Category Archives: NCAA

NCAA ice hockey

Maryland Sinks Navy in the Crab Pot Tournament

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Annapolis, MD: On Friday, February 13, 2026, the University of Maryland Terrapins faced off against the Naval Academy Midshipmen in the second game of the annual Crab Pot Tournament, hosted by Navy. The Terps would cruise to a 6-1 victory, securing their spot in the Championship game.

The Naval Academy pep band and packed house brought excitement and energy to the second game of the evening. Maryland got on the board first, at 15:52 in the opening period on a goal from Thomas Pilkington. Michael Shraibman provided the assist on the Pilkington goal. Just over two minutes later, at 17:34, James Botti would extend the lead with an assist from Travis Duchene. Rounding out the trio of goals from Maryland would be Colin Doherty at 19:26 with the helper coming from James Romps.

Maryland’s Shraibman would get his second of the night early in the second period, just 52 seconds into the frame. Patrick Harman had the assist on the goal. The Terrapins would extend their lead to 5-0 at 14:09, when James Botti netted his second goal, which came on the power play. Assists on the goal were from Duchene and Harnan.

The third period saw Maryland continue the assault on the Navy net at 2:50 of the third when Jack Rakauskas scored with helpers from the duo of Duchene and Harnan. Sean Milanette would not allow Navy to be shut out, when he scored at 6:54, with assists coming from Jason Fisher and Ray Sun.

Jack Faricy played 60 minutes in net for Maryland making 39 saves on 40 shots. Gavin Biehl and Nate Schmidt split time in net for Navy, with Biehl making 15 saves on 21 shots while playing 43 minutes. Schmidt would play the final 17 minutes making seven saves on seven shots.

Navy would go on to shut out Towson in the Consolation game, while Maryland would fall 4-3 to TCNJ in the Championship game.

TCNJ Holds off Towson

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Annapolis, MD: On Friday, February 13, 2026, The College of New Jersey held off Towson University in the first of two preliminary games in the annual Crab Pot Tournament, The tournament is hosted by Navy Hockey at McMullen Arena. The final score was 4-3.1

TCNJ opened the scoring 1:04 into the first period with an unassisted goal by Josh Kushnir. Daniel Yakub scored for TCNJ at 14:53 with an assist from Nick Staudt. Yakub would pot his second goal of the game at 19:20 with assists coming from Logan May and Kyle Gregory giving them the 3-0 lead after the first period.

The Towson Tigers fired 10 shots on net, while the Lions of TCNJ put 18 on goal,

James Harwood got Towson on the board at 11:14 of the second period with a helper from Tyler Chmiel.

Less than three minutes later, it would be Harwood again, this time with an assist from Jeremy Wilson at 14:09. The second period ended with TCNJ up 3-2. Shots on goal were 13-9 with the Lions putting more rubber on the net.

Kyle Gregory would extend the lead back to two goals at 3:25 of the third period with helpers from Josh Kushnir and Zach Duggan. The goal was scored while on the power play. At 9:45, Jeremy Wilson would bring Towson back to within one goal, with an assist from Keegan Jensen. Towson would end up outshooting TCNJ 11-7 in the third.1

Christian Esposito was in net for the Lions, making 27 saves on 30 shots. Luke Schaub was in net for the Tigers and ended with 34 saves on 38 shots.

TCNJ would go on to win the Crab Pot Tournament after defeating the University of Maryland, while Towson ended up losing to Navy in the Consolation game.

Army sings second, defeat Navy

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Annapolis, MD: On Friday, December 12, 2025, the visiting United States Military Academy’s Black Knights defeated the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen by a final score of 6-3. The game was played before a raucous, sold out crowd at McMullen Arena at the Brigade Sports Complex in Annapolis Maryland. Earlier in the day, the Navy women’s team defeated Army by a score of 5-2. The games were a lead up to the Army/Navy football game, played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD on Saturday, December 13, which Navy went on to win.

Robert Staring would open the scoring for the Black Knights just two minutes into the game, with assists from Troy Negus and Wyatt Sirimaturos. At 4:01 Butler Chesen would tie the game for the Midshipmen with an assist from Patrick Laughlin. Troy Negus would score an unassisted goal at 18:36 to give the lead back to Army.

Army would again score early in the period at 1:39. Luke Dwyer would get the goal with helpers from Remington Bergeron and Wolf Woelk. Less than a minute later, at 2:28, Robert Staring would score a power play goal with an assist from Sirimaturos. This goal would end up being the game winning goal. Wyatt Sirimaturos would get his third point of the game when he scored a power play goal at 5:58, with the assists coming from Staring and Jackson Dickson. Navy got back on the board at 9:13 with Chessen’s second goal of the game. Andrew Penca and Jack Teuschl had assists on the Chessen goal.

The Black Knights scored first again in the third period, when Brendan Connor scored unassisted at 6:50. Navy’s Butler Chessen would get the hat-trick at 14:17 while on the power play.

In goal for the winning Army Black Knights was Charlie Zurowski, making 27 saves on 30 shots. Taking the loss in net for Navy was Bailen Smargiassi, who made 37 saves on 43 shots.

Navy women sing second, defeat Army

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Annapolis, MD: On Friday, December 12,2025, the Naval Academy Midshipmen women’s hockey team defeated the Army Black Knights team 5-2 in the first clash between the two rivals.

The game was played at a packed McMullen Arena at the Brigade Sports Complex in Annapolis, Maryland.

The festivities began with Maryland Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth, who is on the Armed Forces Committee dropping the ceremonial puck.

Navy’s Chloe Hains opened the scoring at 5:27 with assists from Ryleigh Sherlock and Elise Jacobs. At 16:59, Army’s Siena Carver would tie the game on a power play goal with the assist coming from Margaret Benecke.

Less than a minute later, at 17:35, Navy would retake the lead on a short-handed
goal scored by Samantha Clark with the assist from Chloe Hains.

At 18:50, Navy’s Abby Sears scored what would ultimately be the game winning goal, with helpers from Beatrice Garvey and Rachel Chung.

Ryleigh Sherlock of Navy opened the scoring in the second period with an unassisted goal at 8:15.

Siena Carver would pot her second goal of the game on a power play goal at 12:35 with the assist from Margaret Benecke.

The third period saw only one goal scored, by Navy’s Clark on a power play at 13:53, with the assist from Garvey.

In goal for Navy, and getting the W was Diana Pivirotto, making 22 saves on 24 shots. In goal for Army was

Hailey Concannon, who made 34 saves on 39 shots.

Matt Thomas ’98 named Head Men’s Hockey Coach

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT alumnus and former captain Matt Thomas ’98 was named the eighth head coach in RIT Men’s Hockey history, Thursday.

Thomas jumped right into coaching after graduation and has over 26 years of experience at both the NCAA Division I and professional ranks, including the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Providence Bruins – the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the NHL Boston Bruins.

“I am excited to welcome Matt back to RIT as our new men’s hockey coach,” said RIT Executive Director of Athletics Jacqueline Nicholson. “He brings a winning pedigree back to his alma mater and I am confident he will carry on the success our program has enjoyed since he was on the RIT bench. We look forward to welcoming him and his family to the RIT community and can’t wait to see what the next chapter of RIT Men’s Hockey will bring.”

RIT Men’s Hockey Head Coaches
2025 – Matt Thomas
1999-25 – Wayne Wilson
1989-99 – Eric Hoffberg
1988-89 – Buddy Powers
1984-88 – Bruce Delventhal
1980-84 – Brian Mason
1968-80 – Daryl Sullivan
1964-68 – Jim Heffer

“I am truly honored and excited to return to my alma mater as the new head coach of the RIT Men’s Hockey program,” said Thomas. “This is a special moment for me, as RIT played a significant role in my development both as a player and as a person. To have the opportunity to give back to the program and the institution that helped shape my career is a dream come true.”

Thomas joined the Bruins’ coaching staff in 2021 when Ryan Mougenel was promoted to head coach. Responsible for defensive player development along with managing the power-play units, Thomas has been part of four-consecutive Calder Cup playoffs appearances, while the Bruins have finished no lower than second in the Atlantic Division, including a first-place finish in 2022-23.

Thomas spent the previous three seasons as General Manager and Head Coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones, the former East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. In his first season, Thomas led the Cyclones to the 2019 Brabham Cup title as ECHL regular-season champions with a 51-13-8 record, including a 30-2-4 home mark to tie the ECHL record for most home wins and fewest regulation losses in a single season. He was honored with the John Brophy Trophy, awarded annually to the ECHL Coach of the Year.

No stranger to success in the ECHL, Thomas also served five seasons as Head Coach and General Manager of the Stockton Thunder (2009-13), including a run to Western Conference Championship in 2013. He also served in the same role with the Fresno Falcons, amassing a record of 137-76-33 (.624 W%) from 2005-08. Thomas got his ECHL start with the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (2002-05), winning the 2003 Kelly Cup Championship during a two-year stint as an assistant coach before being promoted to head coach for the 2004-05 season.

Thomas amassed a 431-255-96 (.613 W%) record in 11 total seasons as an ECHL head coach, ranking sixth in league history in wins and games coached. He is also second in ECHL history with 108 postseason games coached, third with 54 postseason victories and tied for third with 10 playoff appearances. Thomas was also selected to coach in three ECHL All-Star Classics – tied for the most in league history.

Thomas also has five seasons of NCAA head coaching experience, guiding the program at the University of Alaska-Anchorage from 2013-18. Thomas’ tenure included leading the Seawolves’ to an 18-16-4 record during his first year – the first winning campaign in 20 season.

A native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Thomas appeared in 102 games during his RIT playing career, totaling 72 points on 25 goals and 47 assists. RIT played in four-straight ECAC-West title games during his playing tenure, winning the 1995-96 championship en route to the first of three-straight appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Tigers made a run to the 1995-96 national championship game, sweeping Potsdam twice at Ritter Arena in the national quarterfinals, before taking down host Wisconsin-River Falls, 2-1, in the semifinals. RIT fell to defending champion Middlebury, 3-2, in the national championship game.

Graduating with a degree in criminal justice/pre-law, Thomas’ first coaching opportunity was as an assistant coach at his alma mater for a season under Head Coach Eric Hoffberg. The Tigers finished the 1998-99 season with a 27-3-2 record, including a run to the NCAA Division III Tournament Semifinals.

Thomas spent the next three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Maine, joining a staff that had just won the national championship in 1999 and went to make three more NCAA appearances, including a run back to the 2002 national championship game.

Thomas will be introduced to the community during a press conference scheduled for next Thursday, Apr. 17th, at 11:00 a.m. in the Gene Polisseni Center.

RIT HEAD COACH MATT THOMAS
First, I would like to thank my wife Andrea and my sons Devlin and Gavin for their support during this process.

I would like to thank Executive Athletic Director Jacqueline Nicholson, Dr. Sandy Johnson and the search committee for this honor.  I would also like to extend my congratulations to Wayne Wilson on his impressive career at RIT and the NCAA coaching ranks. He and his staff have made an unforgettable mark on RIT Hockey.

I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Boston Bruins organization for the incredible experiences and the invaluable lessons I have gained over the last four years. It has been an absolute privilege to be part of such a storied franchise, and I am thankful to everyone involved for their support and for the opportunity to grow professionally during my time with them.

I am excited to continue the proud tradition of winning hockey that has defined this program for so many years. I look forward to the first game and the great support our fans and the Corner Crew provide our team. I am committed to developing our student-athletes not just as hockey players, but as individuals who will excel on and off the ice. The foundation of our success will be built through hard work, discipline, and a strong team-first mentality, with a focus on player development in everything we do.

I look forward to working alongside our dedicated staff, players, and supporters to bring RIT Hockey to new heights and to continue to build a program that embodies excellence and resilience. The future is bright, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Thank you again to the RIT community for this incredible opportunity. Let’s continue to grow the tradition and bring success to RIT.

ACCHL Premier Quarterfinal and Semifinal

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Winston-Salem, NC: The following is a photo essay of the quarterfinal and semifinal games at the ACCHL Premier League games.
The eight teams were involved in the tournament: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Rider University, Virginia Tech, Rowan University, North Carolina State University, University of Maryland and Penn State University.
The games were played last weekend at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex.