The Holy Cross Crusaders men's ice hockey team is a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) Division I

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

program that represents the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

. The Crusaders are members of

Atlantic Hockey America Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) is a college ice hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. The conference was formed in 2023 by the merger of ...

(AHA), formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of their former home of the

Atlantic Hockey Association The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) was an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other ...

with the women-only

College Hockey America College Hockey America (CHA) was a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference's final membership featured six women's teams, with three in Pennsylvani ...

. They play at the

Hart Center Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex is the main athletic center at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1975 and is home to the Holy Cross Crusaders athletic teams. Description The center is named for ...

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

History

Holy Cross men's ice hockey began in 1966 and a year later it joined

ECAC 2 ECAC 2 was an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's College Division. The league was created as a way to fairly divide the upper- and lower-class programs that had been members of ECAC Hockey. In 1984 the conference was sp ...

. The Crusaders played in the second tier of college ice hockey for ten years before they played their first playoff game, but once they made it they didn't go very far. Over a six year period Holy Cross wen 2–5 in the conference postseason and never really got close to an NCAA tournament berth. When Division II ice hockey was abandoned in 1984 Holy Cross dropped down to

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

and was placed in

ECAC East New England Hockey Conference (formerly the ECAC East) is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference. __TOC__ History The New England ...

when ECAC 2 split. They made the ECAC tournament three out of four years under

Peter Van Buskirk Peter Van Buskirk is an American retired ice hockey coach. He was involved with both the men's and women's programs at the College of the Holy Cross since 1979, serving as the head coach for both at various times until his retirement in 2019. ...

but couldn't manage a win. The team went through a down period under Bill Bellerose for six seasons but started winning again when Paul Pearl became head coach in 1994. After recording their best season in fifteen years Holy Cross promoted its program to Division I and joined the MAAC in 1998–99. In their first year of D–I play Holy Cross won its first Conference Tournament, winning the inaugural MAAC Championship. Unfortunately, because the NCAA did not offer the MAAC an automatic bid at that time the Crusaders did not make the NCAA tournament. The next season Holy Cross dropped to seventh in the conference and lost 24 games over the course of the season (a program worst). After missing out on the conference tournament the next season Holy Cross returned to the playoffs for the final two years of the MAAC's existence before joining with all former MAAC programs in founding

Atlantic Hockey The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) was an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other ...

Holy Cross Crusader ice hockey player Michael Hodge

Similar to their start with the MAAC, Holy Cross produced a great season, winning 22 games, and were able to win their first conference title. They then swept through the Atlantic Hockey playoffs and captured their second tournament championship, though this time they received a berth into the NCAA tournament for the first time. Though their national championship experience was brief the Crusaders continued to play well and returned to the Championship in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

after winning both conference crowns. The met #2 overall seeded

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

in the first round and pushed the heavily favored Golden Gophers into overtime where Tyler McGregor scored 53 seconds in, winning what is usually noted as the biggest upset in tournament history. Holy Cross would decline after their miraculous 2006 season, posting losing records for four consecutive years, but the program began to recover in the second decade of the 20th century. Paul Pearl resigned in 2014 and was replaced by

David Berard David Berard (born October 17, 1970) is the current head coach for the Stonehill Skyhawks men's ice hockey team. Career Berard started his college career as a goaltender for Providence in 1988. He spent four years as a backup for the Friars, p ...

who saw middling regular season results. In the 2022-2023 regular season Holy Cross won their first Atlantic Hockey playoff round since the 2006 season against

American International College American International College (AIC) is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts. History American International College was originally established on July 18, 1885 by Calvin E. Amaron who sought to create an institution of higher ...

. They would later upset

Rochester Institute of Technology The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York, Rochester. It was founded in 1829. It is one of only two institute of technology, institut ...

in the semifinals of the tournament but lose in the championship to

Canisius Canisius may refer to: People * Saint Peter Canisius (1521–1597), Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest * Theodorich Canisius (1532–1606), Jesuit academic, half-brother of St. Peter Canisius * Henricus Canisius (1562–1610), Dutch canonist and histor ...

Season-by-season results

Source:

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Crusaders have appeared in the NCAA tournament two times. Their combined record is 1–2.

Coaches

As of completion of 2024–25 season

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual Awards

Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award *

Matt Vidal Matt Vidal is a British-American sociologist. He is Reader in Sociology and Comparative Political Economy in the Institute for International Management, Loughborough University London. Education Vidal graduated from South Dakota State Universit ...

: 2016

Division I All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans *2023–24: Liam McLinskey, F *2024–25: Liam McLinskey, F

MAAC

Individual awards

Offensive Player of the Year *

Patrick Rissmiller Patrick Rissmiller (born October 26, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers, and the Florida Panthers. He joined the Anahe ...

, F: 2002 * Brandon Doria, F: 2003 Goaltender of the Year * Scott Simpson: 1999 Offensive Rookie of the Year *Tyler McGregor, F: 2003

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

* Paul Pearl: 2002 Tournament Most Valuable Player * Mike Maguire, D:

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

All-Conference teams

First Team All-MAAC *1998–99: Scott Simpson, G;

Chris Fattey Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...

, F *2001–02:

, F *2002–03: Brandon Doria, F Second Team All-MAAC *1998–99: Mike Maguire, D *1999–00:

Jim Whelan James "Jim" Whelan (November 8, 1948 – August 22, 2017) was an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate where he represented the 2nd Legislative District, from January 8, 2008, until his death. Early ...

, D *2001–02: R. J. Irving, D; Brandon Doria, F MAAC All-Rookie Team *1998–99:

, F *2000–01: R. J. Irving, D; Greg Kealey, F *2002–03: Tyler McGregor, F

Atlantic Hockey

Individual awards

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is held on b ...

*Tyler McGregor: 2006 * Liam McLinskey: 2024 Best Defensive Forward * Greg Kealey: 2004 * Blair Bartlett: 2006 * Rob Linsmayer: 2011 Best Defenseman * Rob Godfrey: 2006 *Jon Landry: 2007 Individual Sportsmanship Award * Tim Coskren: 2004 *Tyler McGregor: 2006 * James Sixsmith: 2007 Regular Season Goaltending Award * Ben Conway: 2005 * Tony Quesada: 2006 * Jason Grande: 2024 Regular Season Scoring Trophy *Tyler McGregor: 2006 * Liam McLinskey: 2024 Best Defensive Forward * Greg Kealey, F:

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

* James Sixsmith, LW:

Most Valuable Player in Tournament *Tyler McGregor: 2006

All-Conference teams

First Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2003–04:

Jeff Dams Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes * E ...

, F *2004–05: Tyler McGregor, F *2005–06: Jon Landry, D; Tyler McGregor, F *2006–07: Jon Landry, D; James Sixsmith, F *2014–15: Matt Ginn, G *2017–18: Paul Berrafato, G *2023–24: Liam McLinskey, F Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2003–04: Tony Quesada, G *2004–05: Pierre Napert-Frenette, F *2005–06: Tony Quesada, G; Pierre Napert-Frenette, F *2011–12: Adam Schmidt, F *2020–21:

Matt Slick The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) is a nonprofit, nondenominational Protestant apologetics ministry with an internet and radio outreach. It is involved in evangelism, including full-time support for several foreign mission ...

, D *2022–23: Jack Ricketts, F *2023–24: Jason Grande, G; Jack Ricketts, F Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2007–08: Matt Burke, D; Brodie Sheahan, F *2016–17:

Spencer Trapp Spencer may refer to: People *Spencer (surname) **Spencer family, British aristocratic family **List of people with surname Spencer * Spencer (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia *Spencer, New S ...

, D; Danny Lopez, F *2021–22: Ryan Leibold, F *2022–23: Nick Hale, D Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team *2003–04: James Sixsmith, F *2007–08: Mark Znutas, D; Everett Sheen, F *2010–11: Jeffrey Reppucci, F *2011–12: Matt Ginn, G *2012–13: Karl Beckman, D *2018–19:

, D; Anthony Vincent, F *2022–23: Mack Oliphant, D *2023–24: Jack Stockfish, F

Atlantic Hockey America

Individual awards

* Liam McLinskey: 2025 Forward of the Year * Liam McLinskey: 2025 Goaltender of the Year * Thomas Gale: 2025

Bill Riga William Riga is the current head coach for Holy Cross Crusaders men's ice hockey. Previously he was an associate head coach at Quinnipiac and helped the team reach the National Championship game in 2013 and 2016. Career Riga began his college ...

: 2025

All-Conference teams

First Team All-Atlantic Hockey America *2024–25: Thomas Gale, G; Liam McLinskey, F Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey America *2024–25: Mack Oliphant, D Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey America *2024–25: Devin Phillips, F Atlantic Hockey America All-Rookie Team *2024–25: Matt Kursonis, F

Statistical leaders

Source:

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

''GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% =

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various Goal (sports), goal-scoring sports that track Save (goaltender), saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse and association football, it is a sta ...

; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...

'' Minimum 30 games Statistics current through the end of the 2024–25 season.

Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame

The following is a list of people associated with the Holy Cross men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame (induction date in parentheses). * Larry Murphy (1981) *

Gerry Curley Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice pres ...

(1996) * Jim Stewart (1998) * Joe Lunny (1999) *

Glenn Graves Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement i ...

(2000) * Bill Bellerose (2002) *

Dean Casagrande Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

(2002) *

Matt Muniz Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

(2005) *

(2010) *Tyler McGregor (2013) * Tony Quesada (2014) * James Sixsmith (2017) * Terrence Butt (2018)

Current roster

As of August 12, 2024.

Crusaders in the NHL

As of July 1, 2024. Patrick Rissmiller 08

Source:

References

External links

* {{Atlantic Hockey America Ice hockey teams in Worcester, Massachusetts College ice hockey teams in Massachusetts NCAA Division I men's ice hockey teams 1913 establishments in Massachusetts Ice hockey clubs established in 1913