MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – SUNY Morrisville men's ice hockey team will officially drop the puck on the 2026-27 season as they hit the road at Lebanon Valley Friday night, after making changes in their leadership and direction in the off-season.
 
Sebastian Ragno begins his first season on the bench with the Mustangs, and throughout the preseason has seen a vibrant momentum, one that has been reflective within their style, pace and discipline on the ice.
 
"I am really excited for what's to come this season," Ragno commented. "The energy around the rink has been incredible – guys are excited to show up and put in the work every day to make the changes needed to have an impact on our success across the year."
 
That success will come in part with the leadership from returners Caden Sutter (Chippewa Falls, Wisc.) and Logan James (Belleville, Ont.) who were selected by their peers to fill the captain and assistant captain roles this season.
 
"Sutter was the overwhelmingly top choice at captain," Ragno said. "He has been significant in helping my transition to the program and on the other side, has helped to instill the culture that it takes to help Morrisville become a winning program. LJ has been a solid support and has held the guys accountable to the detail, which will continue to play an important role for us this season."
 
"I knew that having the right captains in place was going to be critical and these two have knocked it out of the park."
 
What can be said so far this preseason is there's an increase in intensity, tempo and drive, as well as revitalized energy surrounding what may lie ahead for the season. Much of that can be attested to the solid returning core of 17 that is backed by 11 new faces.
 
The Mustangs top three scorers return to the roster this season, including Tanner Dietz (Mitchell, Ont.) who led the way with 14 points behind a five goal, nine assist season. Connor Santay (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) returns to the blue line after collecting four goals and six assists, while Mason Losel (Lake View, N.Y.) joins Dietz on the forward line after netting four scores and four assists a year ago.
 
"I think overall up front we got a lot faster," Ragno commented. "Roster additions like Jason Galante (Tonawanda, N.Y.), Michal Stojka (Usti nad Lamen, CZE) and Jack Nolan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) can fly and all bring a scoring touch to our play on the ice."
 
"One player I'm excited about is Harrison Kramer (Winchester, Calif.) who was a late add for us this summer but has come in and surpassed all expectations. He brings a positive attitude to everything he does and acts like a pro as a freshman."
 
"Chase Krtanjek (Orchard Park, N.Y.) knows his role and is excellent at it. We look forward to helping him develop his ability to kill penalties and be consistent in the dot for us."
 
"On the backend, Paulis Paegle (Jurmala, Lat.) has shown some promise. He's a player that can play in all situations and is hard to play against. Michael Montague (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) will provide some experience as a junior transfer, to help bolster our young team."
 
Morrisville will see two familiar faces return to backstop the Mustangs across the season in Chad Lowe (Auburn, N.Y.) and Will Goumas (Brampton, Ont.). Lowe made 15 starts in net a year ago in his freshman campaign, collecting a .902 save effort. Goumas made six appearances as a sophomore.
 
Ragno pointed to newcomer Ayo Ogini (Surrey, B.C.) who is hard to overlook with his 6-6 frame and determination to challenge Lowe and Goumas for the go-to role moving forward.
 
"I think we have a healthy competition in the goalie stable," Ragno said, "and would be confident saying we have three reliable guys and a great coach in Nate Pickett to guide their development this season."
 
Morrisville had two preseason tests to date this year and will carry their momentum from Saturday's exhibition win over Alvernia into Friday's puck drop in the season opener at Lebanon Valley.
 
The road double in Hershey will lead Ragno's squad into the Mustangs home debut on Friday, November 6 as they host St. John Fisher University, the final non-conference match up before their SUNYAC opener on the 13^th.
 
Morrisville is on the road for their first SUNYAC duo – challenging Fredonia on the 13^th before meeting Buffalo State on the 14^th.
 
The Mustangs will welcome Plattsburgh and Skidmore on the 20^th and 21^st, before heading to Castleton for a Thanksgiving tournament in Vermont the following weekend. First semester action wraps up with the road battle at SUNY Canton on December 4 followed by Potsdam on the 5^th.
 
Second semester action continues early January on the road at Chatham, offering two non-league outings before welcoming Oswego and Hobart to the Morrisville IcePlex to resume the conference slate for the rest of the regular season schedule.
 
"A hungry team is dangerous," Ragno commented. "With the changes we've implemented within the program, no one has any idea what to prepare for when playing us."
 
"We will have a black ace in our hand all year," Ragno said. That black ace – unpredictability.
 
A full schedule and roster can be found on the college's athletic website along with links to live coverage.
 
Friday's puck is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m. in the Hersheypark Arena in Hershey.

SUNY Morrisville's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. The college is positioning itself to offer expanded graduate offerings, workforce programming and microcredentials. Future development of industry and educational partnerships will increase student success and response to student demand and market. For more information about SUNY Morrisville, visit www.morrisville.edu.
 
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