Winners, Warning Signs, and What We’ve Learned So Far: A First-Half Look at the 2025–26 Men’s Division III Hockey Season

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the “midway” point of the Division III men’s hockey season, as it still feels like the year just got underway. Regular-season action will resume on New Year’s Day in warm, sunny Tampa, Florida with the 2nd Annual College Hockey Invitational, followed by a packed weekend of must-watch New Year’s tournaments across the country. Before that, several programs will use the break for European trips, while #10 Utica University heads to Plymouth, Michigan for a matchup with the U.S. National Under-18 Team.

With the fall semester in the books, now is the perfect time to step back and assess what we’ve seen so far. We’ll break down the biggest winners, identify teams showing early warning signs, and highlight the key lessons from the season’s first half. There have been both surprises and expected outcomes along the way, and many more to come as we look back at the fall semester of hockey.

Before we dive in, a quick note on how this list (in no particular order) was put together. Not every conference leader will appear as a “winner,” and that’s not meant to diminish what those teams have accomplished. This isn’t simply a ranking of the top records. For example, #1 Hobart (11-0-0) won’t be highlighted here, not because of anything they’ve done wrong, but because they’ve largely met expectations by doing exactly what everyone anticipated: winning, and winning often.

Instead, the focus is on programs that have exceeded preseason expectations, taken a noticeable step forward, built off prior-season success, or are beginning to show real returns from a rebuild. That could mean a new coaching staff making an immediate impact, a recruiting class starting to pay dividends, or a unique situation that’s led to teams being in positions that they likely didn’t think were possible prior to the season. Of course we cannot go over every single program, but these are some I believe stand out from the rest in terms of first half storylines. Lastly, some overviews will be less in-depth than others, it simply depends on the situation and context, nothing personal. With that context in mind, let’s get into it.

The Winners

#4 Aurora University Spartans (10-2-0) – NCHA

We’ve seen Aurora coming along as a relatively new program in past years, but last season the Spartans really made their mark on the national stage, gaining wins over a ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Augsburg, sweeping Adrian, sweeping Trine, & winning a first-round NCAA tournament game against Wisconsin-Eau Claire, finishing the season a solid 24-5-1 following their 7-4 home NCAA Quarterfinal loss to SUNY Geneseo.

Head Coach Jason Bloomingburg has really turned this program into something special considering their inaugural season was in 2014-15 (Bloomingburg became HC in 2016-17).

The Spartans returned their star pieces from last season, Landry Schmuck, Hassan Akl, & Juliano Santalucia. However, they also added a strong recruiting class including freshman standout Jaden Davis who’s scored seven and assisted on six in 12 games played.

Aurora is continuing what they started last season and arguably look better than ever. Despite their shocking loss to Lawrence University (3-9-0), they sit #8 in the NPI and assuming no other big slip-ups, I don’t see how the Spartans aren’t back in the dance from a very likely three-bid NCHA once again.

#2 Adrian College Bulldogs (10-2-0) – NCHA

Adrian is another team that some may ask why are they on this list when they’re always a national title contender, well here’s why…

Last season, Adrian had (to their standards whether they want to admit it or not), a down year, failing to win 20+ games (18-10-1) for the first time in program history. Which may I say is incredibly impressive and says all that needs to be said about this program’s historical significance. With that being said, this season they’re rolling along with their only blemishes coming to Aurora who swept them last season during the regular season as well. Adrian would get their revenge in the Harris Cup Semifinals where they won 2-0, advancing to the championship and eventually falling to rival St. Norbert 7-4.

Thus far, Adrian has had impressive goaltending from Utica University transfer Ryan Piros and have been lighting it up on the scoreboard, handling everyone they’ve played other than Aurora, including a pair of big road wins over #10 Utica to start the season. The Bulldogs sit at #3 in NPI and with the incredible strength of the NCHA as a whole, led by their “big four” of #4 Aurora (10-2-0), #2 Adrian (10-2-0), #3 St. Norbert (9-3-1), & #12 Trine (5-3-2), I don’t see them dropping out of the NCAA tournament unless we see a big slip up from the Bulldogs.

Look for Adrian to be right back in the mix where they belong, seeking their second national championship.

#13 Babson College Beavers (7-1-2) – LEC

Head Coach Jamie Rice has his Beavers rolling so far in their new home known as the Little East Conference. Babson, coming from the NEHC, found themselves recently in a few NEHC title games, but failed to get over the hump and now find themselves in a league where they would widely be considered the favorite in. Babson currently sits in second place behind Plymouth State, but with a game in-hand. Funny enough, after Babson gets home from the Oswego State Hockey Classic where they’ll face former NEHC foe Elmira College and then either Oswego/Williams, they face Plymouth State at home… Many eyes will be on that game (more eyes would be on it if FloSports didn’t have a paywall behind the LEC, but that’s for another day, I digress). Another one to look forward to actually comes on the final day of the regular season… Babson visits Plymouth State in a game that may have major seeding implications involving home-ice, we’ll have to wait and see where the dice fall.

The Beavers haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2020 & 2022 where they made a pair in quick succession, but this season looks very bright for them in a league that is less competitive compared to the former NEHC which featured the obvious hurdle in Hobart, but also other extremely tough opponents.

Coach Rice has been at the helm since 2004 and will always get whatever potential is there with his players, look for Babson to get back in the dance this season whether it be auto bid or potentially at-large. I simply don’t believe the LEC will have enough strength to get two teams in, especially with the NCHA and Salve situation, but if Babson nearly ran the table and lost in the finals to say Plymouth State or Norwich, there’s a slim chance they get an at-large. The Beavers currently sit at 13th in the latest NPI.

#14 Bowdoin College Polar Bears (6-2-1) – NESCAC

Head Coach Ben Guité got the Polar Bears back to NESCAC glory in his first season back in 2023 as one of the bottom-seeds in the league, finishing 15-10-3, but won the games when it mattered. Now, the Polar Bears sit a strong 6-2-1 atop the NESCAC a point clear of #5 Hamilton (7-0-2).

Bowdoin sits behind Hobart at #2 in the latest NPI, the NESCAC early on looks like it could potentially be a two-bid league considering how strong Hamilton is at #4 in NPI, meanwhile the Polar Bears sit at #2 in NPI, so they’ve got some room if they can rack up a few more wins.

This season feels like one that’s been coming all along. Coach Guité is an excellent HC who can take this program back to where it once was, which is why at times such as last year it was peculiar seeing them struggle as much as they did. Now, seeing them play this quality of hockey week-in and week-out seems more like it and gives a bright outlook on not just this season, but beyond.

#15 St. Olaf College Ole’s (6-2-2) – MIAC

St. Olaf has found themselves in a great position early on, with a pair signature wins over current #3 St. Norbert (9-3-1) & Wisconsin-Eau Claire (7-4-1). The only MIAC blemishes on the Ole’s record come from the #1 team currently in the MIAC, Saint John’s (4-2-3). The Ole’s lost 2-1 & tied 2-2 (SJU Shootout Win) but swept Gustavus during opening weekend of league play.

First-year head coach Tyler Lindstrom (Curry College ’22) has put himself in an excellent position, guiding a roster that has leaned heavily on freshmen while clearly showcasing the strength of the program’s recruiting class. The Ole’s have looked composed and confident for such a young group, offering a glimpse of both their immediate impact and long-term potential. Seeing this team in person for a home-and-home series against Gustavus (6-5-1) was a true treat – the pace, structure, and competitiveness were evident from start to finish. It quickly became clear how this group has already earned some of its notable early season wins, and why St. Olaf appears well-positioned not only for this season, but for the years ahead.

The Ole’s will play a non-conference game against Bethel, before getting more into the teeth of their MIAC schedule, but so far, things look really good for St. Olaf. Maybe this will be their signature season and really make a statement in terms of their overall record. In the recent past as many know, the Ole’s have been famous for putting together a regular season record that isn’t exactly impressive, but coming alive come playoff time and finding themselves in two NCAA tournaments in the last four seasons (’22 & ’24).

Suffolk University Rams (5-3-1) – CNE

Suffolk University, a team that some may not have expected on this list, but personally I believe they deserve it and then some. The Rams under fourth year Head Coach Shawn McEachern (first full-time head coach for the program) are coming off their best season (13-11-3) since the 2015-16 season and are off to a stellar start all things considered.

The Rams’ signature series win was over one of the CNE’s “big three” in #11 Endicott College (6-1-1) where Suffolk got the 4-2 road win and then tied 2-2 at home (Endicott Shootout Win). Suffolk was a dark horse pick in this league for me in the preseason, not necessarily to win the league, but to do what they did against Endicott, take more points where they weren’t expected to. The Rams remain the only blemishes on the Gulls’ record through the first half of the season.

I’m curious to see how the Rams fare come the second half of play, they’ll see some non-conference play including a trip to the North Country to Plattsburgh, NY for their excellent annual holiday tournament. I’m most looking forward to their home/away series with #6 University of New England (8-2-0) on January 9 & 10 to see if they can steal a few points from the highly ranked Nor’Easters.

Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils (7-2-1) – WIAC

Wisconsin-Stout is a team that gets overshadowed I believe in terms of the name-brands of the WIAC. The Blue Devils I’m sure are looking to return to their golden era of 2006-2009, but overall, always put a solid team on the ice.

This season, the Blue Devils are off to a great start under sixth year Head Coach Mike MacDonald, beginning the season 7-2-1, with their only conference blemishes so far being a 5-1 loss to the current WIAC leader Wisconsin-Eau Claire and 2-2 tie (UW-Stout Shootout-Win) vs Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

The biggest test of the season for Stout will come in their next game on January 2, 2026, as they visit De Pere, WI to face St. Norbert as they enter their chunk of non-conference play (other than a standalone game with Wisconsin-River Falls) before finishing their season with all WIAC games. Look for the Blue Devils to potentially make a run and once the WIAC playoffs begin, anything can happen as we well know.

The Blue Devils find themselves at #17 in the NPI (highest in the WIAC, UW-Eau Claire is next closest at #23), which based on how the season has started for the league as a whole, I see this being a one bid league once again.

Salve Regina University Seahawks (12-1-0) – Independent

Salve Regina, a team that they themselves didn’t even know if they would have a team this season after they were declared an independent for the 2025-26 season (will rejoin CNE as an affiliate member in 2026-27), while also having coaching changes and much more… you can read all about it here.

As tweeted on X back on December 13, 2025, despite some believing and/or taking it as a personal attack, we noted the unique situation Salve Regina has played themselves into. It’s unfortunate we need to say this, but this is in no way blaming Salve as a program and/or accusing anyone of any wrongdoing, it’s simply pointing out the situation we now have on our hands under the NPI rankings system as it enters its second year of use. *Note, WE DO NOT CONTROL AND/OR CREATE THE NPI!!!

Salve finds themselves an impressive 12-1-0 headed into the winter break, unranked in both polls (D3HN & USCHO), but sit at #5 in the NPI. Our very own Scott Huston published his 2026 Men’s Bracketology: Edition #3 this past Tuesday, and notes this:

“Salve Regina, previously #13 in the NPI, earned a pair of wins this past weekend up in the Pinetree State, defeating Southern Maine Friday, and upsetting a ranked Bowdoin squad on Saturday.  Salve was the hot topic of the D-III hockey world this offseason, and now they appear to be one of the main talking points for the rest of this season.

• Being an independent, there’s no denying their schedule has lacked the strength they’re used to having.  The rules are the rules, and as long as they play 70% of their games against D-III foes (they will have 80%), they are eligible for the NCAA Tournament.
• This is an extremely controversial story to follow down the stretch, but if you are a fan of a title contender in the NCHA, CNE, or even the SUNYAC, you better win your league tournament just to be safe.  Given Salve’s remaining schedule, the Seahawks have a real chance at qualifying for the NCAAs.”

We noted in a tweet the strength-of-schedule (SOS) metric for Salve is extremely low, ranking 83rd out of a possible 91st for easiest schedules metrics-wise. We used this as a comparison to Utica University who sits at 6-5-0, not exactly burning it up in the non-conference, but this shows a significant difference between the two sets of opponents…

Salve’s combined record of all opponents in their respective 12 games: 36-73-8 (.308), if you include the NE-10: 43-80-9 (.326)

Utica’s combined record of all opponents in their respective 11 games: 69-43-2 (.605) … We’re by no means saying Salve would be worse off than Utica record-wise, but I don’t believe they would be sitting at 12-1-0…

Now, to conclude this, I would like to highlight one other factor here that I’ve learned many do not realize when it comes to NPI. Sample size matters… Adrian College for example, let’s assume they make the NCHA title game. The Bulldogs have 25 regular season games scheduled, factor in conference playoffs, you’re looking at 29 games prior to any NCAA tournament games being played. Salve on the other hand, has 24 regular-season games, but only 20 count as four are NE-10 games which do not count towards NPI win or lose and also do not have conference playoffs to participate in. Thus, making Salve’s sample size nearly 1/3 smaller (20 total games) than most teams that will be in the NCAA tournament hunt.

Give credit where credit is due, the Seahawks beat #14 Bowdoin (6-2-1), but that win is now worth 5% of their overall 20-game sample size, meanwhile Adrian’s big win over Utica (assuming 29 games) is only 3.4% (they won two games against Utica, but we’re comparing on a one-game-sample basis). Unless Salve really screws up down the stretch, their wins will bolster their NPI, getting them firmly into the tournament. Granted, if they drop a game to an inferior opponent, they’re likely out, but given how weak the opponents are record and NPI-wise, they have no excuse to not win these games.

Salve has two difficult games remaining which take place in the Tampa College Hockey Invitational against Tufts (4-4-1) & #9 SUNY Geneseo (8-3-1). Even if they split the games, I still believe they’re firmly in the NCAA tournament via at-large based on how incredibly watered-down their remaining opponent list is (including 3 NE-10 games).

Warning Signs

Bethel University Royals (5-6-0) – MIAC

Bethel was a widely regarded favorite entering the MIAC this season as they returned a solid group and of course are led by their elite head coach Chris McKelvie. The Royals find themselves 5-6-0 at the break, holding a 2-2-0 record in conference play. All things considered, the Royals are fine since the MIAC is only getting one bid in the NCAA tournament as year-after-year they decimate each other in the regular season amongst themselves and the MIAC/WIAC interlock (non-conference games) which ends following this season.

Bethel sits in seventh place in the conference standings with two games in-hand over the leaders Saint John’s who the Royals split with earlier this season. Again, I don’t believe there’s anything to worry about here as the league was always going to come down to the auto-bid anyways, but for a team that Coach McKelvie won 18 games with two seasons ago, I believe many are surprised to see them below .500 entering winter break regardless of the circumstances.

Trinity College Bantams (4-4-0) – NESCAC

Trinity began the season in uncharacteristic fashion as they started NESCAC play a winless 0-4-0, but managed to win their next four games (all non-conference) including a big 3-2 (OT) victory over #8 Curry College. The biggest shock came on opening weekend when they fell to Tufts & Connecticut College. Which by no means is meant to disrespect those two programs, but both finished under .500 last season (despite this, Tufts made their second-straight NESCAC title game). Thus, leaving us not knowing what to think after the historically dominant Bantams dropped a pair of games you would’ve marked in the prediction win-column.

The Bantams have two more NC games (Albertus Magnus & Western Connecticut State) to wrap up their non-conference slate before playing 14 conference games to end the season.

In the last nine years (excluding covid season), Trinity has won five NESCAC titles, which alone would place them second on the all-time list behind Middlebury (8), the Bantams have seven overall.

Trinity finds themselves in 31st for the NPI, I believe they’ll officially need an auto-bid for the NCAA tournament, I believe there may be a way mathematically, but the Bantams find themselves far behind Hamilton and Bowdoin, who if they keep winning a majority of their games, will remain above Trinity in the NPI.

#10 Utica University Pioneers (6-5-0) – UCHC

Entering this season Head Coach Gary Heenan didn’t exactly make things easy on his revamped roster including various NCAA Division I & III transfers, scheduling his usual series with #2 Adrian College to open things up, but also adding a pair of games against the back-to-back-to-back National Champions #1 Hobart College. To add on to this, their Thanksgiving Showcase landed them a date with #5 Hamilton College, followed up by a non-conference game the next week against #7 SUNY Oswego…

I firmly believe everyone should credit Coach Heenan here whether you like him or not, he’s giving us matchups that normally you may not see normally until the NCAA Tournament. However, after losing their star goaltender Ryan Piros in the offseason transfer portal to Adrian College, placing Piros on his third team in three semesters (Dubuque -> Utica -> Adrian), they find themselves 6-5-0 with their signature win being over the Oswego State Lakers who haven’t managed to beat Utica in the Adirondack Bank Center since 2014.

The Pioneers find themselves a perfect 4-0-0 in UCHC play, but they’ll very likely need an auto-bid to return to the NCAA Tournament unless they manage to run the table which likely includes beating Geneseo three times which I find hard to imagine under any circumstances. Earlier this season, I jokingly, but not really, tweeted:

“Well, it’s official. Utica is arguably the greatest 0-4 D-III team of all time.”

I think Utica’s record is a bit deceptive when judging the quality/potential of their squad, but I do believe they’re now nearing closer and closer to must-have auto-bid territory.

Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers (4-6-1) – WIAC

Wisconsin-Stevens Point, led by Head Coach Tyler Krueger, find themselves in a spot I’m not sure they pictured and/or would’ve liked to hear. Sitting at an uncharacteristic 4-6-1 (.409) after the first half, it’s safe to say the Pointers will need the auto-bid regardless of what happens the rest of the way as they sit at #49 in the NPI.

The Pointers lost a lot of firepower to graduation last season, losing Fletcher Anderson, Dawson Sciarrino, Andrew Poulias, & Peyton Hart to name a few on the goalscoring end of things… The team has simply struggled to find the back of the net, scoring 30 and giving up 30 this season, their leading goalscorers are Cody Pisarczyk & Chris Engelbert with five each, but the team itself has lacked the ability to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them and their record shows it.

Since 2013, Stevens Point has an incredible cumulative record of 246-64-26 (.732), winning 20+ games nine of the last eleven seasons (not including covid season), the last time Stevens Point ever finished below .500 was the 2010-11 season which marked the start of the Chris Brooks dynasty as Coach Brooks took over the following season in 2011-12.

We will see how the Pointers fare to finish out the season and as we all know… anything can happen once the WIAC tournament begins with the new auto bid…

Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets (7-5-1) – WIAC

Wisconsin-Superior, coming off one of the best seasons in program history in recent memory, finds themselves in a peculiar spot alongside a program we just discussed: Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Both the Jackets’ & the Pointers last season were the clear-cut favorites to meet in the WIAC championship and potentially get an at-large bid, that’s how good these two were during the regular season. However, the WIAC, WIAC’d, and River Falls went into Wessman Arena and defeated Superior, meanwhile, the Blugolds went into K.B. Willett Arena and took down the Pointers, both shocking upsets, eliminating the two top teams.

UW-Superior won the most games last season (19) as a program since the 2008-09 season where they went 23-4-3. This season, the Yellowjackets have found themselves as mentioned in a similar spot with Stevens Point, where of course anything can happen and the auto-bid was likely the only route for a WIAC team to make the NCAA tournament, but they’re going to need to fix things quick come this second half of play if they want to try and make something out of this season entering the WIAC playoffs. It will be a fight for home ice down the stretch.

What we’ve learned thus far

First off, if you got down here, thanks for reading! The first half of the Division III men’s hockey season has already given us a clear reminder of just how unpredictable and layered this sport can be. We’ve seen established contenders reaffirm their place near the top, emerging programs take meaningful steps forward, and a few traditional powers navigate uncharacteristic growing pains. Context matters more than ever – scheduling strength, roster turnover, rebuilding timelines, and even the structure of the NPI all play a role in shaping the bigger picture.

As the calendar flips to January, margins will tighten and every point will carry added weight, especially in leagues where the auto-bid remains the clearest (and in some cases, only) path to the NCAA tournament. Some teams are well-positioned to build on their momentum, while others now face little-to-no room for error. One thing is certain: the second half promises even more chaos, clarity, and compelling storylines as the road to March truly begins.