| Team Name: | Holy Cross Crusaders |
| Team Link: | |
| Current: | 2024–25 Holy Cross Crusaders men's ice hockey season |
| University: | College of the Holy Cross |
| Sex: | men's |
| Conference: | Atlantic Hockey America |
| Conference Short: | AHA |
| Division: | NCAA Division I |
| Location: | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Coach: | Bill Riga |
| Coach Year: | 4th |
| Coach Wins: | 50 |
| Coach Losses: | 58 |
| Coach Ties: | 9 |
| Arena: | Hart Center |
| Capacity: | 1,600 |
| Surface: | 200' x 85' |
| Ncaatourneys: | 2004, 2006 |
| Conference Tournament: | 1999, 2004, 2006 |
| Conference Season: | 2003–04, 2005-06 |
| Uniform Image: | AHA-Uniform-CHC.png |
The Holy Cross Crusaders men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the College of the Holy Cross. The Crusaders are members of Atlantic Hockey America (AHA), formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of their former home of the Atlantic Hockey Association with the women-only College Hockey America.[1] They play at the Hart Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.[2]
Holy Cross men's ice hockey began in 1966 and a year later it joined ECAC 2. 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 and was placed in ECAC East when ECAC 2 split. They made the ECAC tournament three out of four years under Peter Van Buskirk 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.[3]
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.
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 after winning both conference crowns. The met #2 overall seeded Minnesota 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.[4]
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 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. They would later upset Rochester Institute of Technology in the semifinals of the tournament but lose in the championship to Canisius.[5]
See main article: article and List of Holy Cross Crusaders men's ice hockey seasons. Source:[6]
The Crusaders have appeared in the NCAA tournament two times. Their combined record is 1–2.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Regional semifinal |
| L 3-0 | |
| West Regional semifinal West Regional Final |
| W 4-3 (OT) L 5-2 | |
As of completion of 2023–24 season
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–Present | 3 | 50–58–9 | |||
| 2014–2021 | 7 | 84–116–34 | |||
| 1994–1996, 1997–2014 | 19 | 297–293–69 | |||
| 1988–1994 | 6 | 61–99–3 | |||
| 1979–1988, 1996–1997 | 10 | 167–146–8 | |||
| 1976–1979 | 3 | 49–31–1 | |||
| 1966–1976 | 10 | 122–104–2 | |||
| Totals | 7 coaches | 58 seasons | 830–847–126 |
2016
AHCA Second Team All-Americans
1999
2002
Tournament Most Valuable Player
2024
2004
2006
2011
2006
Individual Sportsmanship Award
2004
2007
Regular Season Goaltending Award
2005
2006
2024
2024
Most Valuable Player in Tournament
First Team All-Atlantic Hockey
Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey
Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey
Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team
Source:[7]
| Player | Years | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–1986 | 103 | 116 | 219 | ||||
| 1982–1986 | 101 | 117 | 218 | ||||
| 1966–1970 | 119 | 88 | 207 | ||||
| 1982–1986 | 87 | 120 | 207 | ||||
| 1973–1977 | 75 | 122 | 197 | ||||
| 1977–1981 | 93 | 98 | 191 | ||||
| 1966–1969 | 91 | 89 | 180 | ||||
| 1973–1977 | 71 | 81 | 152 | ||||
| 2003–2007 | 142 | 48 | 104 | 152 | |||
| 1977–1981 | 147 |
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Minimum 30 games
| Player | Years | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–2024 | 42 | 2413 | 25 | 13 | 3 | 87 | 2 | .920 | 2.16 | |
| 2002–2006 | 105 | 6034 | 61 | 33 | 8 | 251 | 7 | .915 | 2.50 | |
| 2014–2018 | 114 | 6677 | 46 | 47 | 19 | 281 | 11 | .911 | 2.51 | |
| 2011–2015 | 129 | 7759 | 59 | 55 | 13 | 324 | 8 | .917 | 2.51 | |
| 1995–1999 | 38 | 1960 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 82 | 2 | .903 | 2.51 | |
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).[8]
As of August 12, 2024.[9]
As of July 1, 2024.
| Player | Position | Team(s) | Years | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Rissmiller | Left Wing | SJS, NYR, ATL, FLA | 2003–2011 | 192 | 0 |
| Jim Stewart | Goaltender | BOS | 1979–1980 | 1 | 0 |
Source:[10]