhurst

and Army also committed to the Thanksgiving weekend tournament.

Yet it seems likely the costs and risks of international travel will put the sixth annual tournament in jeopardy.

The Fortress Invitational, started in 2018, was hosted by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and held at the 17,500-seat T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas strip. This

year’s tournament was to be played Jan. 2-3, 2021. UMass and Harvard were also scheduled to play. The fourth participant was undecided.

Marottolo worked quickly to get Sacred Heart into the annual Catamount Cup in Burlington, Vermont the same weekend as the Vegas tournament — Vermont, Colgate and Western Michigan round out the field.

If the Belfast tournament is canceled, it’s possible the event could still be played stateside with the same

field and hosted by one of the four participants — Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart make the most sense.

The Connecticut Ice Festival, a long-anticipated two-day event featuring the state’s four Division I programs, has the best chance to remain on as scheduled since all four participants are local, though anything is possible given the fluid dynamics of the pandemic.

It debuted last January to strong media attention and good crowds, with Sacred

Heart taking the inaugural championship. This year’s tournament, scheduled for Jan. 22-24, 2021, completes the original two-year agreement between the schools. All indications are organizers will push to extend the event if the four participants are willing to continue.

Quinnipiac, aside from the Belfast trip, has no road games that require an airline flight next season. Arizona State, scheduled to play two games here, is the only opponent that will fly

into Hamden. At this point, that series remains in place.

Yale’s schedule for next season is also based entirely against Northeast opponents. In addition to the Connecticut Ice Festival, the Bulldogs play Cornell in a neutral site, non-conference game at Madison Square Garden and at Merrimack. Vermont, New Hampshire and Army will visit Ingalls Rink.