“It was a little tough because there were about 300 guys in the transfer gate,” said forward Dakota Raabe, a California native who had played in Michigan. “A lot of these schools, you know, are scrambling to find guys; there are already a lot of occupied places.

“CJ (Marottolo, Sacré-Cœur coach) was one of the first coaches to contact me. … He really wanted me here, and it was something I needed.

The group that was already there and the incoming group – graduate transfers also include defenseman Rourke Russell of Miami, Ohio and forwards Dante Palecco of Yale and Troy Conzo of Colorado College – did not detract from Raabe’s decision. .

They live together, in fact.

“I got a few calls from different schools and stuff, but what drew me here was just the opportunity they had here,” said Russell after training at Wonderland of Ice. . “The coaching staff and the players they had on the roster, I kind of took everything into account and that’s what made me decide to come here.”

Raabe played with Strauss Mann of Greenwich, Michigan and had been around the area quite a bit. Conzo is from Long Island.

“It definitely helps with the transition,” he said. “Coming from a school where I took four and a half hours to get home, it’s really nice to finally be able to play somewhere near my house.

The season kicks off Saturday at 4 p.m. at the XL Center against UConn. The Pioneers won’t play a home game until October 29-30, and then again until New Years Day in their final full season at Webster Bank Arena before moving to the school’s West Campus in the new Martire family arena January 14, 2023.

Russell’s skating is a big addition to the blue line, Marottolo said, and Raabe’s speed is a key attribute. Conzo will help them improve on faceoffs.

“We love the team we’ve put on paper right now. My two assistants did a terrific job identifying, watching movies on all of these guys, ”said Marottolo. “We feel good with all the guys we’ve brought.”

Junior forward Tim Clifton said building the team’s chemistry has been a key focus for the team.

“We actually orchestrated a golf event last weekend that we got the team involved in: we cleaned up the rivers at the Great River Golf Club and ended up playing a nine hole tournament, which was great. fun, ”Clifton said. .

At this event and others, he said, “It was a great opportunity for everyone to really get to know each other and have conversations away from the ice. I think it’s important that you have conversations with new guys that don’t necessarily always involve hockey, you know, just getting to know people off the ice, which is really important because I think that that bond that you have off the ice really translates to the ice. “

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