Appleton Comes Alive: Saints Hockey Returns
Men’s and Women’s Teams Return To Canton For 2025 Season
As the crisp fall weather returns to the North Country, hockey returns to Appleton Arena. The Skating Saints are back and gearing up for the 2025 season. It’s a time of excitement for Saints fans as the promise both squads bring to the ice reminds us that Canton, N.Y., is a college hockey town.
On the men’s side, the program is entering its centennial season – 100 years of hockey in Canton. The historic milestone honors one of college hockey’s most storied programs and celebrates a century of tradition, packed crowds and the spirit of hockey in the St. Lawrence community. The 2025-26 season is filled with a sense of pride for the program as it will commemorate the lasting legacy of the legends of Saints hockey who built the program to where it stands today. The Skating Saints look to the centennial season with forward momentum to set the tone for the next century of St. Lawrence University Hockey.
Ahead of their season, the Saints added 12 new faces on the ice, 10 first-year athletes and two transfers, to a solid returning group of three seniors, six juniors and nine sophomores. The newcomers in the class of 2029 will inject new energy into the program and create a deep roster of talent that will boost the competitive spirit of the Saints internally and make them a threatening force in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Led by a passionate and dedicated leadership group composed of head captain Jan Oleginski ’27 and alternates Mason Kucenski ’27, Jan Lasak ’26 and Frankie Carogioiello ’26, the Skating Saints look to improve upon their overall 9-24-2 and conference 5-15-2 records for their centennial year.
The Scarlet and Brown opened the historic campaign on the road against Niagara University and Canisius University this past weekend. Although the team dropped both games, they celebrated two milestone moments for skaters Rasmus Svartström ’29 and Sam LeDrew ’29 as they notched their first career goals, establishing an immediate impact on the competitive nature of this year’s team. The Saints open Appleton for the first time in the historic season on Sunday, Oct. 12, when they host the University of Vermont at 4 p.m. ECAC play kicks off Friday, Nov. 7, when the Saints host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for a 7 p.m. game.
The women’s program also hit a notable milestone last season, celebrating 50 years of women’s ice hockey at SLU. The team is hoping to build on the Golden season’s momentum as they made their second consecutive trip to the Regional Finals in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, earning the Saints the ninth-ranked spot heading into the 2025-2026 season.
The women’s team graduated a class of 13 last season, including several key players who went on to continue their professional hockey careers in the Professional Women’s Hockey League and Swedish Women’s Hockey League. This season, the team brings in nine first-years, creating an energetic and young roster. The Saints aim for another top-three finish in the ECAC. The leadership group features head captains Kennedy Wilson ’26 and Kiley Mastel ’26, along with alternates Emma-Sofie Nordström ’26 and Abby Hehl ’27. The Saints are eager to meet top 10 expectations. With notable talent and potential, they aim for a deep playoff run and a return to the national stage.
The now 12th-ranked Saints grabbed their first win of the season over Mercyhurst University this past weekend, and will open the doors to Appleton Arena for the first time this season in a two-game series against the University of Vermont, Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. ECAC play starts for the Saints on the road Oct. 16-17 against Rochester Institute of Technology.
Head on over to Appleton this weekend to catch both teams in action and be a part of the first “S… L… U!” chant of the season! The Skating Saints are writing the next chapter of college hockey history in Canton, and you won’t want to miss it!