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The Saint Joseph’s Hawks are the 38th team in our 2018 schedule preview series and the fourth team from the NEC. The Hawks failed to make the NEC Tournament for the first time since entering the conference back in 2014, but they do get Mike Rastivo back after the attackman missed all of last season with a knee injury.
Here’s the entire 2018 schedule:
Saint Joseph’s 2018 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
| 2/3 | Saint Joseph's | Army West Point | Scrimmage | |
| 2/10 | Saint Joseph's | Harvard | Scrimmage | |
| 2/17 | Fairfield | Saint Joseph's | First meeting since 1999 (17-9 L) | |
| 2/24 | Saint Joseph's | Providence | First meeting since 2009 (5-4 L/4OT) | |
| 3/7 | St. John's | Saint Joseph's | 8-5 W | |
| 3/10 | Saint Joseph's | Monmouth | 6-5 W/OT | |
| 3/13 | Drexel | Saint Joseph's | 12-8 L | |
| 3/16 | NJIT | Saint Joseph's | First ever meeting | |
| 3/24 | Saint Joseph's | Hobart | NEC | 8-7 L/OT |
| 3/31 | Saint Joseph's | Wagner | NEC | 14-5 W |
| 4/7 | Sacred Heart | Saint Joseph's | NEC | 12-11 L/OT |
| 4/14 | Bryant | Saint Joseph's | NEC | 8-7 L |
| 4/17 | Saint Joseph's | Penn | 10-5 L | |
| 4/21 | Mount St. Mary's | Saint Joseph's | NEC | 15-11 W |
| 4/28 | Saint Joseph's | Robert Morris | NEC | 13-7 L |
The Hawks get rid of Delaware, Duke, Manhattan, and Maryland this season and replace them with Fairfield, NJIT, and Providence.
Let’s check out some notable games on this schedule:
Best Nonconference Game: @ Providence
I am a huge fan of the Friars this year with their returning players on offense and goaltender Tate Boyce. But the Hawks have a similar offense with Rastivo, as well as Chris Blewitt and Hayes McGinley. If the team can find a solid goalie to replace TJ Jones, this could be a Hawk win.
Best Conference Game: vs. Bryant
Could this finally be the year we see the Hawks beat the Bulldogs in the NEC Championship game? Who knows, but we’re guaranteed to see both teams play each other in the regular season first. Since entering the NEC, the two teams have played five games against each other, with three of them coming by a one-goal margin.
Under The Radar Game: @ Robert Morris
The Colonials are a dark horse to win the NEC, thanks to many of their key contributors coming back. They’ve taken two of the last three games to the Hawks, including a 13-7 win at Sweeney Field last year.
Possible Upset: vs. Drexel
There’s a good amount of games the Hawks might be favored in this year. But the Drexel game might not be one of them. Drexel seems to be a questionable choice, but take this into consideration: The Dragons have beaten the Hawks in 17 straight games. Can it end this year? Drexel has always been a thorn to St. Joe’s side.
For other schedules and team rosters, check out our Men’s Division I matrix.