SPARTAN ICE HOCKEY SCHEDULE ALERT:
Now that the Blizzard of 2026 has rolled through the Northeast and other logistical delays have been overcome, the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC) has announced a new date for its Metropolitan Division Final, featuring No. 1 Sacred Heart University and No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas College.
The championship matchup between the Pioneers and Spartans will now take place on Thursday, February 26 at the Martire Family Arena on the campus of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Puck drop is set for 9:00 p.m.
Admission to the game is free but if you cannot make it to Connecticut, Wednesday's matchup will also be streamed LIVE on the Long Island Sports Network and can be seen here.
This is the third-straight season where the MCHC title will be contested between bitter rivals from Sparkill and Fairfield, with Sacred Heart claiming the previous two trophies. The teams split their two-game regular season series in 2025-2026, with each team winning on the other's home ice.
October 19, 2025 @ Martire Family Arena - STAC 7/Sacred Heart 5: James Guild, Andrew Fenninger and Jason Desalvo each tallied a pair of goals, while Nicholas Delia also scored a goal for the Spartans. Goaltender Michael Pippo was solid between the pipes for STAC, turning away 42 of 47 shots.
January 31, 2026 @ Sport-O-Rama Ice Rinks - Sacred Heart 10/STAC 5: Jeremy Poggi struck twice for goals, while teammates Jesse Formica, Noah Barr and Andrew Fenninger tallied a goal apiece for the maroon and gold, In between the pipes Michael Pippo got the start for the Spartans and turned aside 21 of 29 shots faced in a little over 31 minutes of action, before being spelled by Theo Morris for the final 28 plus minutes of the contest. Morris stopped 21 of 23 shots fired his way.
2026 METROPOLITAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
Semifinals – Friday, February 20 at Sport O-Rama Ice Rinks (Monsey, N.Y.)
8:00 PM - No. 4 Western Connecticut State University 0 vs. No. 1 Sacred Heart University 8
8:40 PM - No. 3 SUNY Maritime College 3 vs. No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas College 9
Final – Thursday, February 26 at Martire Family Arena (Fairfield, Conn.)
9:00 PM - No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas College vs. No. 1 Sacred Heart University