D-III Men’s Thanksgiving Week in Review: Tournaments, tournaments, & more tournaments!

This week on both sides of the Division III hockey world, we were treated to tournament hockey that gave us some fun, in some cases, new, matchups that we aren’t accustomed to seeing. We’ll go over in depth the major events, while giving a brief overview of the rest, while also noting the notable non-conference games we saw take place this past weekend! This isn’t the ordinary game-by-game analysis due to the high-volume of contests, but an overview and discussion about the events and mention some things you might not have known simply looking at the box scores.

Hamilton wins the Utica Thanksgiving Showcase
*Hosted by Utica University

Opening Games:
#8 Hamilton (4-0-0) vs Morrisville (2-3-2) – Hamilton 6-0
UMass-Boston (4-2-0) @ #10 Utica (4-4-0) – Utica 5-4 OT

Consolation:
Morrisville vs UMass-Boston – UMB 2-1

Championship:
#8 Hamilton @ #10 Utica – Hamilton 3-1

Hamilton was one of my frozen four contenders this preseason and they are panning out to be arguably better than advertised. The Continentals remain unbeaten after cruising by Morrisville 6-0 which was an expected result, and then taking on a Utica team that just got back to over .500 (5-4-0), winners of five straight games after starting 0-4-0 for the first time in program history with a pair of losses of current #1 Hobart & #3 Adrian.

Hamilton junior forward Luke Tchor is arguably the best forward in all of Division III hockey, junior forward Logan Dombrowsky on St. Norbert would like a word with that statement, but Tchor is current on quite the pace. He’s put up six goals and six assists in his first six games, tied for the team-lead +10 in the +/- category, he’s also committed zero penalties. He’s highly regarded by many coaches and media as arguably the best talent in D-III this season.

Funny enough, a casual would think Utica and Hamilton would have a longstanding rivalry or play a non-conference game annually or at least every-other-year… but no. The two hadn’t met since 2014 where they faced off twice which included a 4-4 tie & 5-3 Utica win. Another fun fact, longtime Utica head coach Gary Heenan began his coaching career at Hamilton and also played his college hockey for the Continentals over in Clinton, NY, lots of history there between the two programs considering they’re only about 15 minutes from each other and very good at hockey. Hopefully this meeting leads to more in the future, for now, I can tell you there’s a chance these two see each other next season in a holiday tournament not played in Utica, you can figure out where that one might be on your own…

In this one, the shots were near even with Utica leading 24-23, but Hamilton’s elite goaltender Reid Aksel only allowed one by in the 3-1 win. Kyle Curtin (the longest-tenured goaltender wearing a DIIIHockeyNews sticker on his helmet, much appreciated Kyle) made 20 saves despite the loss with the third goal coming by way of empty net.

The Pioneers struck first and led 1-0 after the 1st period, but Hamilton tied it on the powerplay with under five minutes to go in the 2nd (Tchor) and then would take the lead just past the midway mark of the 3rd period leading to the eventual empty-netter seal by Hamilton. Utica drops to 5-5-0 and looks to not enter winter break under .500 after they’ve had the hardest start to anyone this college hockey season. They face #5 Oswego (6-0-0) to wrap up their semester on their famous Teddy Bear Toss Night which will mark the sixth game against a current ranked top-6 opponent in their first 11 games…

Tufts wins the Skidmore Thanksgiving Invitational
*Hosted by Skidmore College

Opening Games:
Alvernia (5-3-0) @ Skidmore (2-3-1) – Skidmore 4-1
#5 Univ. New England (6-0-0) vs Tufts (3-2-0) – Tufts 3-2

Consolation:
#5 Univ. New England vs Alvernia – UNE 6-2

Championship:
Tufts @ Skidmore – Tie 3-3 (Tufts Shootout Win)

The Skidmore Thanksgiving Invitational brought together four teams that really don’t see each other often and, in most cases, ever. If you would like to read out tournament preview from our own Tommy Berry, you can click here for more.

The Jumbos entered this weekend as a wildcard in many ways; they had already taken down a ranked Babson squad 5-1 and a ranked (at the time) Trinity team 5-2. The Jumbos came out flying and defeated #5 University of New England who was unbeaten to this point, 3-2. The Nor’Easters severely outshot the Jumbos 36-18, but Tufts managed to score one goal per period and avoid the last-minute flurry from UNE. UNE scored a pair of goals within 23 seconds of each other late in the game (18:33 PP / 18:56) to get it within striking distance, but it wouldn’t amount to enough.

In the final vs the host Skidmore, a similar scoreline, but this time we needed overtime to decide it (which wouldn’t), ending in a tie. The Jumbos scored a pair of 3rd period powerplay goals to propel them to the lead, but the Thoroughbreds scored just before the midway mark to get it back even at three apiece.

The shootout would be won by Tufts by a score of 2-1, officially it’s a tie in the record books, but Tufts takes home the metal and gets an incredibly impressive win over #5 University of New England. Make that three ranked-wins for the Jumbos through seven games.

Norwich wins the LayerEight Shootout
*Hosted by Norwich University

Opening Games:
Middlebury (2-2-0) vs Plattsburgh (3-3-0) – Middlebury 5-2
Stevenson (5-2-0) @ Norwich (4-3-0) – Norwich 4-1

Consolation:
Plattsburgh vs Stevenson – Plattsburgh 4-3 OT

Championship:
Middlebury @ Norwich – Tie 2-2 (Norwich Shootout Win)

A tournament with the usual faces in Middlebury, Plattsburgh, & Norwich, but Stevenson’s arrival was more unique than one may think. If you’re unaware, Norwich head coach Dominick Dawes was the inaugural head coach for the Stevenson program located in Maryland, but found his way back up to Vermont to coach the Cadets where he once played, replacing former head coach Cam Ellsworth. Of course, schedules are made years in advance, so this wasn’t planned this way, but it was fitting to get to see these two reunite in a way, playing in the opening round of the tournament where the Cadets won a convincing 4-1.

Given the late start from the NESCAC, Middlebury and Plattsburgh were both off to somewhat rough starts to the year, Plattsburgh being worse due to beginning sooner, but nevertheless, these two squared off in a game that really could’ve been predicted either way and no one would’ve question one’s pick.

The Panthers outshot the Cardinals 37-23 to hold a convincing margin there, while also leading in penalties as well committing six to Plattsburgh’s four. The game also featured only two ‘traditional’ goals out of the seven total. The first two were scored regular 5v5, the next three were on power plays, the final two were empty netters, an interesting sequence of events. Middlebury took it 5-2, but keep in mind the final two goals were empty netters, so it was a tight game until under two minutes to play.

After Dawes got the best of his former team, winning 4-1 over the Mustangs, the Cadets would tie Middlebury 2-2 and like in Skidmore, need a shootout to determine the winner of the trophy. There would only be one goal and it came from Norwich, which delivered them a LayerEight Shootout victory and kept the trophy in Kreitzberg Arena.

Bowdoin/Colby Classic
*Hosted by Bowdoin College & Colby College

Saturday Games:
Gustavus Adolphus (2-4-0) @ Bowdoin (3-1-0) – Bowdoin 4-2
Saint Anselm (2-5-2) @ Colby (3-1-0) – Colby 5-1

Sunday Games:
Gustavus Adolphus @ Colby – Tie 1-1 (Gustavus Shootout Win)
Saint Anselm @ Bowdoin – Bowdoin 7-1

The annual Bowdoin / Colby Classic is always a fun event as we get to see some non-conference action between the two. This year, it had a more ‘special’ feel to it as we got to see second-year Gustavus head coach Tyler Walsh return to his home state of Maine for the first time as a Gustie. Last season, Walsh and his Gusties won the MIAC championship, sending them to the NCAA tournament, giving Gustavus some much-needed rejuvenation as the program had gone off the rails for some time relative to their historical high-standards. Walsh spent six years as an assistant at Colby under longtime head coach Blaise MacDonald before getting hired by Gustavus all the way west in Saint Peter, MN. Prior to Colby, Walsh comes from a hockey family to say the least… Brother Sean Walsh was most recently an assistant at Bowdoin for three seasons (2022-2025) before taking an assistant coaching role at Alaska Fairbanks (NCAA D-I) this season. Their other brother Travis Walsh also played hockey at Michigan State from 2012-2016, serving as a team captain.

Most importantly, their father and grandfather hold legacies that won’t be forgotten in the hockey world. Father Shawn Walsh was the longtime head coach of the University of Maine (NCAA D-I) from 1984-2001 where he won two national championships and made seven frozen fours. Grandfather Ron Mason is a member of the USA Hockey Hall of Fame after winning 924 men’s college hockey games during his vast career at Lake Superior State University (1966-73), Bowling Green State University (1973-79) and Michigan State University (1979-2002). He also led Lake Superior State University to the NAIA national championship in 1972 and MSU to the NCAA national title in 1986.

All of this leads us to the weekend’s games, but it was necessary to detail the significance this family has in the state of Maine, NCAA D-I, NCAA D-III, & USA Hockey as a whole.

During the weekend, Bowdoin on the scoreboard dominated, but in the game against Gustavus, the Polar Bears trailed 2-0 after the 1st period of play, however they came out firing in the 2nd period and gave the Gusties a familiar sight this season. The Polar Bears scored four goals, two of them coming a mere 14 seconds apart (03:05 / 03:19) and then a third four minutes later. Their fourth goal would be scored later in the period with just over three minutes remaining, but the damage had been done. Bowdoin took it 4-2 as the 3rd period would be held scoreless despite the Gusties outshooting Bowdoin 33-25, another familiar statistic the Gusties have dealt with this season.

During the Gustavus & Colby matchup, one that I’m sure meant a little more to both Coach Walsh & Coach MacDonald, both teams rang a few off the posts and once again, the Gusties outshot the Mules heavily 46-26, but Gustavus again simply couldn’t get the puck into the net. This one would end in a tie, but of course we needed a shootout to determine some bragging rights and joy as the team came all the way from Minnesota to Maine. The Gusties would win it 2-1 in the shootout, leading to a long handshake line of hugs and respects between Colby players and Tyler Walsh as he recruited many of them. Overall, a great weekend in Maine.

Dubuque wins the Superior Showdown
*Hosted by Wisconsin-Superior

Opening Games:
Lawrence (1-7-0) vs St. Scholastica (3-3-1) – Lawrence 5-0
Dubuque (2-6-0) @ #12 Wisconsin-Superior (4-2-1) – Dubuque 4-1

Consolation:
St. Scholastica @ #12 Wisconsin-Superior – UWS 5-2

Championship:
Lawrence vs Dubuque – Dubuque 5-1

The Superior Showdown this year featured an interesting outcome to say the least as both opening round favorites lost in near-blowout fashion. Simply looking at the team records, we can see the matchups that were trying to be configured for the championship… well, you got them… just backwards.

The one-win Dubuque Spartans continued their WIAC dominance as they defeated formerly ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point in their opening weekend tournament they host. Now, they went into Wessman Arena and defeated #12 Wisconsin-Superior by a convincing 4-1 score. The Yellowjackets outshot the Spartans 31-22, but Dubuque’s Nikita Borodayenko led the way, piling up an assist on each of the first three Spartan goals, then scoring the fourth goal, finishing with four points on the day.

In the Lawrence and St. Scholastica game, the one-win Vikings entered as not exactly the betting favorite, but seemingly ran over the Saints in shocking fashion. The shots in this game were near even, the Saints leading 26-25. Goaltender Owen Carlson made all 26 saves in the shutout victory and Lawrence rolled 5-0 to the championship game vs Dubuque. So as mentioned before, the obvious setup here was for UWS vs CSS & UD vs LU, which we got in the end, but the difference being the Vikings / Spartans had the 7pm CT slot and the Yellowjackets / Saints had the afternoon slot. A very odd weekend to say the least.

In the championship, Dubuque would win convincingly 5-1, despite getting outshot 24-22. Goaltender Mitchell Dazza made 23 saves in the victory and Brock Weimer led the way with a pair of goals and an assist for the Spartans in their Superior Showdown title. Dubuque moves to 4-6-0 on the season, by far the best 10-game start in program history as they won a combined four games in their previous two seasons combined. This is their third year as a program under inaugural head coach Seamus Gregory.

St. John Fisher wins the Terry Moran Invitational
*Hosted by Vermont State University Castleton

Opening Games:
St. John Fisher (5-3-0) vs Brockport (2-6-0) – SJF 4-2
Lebanon Valley (3-5-0) @ Castleton (3-4-1) – Castleton 5-0

Consolation:
Lebanon Valley vs Brockport – Brockport 2-1

Championship:
St. John Fisher @ Castleton – SJF 5-0

Looking at this tournament from a bigger picture, it’s got to be recognized how well the Cardinals are doing in their inaugural season led by first-year head coach Reid Lesswing. The Cardinals are now 7-3-0 on the season with their biggest test yet coming up this weekend, they host #9 Geneseo (6-3-1) who’s coming off a weekend in which they split a pair of non-conference games in the NESCAC with Amherst & Williams.

St. John Fisher likely would’ve been the betting favorite entering the weekend, right with the hosts Castleton, but the Cardinals prevailed and are rolling so far. As mentioned, we’ll see what they’re really made of this weekend as they get a Geneseo team who hasn’t exactly gotten off to a hot start this season like their counterpart atop the UCHC Utica (5-5-0).

Other Notable Results

Tuesday (11/25/2025)

Bowdoin @ #14 Endicott – Endicott 4-2
Wilkes @ Cortland – Wilkes 4-1
Tufts @ #13 Babson – Tufts 5-1

Friday (11/28/2025) 

UW-Eau Claire @ #3 St. Norbert – SNC 6-1

Saturday (11/29/2025) 

Williams @ #13 Babson – Babson 4-2
#9 Geneseo @ Amherst – Amherst 3-0
#15 St. Olaf @ Lake Forest – St. Olaf 7-4
#3 St. Norbert @ UW-Eau Claire – UWEC 4-2
Rivier @ #6 Curry – Curry 8-2

Sunday (11/30/2025) 

Amherst @ #13 Babson – Tie 1-1
#9 Geneseo @ Williams – Geneseo 7-3
#15 St. Olaf @ Lake Forest – St. Olaf 3-2
Trinity @ #6 Curry – Trinity 3-2