The St. Thomas Aquinas College Ice Hockey team returns to action for the 2021-2022 season with its eyes set on taking another step toward their ultimate goal of winning an MCHC Championship.
STAC's 2019-2020 campaign saw them post an overall record of 13-8 and a 9-3 mark in MCHC play, capture the program's first-ever MCHC Regular Season Title and the #1 seed in the playoffs. The Spartans took on U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) in the semifinal round and fell to the Mariners, 8-4 concluding their season.
The on-going pandemic derailed the team's 2020-21 plans, except a four-game exhibition series with Sacred Heart University, which STAC won three games to one.
St. Thomas Aquinas begins a new year with a roster made up of experienced veteran players and ethusiastic, hungry young talent, both of which are ready to continue the goals set by the players and coaches before COVID-19 interrupted those plans.
The Spartans return five from the 2019-20 season, as Douglas Harrison (Sr./Forward/Harrison, N.Y.), Carter Taylor (Gr./Forward/Manchester, Md.), Ryan Guild (Gr./Defense/New Windsor, N.Y.), Shaun Benson (Gr./Defense/Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and Drew Lorenz (Jr./Forward/Ringwood, N.J.) will make up the core that will lead STAC on the ice against their MCHC opponents.
This year's leadership group will remain largely in tact, as Shaun Benson will once again wear the Captain's "C", with Douglas Harrison wearing the Alternate Captain's "A". An additional Alternate Captain(s) may be named by the coaching staff as the season moves forward.
In addition, a good mix of new faces in; Daniel McKeon (Fr./Forward/Monroe, N.Y.), Joey Camporeale (Fr./Defense/Little Ferry, N.J.), Sean Kunz (Jr./Defense/Congers, N.Y.), Noah Barr (Fr./Forward/Staten Island, N.Y.), Richard Spatta (Fr./Forward/Garnerville, N.Y.), Greg Drefko (So./Defense/Kearny, N.J.), Joseph Harrison (Fr./Forward/Harrison, N.Y.), Jack Guerra (Jr./Forward/Stony Point, N.Y./), Devin Niccoll (Fr./Forward/Sparkill, N.Y.), James Tremblay (Fr./Forward/Long Island, N.Y.), Sebastiano Vinci (Fr./Forward/Long Island, N.Y.), Vito Maniscalco (Fr./Goalie/Staten Island, N.Y.) and John Rosabella (Fr./Goalie/Westchester, N.Y.) will look to provide additional talent and depth at all positions on the ice.
The biggest change to the roster will be in net, as 4-year starting goaltender Carl Lorenz turns over the reigns to Maniscalco and Rosabella, following his graduation from the college.
Head Coach Matt Schuster will once again patrol the STAC bench this season, and will have some familiar faces assisting him. Sean Jennings, Craig Jennings, Mike Fasulo and George Petronella all return to St. Thomas Aquinas College as Assistant Coaches in 2021-2022. All four coaches are graduates of STAC and were affiliated with the program either as players or coaches/managers at one time or another.
“We’re all very excited. Our core group of Veterans are battle-tested, experienced, extremely talented, and they are still getting better every day", said Head Coach Matthew Schuster, in his seventh season with St. Thomas Aquinas College. "We have added a highly skilled, very large group of Rookies, who will bring energy, and enthusiasm on and off the ice. Every Season is different --- they all have their unique set of challenges. If we stay focused on the basics, continue to work hard every day in practice, and take care of business in the classroom, and develop good chemistry on the ice, we like our chances to be a major factor in our league, and perhaps beyond." "Big Picture, we very thankful that we get to compete at all, given all of the adversity everybody has endured over the past year and a half during the global pandemic.”
St. Thomas Aquinas College will open their 2021-22 season at home on Friday, October 8, as the Spartans play host to Sacred Heart University at Sport-O-Rama Ice Rinks in Monsey, NY. Puck drop is set for 8:30pm.