# 2023–24 LIU Sharks men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 LIU Sharks men's ice hockey season was the 4th season of play for the program. The Sharks represented Long Island University and were coached by Brett Riley, in his 4th season.

## Season

While LIU was hoping to take the next step in their fourth season, the team was still largely unable to move forward. Long Island's start to the season looked promising as they played two close games against ranked opponents (both losses) and produced some good offense against Stonehill, that pattern didn't change throughout the year. The Sharks got a solid effort from starter Brandon Perrone throughout the season but it wasn't quite good enough to overcome decent teams. Similarly, the offense produced consistently; Josh Zary became the first LIU player to hit 20 goals for a season and the Sharks had five skaters with at least 30 points. However, the team came up just shy too often, losing eight games by 1 goal. LIU's numbers were offset by the eight games the team had against Stonehill, the worst team in college hockey. In those matches, Long Island went 8–0 and scored 48 goals while allowing just 12. The season series with the Skyhawks enabled LIU to set a program record with 16 wins but still left them sitting near the bottom of the PairWise rankings.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Spencer Cox | Defenseman/Forward | United States | Transferred to Miami |
| Adam Goodsir | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Worcester Railers) |
| Santeri Hartikainen | Forward | Finland | Graduation (signed with Kiekko-Vantaa) |
| Tyler Kostelecky | Forward | United States | Transferred to Bethel |
| Patriks Marcinkēvičs | Forward | Latvia | Transferred to Michigan Tech |
| Ethan Martini | Defenseman | Canada | Transferred to Dalhousie |
| Gustav Müller | Forward | Sweden | Left program (retired) |
| Vinnie Purpura | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (signed with Adirondack Thunder) |
| Austin Rook | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Adirondack Thunder) |
| Dylan Schuett | Forward | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Jan Škorpík | Goaltender | Czech Republic | Left program (retired) |
| Anthony Vincent | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with San Jose Barracuda) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Heath Armstrong | Forward | Canada | 21 | Calgary, AB |
| Grayson Constable | Forward | Canada | 25 | Lethbridge, AB; graduate transfer from Holy Cross |
| Rico DiMatteo | Goaltender | United States | 22 | Brasher Falls, NY; transfer from Northern Michigan |
| Aaron Grounds | Forward | United States | 21 | Jamestown, ND; transfer from American International |
| Atte Lehikoinen | Defenseman | Finland | 20 | Joensuu, FIN |
| Onni Leppänen | Forward | Finland | 19 | Helsinki, FIN |
| Peter Muzyka | Defenseman | Canada | 23 | Toronto, ON; graduate transfer from Cornell |
| Remy Parker | Forward | United States | 25 | Montclair, NJ; graduate transfer from Union |
| Kade Peterson | Forward | United States | 20 | West Fargo, ND |
| Adam Pitters | Forward | United States | 24 | Grosse Pointe, MI; graduate transfer from Bowling Green |
| Noah Rupprecht | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Thief River Falls, MN |
| Luke Strickland | Forward | Canada | 20 | Keswick, ON |
| Garrett Valk | Defenseman | Canada | 20 | North Vancouver, BC |

## Roster

As of September 20, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 NCAA Division I Independent ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Alaska | 34 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 110 | 86 |
| Alaska Anchorage | 34 | 15 | 17 | 2 | 95 | 105 |
| Arizona State | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 129 | 94 |
| Lindenwood | 28 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 74 | 121 |
| Long Island | 37 | 16 | 20 | 1 | 115 | 103 |
| Stonehill | 36 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 62 | 213 |
| Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:30 pm | #16 Penn State* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Perrone | L 2–3 | 1,862 | 0–1–0 |
| October 8 | 7:00 pm | at Holy Cross* | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | FloHockey | DiMatteo | L 2–5 | 830 | 0–2–0 |
| October 13 | 7:00 pm | at #4 Boston College* | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Perrone | L 2–4 | 7,308 | 0–3–0 |
| October 14 | 5:00 pm | at Stonehill* | Bridgewater Ice Arena • Bridgewater, Massachusetts | NEC Front Row | DiMatteo | W 7–3 | 275 | 1–3–0 |
| October 20 | 9:00 pm | at Colorado College* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Perrone | L 2–3 | 3,412 | 1–4–0 |
| October 21 | 8:00 pm | at Colorado College* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | DiMatteo | L 2–4 | 3,407 | 1–5–0 |
| October 28 | 8:00 pm | Saint Anselm* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+, SNY | Perrone | W 4–0 | 314 | 2–5–0 |
| October 30 | 7:30 pm | at Stonehill* | Bridgewater Ice Arena • Bridgewater, Massachusetts | NEC Front Row | DiMatteo | W 4–2 | 183 | 3–5–0 |
| November 5 | 7:00 pm | Sacred Heart* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Perrone | W 2–1 | 349 | 4–5–0 |
| November 10 | 8:07 pm | at Omaha* | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Perrone | L 2–3 | 7,802 | 4–6–0 |
| November 11 | 8:07 pm | at Omaha* | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Perrone | L 4–5 $^{OT}$ | 7,802 | 4–7–0 |
| November 17 | 8:10 pm | at Lindenwood* | Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri | | Perrone | L 0–3 | 857 | 4–8–0 |
| November 18 | 3:10 pm | at Lindenwood* | Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri | | DiMatteo | W 6–2 | 635 | 5–8–0 |
| November 24 | 7:30 pm | American International* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+, SNY | Perrone | L 2–5 | 550 | 5–9–0 |
| November 25 | 7:00 pm | Simon Fraser* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York (Exhibition) | ESPN+, SNY | DiMatteo | W 3–1 | 325 | |
| November 28 | 6:00 pm | at Saint Anselm* | Thomas F. Sullivan Ice Arena • Manchester, New Hampshire | | DiMatteo | L 2–3 | 207 | 5–10–0 |
| December 1 | 7:00 pm | at Brown* | Meehan Auditorium • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Perrone | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 464 | 5–10–1 |
| December 2 | 7:00 pm | at Yale* | Ingalls Rink • New Haven, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Perrone | W 3–1 | 1,029 | 6–10–1 |
| December 9 | 7:00 pm | at #5 Quinnipiac* | M&T Bank Arena • Hamden, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Perrone | L 2–4 | 3,087 | 6–11–1 |
| December 10 | 7:00 pm | at Yale* | Ingalls Rink • New Haven, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Perrone | L 3–5 | 866 | 6–12–1 |
| December 16 | 7:00 pm | Vermont* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Perrone | L 2–3 | 700 | 6–13–1 |
| December 17 | 7:15 pm | Vermont* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | DiMatteo | L 1–5 | 350 | 6–14–1 |
| January 12 | 7:00 pm | Colgate* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Rupprecht | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 650 | 7–14–1 |
| January 13 | 2:00 pm | Colgate* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Rupprecht | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 450 | 8–14–1 |
| January 19 | 2:30 pm | Stonehill* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Rupprecht | W 8–2 | 250 | 9–14–1 |
| January 20 | 2:00 pm | Stonehill* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Rupprecht | W 10–0 | 300 | 10–14–1 |
| January 26 | 2:30 pm | Alaska* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Rupprecht | L 3–7 | 255 | 10–15–1 |
| January 27 | 2:00 pm | Alaska* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Perrone | L 1–3 | 350 | 10–16–1 |
| February 2 | 7:00 pm | at Stonehill* | Bridgewater Ice Arena • Bridgewater, Massachusetts | NEC Front Row | Rupprecht | W 3–1 | 153 | 11–16–1 |
| February 3 | 4:00 pm | at Stonehill* | Bridgewater Ice Arena • Bridgewater, Massachusetts | NEC Front Row | Perrone | W 5–0 | 198 | 12–16–1 |
| February 10 | 10:07 pm | at Alaska Anchorage* | Avis Alaska Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska | | Perrone | W 2–1 | 800 | 13–16–1 |
| February 11 | 9:07 pm | at Alaska Anchorage* | Avis Alaska Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska | | Rupprecht | L 1–3 | 562 | 13–17–1 |
| February 16 | 11:07 pm | at Alaska* | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Perrone | W 4–0 | 2,024 | 14–17–1 |
| February 17 | 11:07 pm | at Alaska* | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Perrone | L 0–4 | 1,776 | 14–18–1 |
| February 23 | 2:30 pm | Stonehill* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Perrone | W 7–2 | 300 | 15–18–1 |
| February 24 | 2:00 pm | Stonehill* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Perrone | W 4–2 | 300 | 16–18–1 |
| March 1 | 9:00 pm | at #20 Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Perrone | L 2–4 | 4,951 | 16–19–1 |
| March 2 | 7:00 pm | at #20 Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Perrone | L 3–4 | 4,774 | 16–20–1 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Josh Zary | F | 35 | 20 | 14 | 34 | 21 |
| Isaiah Fox | F | 37 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 66 |
| Chris Pappas | C | 34 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 10 |
| Noah Kane | C | 33 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 48 |
| Cade Mason | D | 34 | 2 | 28 | 30 | 8 |
| Remy Parker | F | 35 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 6 |
| Grayson Constable | F | 37 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 29 |
| Austin Brimmer | RW | 32 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 12 |
| Nolan Welsh | F | 32 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 21 |
| Valtteri Piironen | D | 31 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 18 |
| Zachary Nazzarett | LW | 19 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 |
| Adam Pitters | F | 31 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
| Jack Quinn | F | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 31 |
| Preston Brodziak | F | 29 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| Jordan Di Cicco | D | 33 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Aaron Grounds | F | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 18 |
| Riley Wallack | F | 30 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| John Gormley | D | 37 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 61 |
| Garrett Valk | D | 36 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| Peter Muzyka | D | 35 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 70 |
| Xan Gurney | D | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 36 |
| A. J. Casperson | D | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Heath Armstrong | F | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Brandon Perrone | G | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Atte Lehikoinen | D | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Daniel Baldassarra | C | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Noah Rupprecht | G | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kade Peterson | F | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Rico DiMatteo | G | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luke Strickland | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 115 | 190 | 305 | 519 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Noah Rupprecht | 10 | 421:40 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 135 | 1 | .900 | 2.13 |
| Brandon Perrone | 25 | 1375:43 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 63 | 535 | 3 | .895 | 2.75 |
| Rico DiMatteo | 11 | 403:14 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 139 | 0 | .874 | 2.98 |
| Empty Net | - | 31:59 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 37 | 2232:36 | 16 | 20 | 1 | 103 | 809 | 4 | .887 | 2.77 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.