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Lead up to Stanley Cup Final Game Three 9 June

The Stanley Cup Final shifts to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., for Game 3 tonight (8 p.m. ET on TNT, MAX, Sportsnet, TVA Sports) with the rematch between the Oilers and Panthers deadlocked 1-1. This will mark the fifth consecutive postseason that the state of Florida has hosted games in the Final. * Some of […]

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The Stanley Cup Final shifts to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., for Game 3 tonight (8 p.m. ET on TNT, MAX, Sportsnet, TVA Sports) with the rematch between the Oilers and Panthers deadlocked 1-1. This will mark the fifth consecutive postseason that the state of Florida has hosted games in the Final.

* Some of the biggest names in this series have provided noteworthy performances through two games, including Sam Bennett, who is leading the entire playoffs and the Final in goals (tied), Sergei Bobrovsky, who has made 42 saves in each of the first two contests, as well as the duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who both posted multi-point performances in each game so far.

* An annual tradition will continue in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final with four of the top prospects for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft attending the game: Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, James Hagens and Jake O’Brien.

STANLEY CUP FINAL RETURNS TO FLORIDA FOR GAME 3

After the 2025 Stanley Cup Final opened with a pair of thrilling games in Edmonton, with each team winning once in extra time, the series shifts to a familiar place with Game 3 set for Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, a venue that has hosted six Final contests since 2023. The Panthers own a 4-2 record on home ice in the Final since 2023, including a 3-1 mark against the Oilers in 2024 that culminated with a Game 7 victory and the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

* This will mark the fifth consecutive year the state of Florida hosts a Stanley Cup Final contest, with 12 total games across that span (FLA: 6 GP & TBL: 6 GP entering Game 3).

BIG NAMES HAVE DELIVERED ON THE BIG STAGE EARLY IN FINAL

Not only has the Stanley Cup Final provided edge-of-your-seat action, comebacks, overtime and memorable highlight-reel plays, but some of the biggest names in hockey have been stepping into the spotlight with noteworthy performances in the grandest of moments, including Florida’s Sam Bennett and Sergei Bobrovsky as well as Edmonton’s dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

* Bennett enters Game 3 tied for the series lead with three goals, while he paces all skaters in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 13 tallies overall. As the series shifts to Florida, the Panthers forward will look to extend his goal streak to four games and establish the longest run in franchise postseason history.

* The further into the season the Panthers go, the more productive Bennett becomes. He averages 0.49 points per game in the regular season, 0.73 P/GP in the playoffs and it increases even more when appearing in the Final (0.79 P/GP; 5-6—11 in 14 GP).

* Bobrovsky made 42 saves for the second straight contest in Game 2 to help the Panthers tie the series and can become the fourth goaltender on record with 40-plus stops in three consecutive playoffs games, following Craig Anderson (3 GP in 2010), Ron Tugnutt (3 GP in 2000) and Mike Palmateer (3 GP in 1983). No goaltender on record has posted 40-plus saves in three straight games during the Final.

* Bobrovsky owns a career .884 save percentage and a 3.38 goals against average through 14 games in the Stanley Cup Final, while those numbers dramatically improve to .929 and 1.84, respectively, when he plays on home ice.

* McDavid (0-5—5 in 2 GP) leads all skaters in points and assists during the 2025 Stanley Cup Final including wowing the home crowd with a highlight-reel helper in Game 2. The Oilers captain owns a career rate of 1.78 points per game in the Final (3-13—16 in 9 GP) – the fifth-highest mark in NHL history (min. 2 GP) behind Mario Lemieux (10-9—19 in 9 GP; 2.11 P/GP), Babe Dye (9-1—10 in 5 GP; 2.00 P/GP), Daniel Briere (3-9—12 in 6 GP; 2.00 P/GP) and Mark Stone (5-4—9 in 5 GP; 1.80 P/GP).

* Draisaitl did not register a goal in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final (0-3—3 in 7 GP), but the 2024-25 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner has had a big impact through two games of this series. He scored the series-opening goal just 1:06 into Game 1 – the fastest opening goal of a Final in nearly 50 years – and completed that contest with his third overtime winner of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs to tie the NHL record for most in a single postseason.

* In Game 2, Draisaitl capped off the highest-scoring first period in a Stanley Cup Final game since 2016 with his 10th goal of the postseason – the third time in his career he has hit double digits in a single postseason. The only other active player to reach 10 postseason goals three times is Evgeni Malkin (also 3x).

* Draisaitl’s next point will mark his third career 30-point postseason. The only players in NHL history to accumulate 30 points in a single playoff year three or more times are Wayne Gretzky (6x), Mark Messier (3x) and McDavid (3x including 2025).

TOP PROSPECTS SET FOR ANNUAL VISIT TO FINAL

A tradition every year at the Final, and with the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics in the rearview mirror, the next stop for the top four ranked North American Skaters for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft is a trip to Sunrise, Florida for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl and Sam Bennett, the top four picks in the 2014 NHL Draft, reminisced about a similar experience when they attended the 2014 Staney Cup Final between the Kings and Rangers prior to being selected into the NHL.

* Matthew Schaefer (Erie, OHL), Michael Misa (Saginaw, OHL), James Hagens (Boston College, NCAA) and Jake O’Brien (Brantford, OHL), ranked Nos. 1-4 on NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings, respectively, will be in attendance for Monday’s game to meet some of the players, the media and soak in the atmosphere.

* Schaefer, a defenseman and the top-ranked North American skater, had a standout start to the season but missed a major portion of the 2024-25 campaign after being sidelined by an injury sustained at the 2025 World Junior Championship. He can become the first Ontario Hockey League skater to be selected first overall since Oilers forward Connor McDavid – who also played for Erie – in 2015 and the first OHL defenseman taken with the top spot since Panthers defenseman Ekblad in 2014. Click here to read more about how Schaefer is inspired by the memory of his late mother.

* A trio of dynamic forwards will join Schaefer, including Misa, who also has something in common with McDavid and Ekblad as a player who received exceptional player status to enter major junior hockey a year early. Misa is coming off a season in which he won the OHL scoring race by a 10-point margin (62-72—134 in 65 GP), recording the league’s highest single-season point total since 2006-07 (Patrick Kane had 145 points that year, while John Tavares ranked second with 134).

* Hagens, a forward at Boston College, grew up an Islanders fan as a native of Hauppauge, New York, less than 40 miles from UBS Arena. The Islanders hold the top pick in this year’s Draft. He concluded the 2024-25 season fourth in points among NCAA freshmen (11-26—37 in 37 GP) and helped Team USA earn gold at the 2025 World Junior Championship. Should Hagens be selected among the top-five picks, it would mark the first time in NHL Draft history that a top-five selection has come out of U.S. college hockey for three consecutive years.

* O’Brien finished the 2024-25 campaign tied for seventh in assists and points across the OHL (32-66—98 in 66 GP) while leading the league with 41 power-play assists. He was on the ice at hockey school as young as three years of age – his mother, Amy Turek, represented the Canadian National Team in both ice and in-line hockey, played in the National Women’s Hockey League and ran summer hockey camps where Jake got his start as the youngest player on the ice.

* All four players were featured with notes in the recently released #NHLStats Pack: Looking Ahead to the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

QUICK CLICKS

* Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl, Sam Bennett ‘brothers for life’ since 2014 NHL Draft

* Panthers must protect home-ice advantage in Stanley Cup Final

* Ryan Nugent-Hopkins expected to be a game-time decision for Game 3

* Sam Bennett jokes Brad Marchand ate Dairy Queen again before 2OT winner

* 10 things learned at the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics



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Hugh Freeze, John Cohen discuss Auburn’s experience with new NIL GO clearinghouse

Auburn’s roster building and NIL strategies since the House Settlement was passed have been under a microscope this summer. The Tigers’ 2026 recruiting class has plummeted in the national rankings since June, a drop highlighted by four players decommitting. Head coach Hugh Freeze and athletic director John Cohen both attributed the recent struggles to Auburn’s […]

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Auburn’s roster building and NIL strategies since the House Settlement was passed have been under a microscope this summer.

The Tigers’ 2026 recruiting class has plummeted in the national rankings since June, a drop highlighted by four players decommitting. Head coach Hugh Freeze and athletic director John Cohen both attributed the recent struggles to Auburn’s adjustment to the new revenue sharing era and the program’s strategy for preserving the current roster and staying under the cap.

Both Freeze and Cohen have emphasized that they don’t believe other schools are operating by the same rules as Auburn, something they think could change on Aug. 1, when offers can start going into writing.

Each athletic department operates under the rev-share cap of $20.5 million, but third-party NIL deals don’t count against the cap. The Deloitte NIL GO clearinghouse was introduced to vet NIL deals, in theory eliminating the large pay-for-play deals often handed out by booster collectives.

Those deals aren’t necessarily illegal now, but money that comes from the University or an affiliate — deals that aren’t third-party — would count against the cap. The clearinghouse is still in the early stages, but Freeze and Cohen gave some insight on how it has affected Auburn so far.

“Truthfully, we haven’t had that many in the football building yet that we’ve gotten the word back on,” Freeze said at an AMBUSH event in Atlanta on Monday.

With things still being in the early stages, Freeze avoided giving an extensive comment on Auburn’s deals through NIL GO, deferring to Cohen. However, he did use it as an example of why he thinks Auburn’s rev-share and NIL strategies are the right ones.

Freeze made the point that if players who have already been in college and proven themselves have had trouble getting deals approved or agreeing on a value through the clearinghouse, he doesn’t want to promise large numbers to high school recruits.

Cohen elaborated more on Auburn’s experience with NIL GO so far, saying that it’s “a little hit or miss right now.”

“You’re convinced that something that a businessperson in the business community put through is gonna go through and sail through, and it doesn’t,” Cohen said. “And then you’re convinced that something that something everybody else puts in probably isn’t going to go through, and it does. But I think we’re all going to go through this learning experience.”

Cohen said that if information from the SEC and Deloitte suggests that Auburn is taking the wrong approach, the program will adjust, emphasizing the time still left between now and the early signing period in December.

He was asked specifically if Auburn had the funding and support from its boosters to adjust and strike quickly if the landscape changes, to which Cohen said Auburn will “do what it takes.”

Despite Auburn’s low position in the recruiting rankings, Cohen is still confident in how the 2026 class will finish, praising Freeze’s ability as a recruiter.

“You can’t confuse patience with inactivity. This man, who was just sitting right here, is as active a recruiter as any coach I’ve ever seen in any sport,” Cohen said. “I just spent two hours in a car with him, and he was called by seven different recruits. They called him. That’s the kind of relationship he has with recruits…

“There are staffs out there in which the head coach really isn’t part of that process, that there’s a separate group. Not Hugh Freeze, he’s personally in the middle of it, and it takes a lot of time, but no matter what he’s doing at that moment, he stops everything in his life to talk to those recruits and to talk to their families.”

Time will ultimately tell whether or not Auburn’s approach will work, but for now, neither Cohen or Freeze is backing away from their strategy yet.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com

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Sigler Traded Gymnastics for Volleyball and Never Looked Back

Teraya Sigler wanted to be the next Simone Biles. However, at 6-foot-3. she was told she was too tall for gymnastics. She then turned to swimming. Admittedly, she was not very good at it. She swam the breaststroke and felt she was good at it, but not good enough to have a future in the […]

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Teraya Sigler wanted to be the next Simone Biles. However, at 6-foot-3. she was told she was too tall for gymnastics.

She then turned to swimming. Admittedly, she was not very good at it. She swam the breaststroke and felt she was good at it, but not good enough to have a future in the sport.

“Swimming was fun, but I was humble enough to know I wasn’t very good at it,” Sigler said on Sports Nightly on Husker Radio Network Monday night. “I loved the breaststroke, but I was never the fastest in the pool.”

The phenom then turned to volleyball and became one of the very best in the country. When she graduated from high school, she was the top volleyball recruit in the country.

“I said fine, I’ll take my height somewhere else,” Sigler said. “Volleyball just happened to work out.”

Volleyball did not just work out for Sigler. She became one of the best to play the sport when she was in high school. She took home all the hardware and the accolades. She also had a lot of involvement with the U.S. National Team.

Sigler was named the Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year as well as the MaxPreps Arizona Player of the Year, after both her junior and senior campaigns. She represented the U.S. Girls U19 Team that won the gold medal at the 2024 NORCECA Championships in Canada.

There was never a question she wanted to play volleyball in college. There was also no question as to where she wanted to play.

She said once Nebraska came calling, she knew she was going to make Lincoln home.

“With college, I was looking to go outside of Arizona and I always thought Nebraska was a cool place,” Sigler said. “Nebraska is the best place that celebrates volleyball. It was a done deal when they reached out.”

Sigler wanted to be the best, regardless of the sport. She watched tape of the best in different sports and tried to emulate them.

“Whatever sport I played, I looked at the best and tried to replicate them,” Sigler said. “I can strive to be consistently good for a long time, but I will never be perfect, so there is no reason to strive for perfection. It’s just not attainable.”

She grew up in a family that thrived in sports. Her mother was a beach volleyball player and they were all very competitive. It helped make Sigler, an outside hitter, the best at what she does.

“I give all the glory to my family for making it fun,” Sigler said. “They made me work hard at the same time.”

While she was the best in high school, she said everyone on the Cornhuskers’ team was used to being the best where they came from too,

“Coming into a school where everyone was the best in their school is very humbling,” Sigler said. “These girls here are elite athletes.”

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.



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Why National Championship Pressure Towers Over Hockey

For many, no matter how many prodigies hockey secures Penn State will be first and foremost a football school. That in itself is pressure packed. For some zealots, football has always been in the national championship picture, but that isn’t true. Following Penn State’s last national championship in 1986, under Joe Paterno, only in 1994 […]

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For many, no matter how many prodigies hockey secures Penn State will be first and foremost a football school. That in itself is pressure packed.

For some zealots, football has always been in the national championship picture, but that isn’t true.


Following Penn State’s last national championship in 1986, under Joe Paterno, only in 1994 did Penn State ever truly flirt with national championship aspirations. After the 1994 season, only twice in Paterno’s final 17 seasons (1999, 2008) did Penn State ever reach 9-0, and it never hit 10-0. 

Under Paterno’s watch in Penn State’s first 19  Big Ten seasons, the program appeared in three New Year’s Six bowls – during the same stretch  Penn State tumbled from being a true national power and slipping behind traditional powers like Michigan and Ohio State as well as Wisconsin, Michigan State and Iowa began to leap front Penn State. 

Many of these zealots somehow transpose Paterno’s first 21 seasons— which is the reason Paterno is a coaching immortal— where Penn State had six undefeated regular seasons, played for four national championships, winning two and winning 10 of 14 New Year’s Six bowls.

Penn State had poor timing against Notre Dame

Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: James Franklin


Part of that “Mandela Effect” has carried over to the James Franklin era and has added fuel to the fire of often deserved criticisms towards Franklin of not winning the big games.

Following Penn State’s heartbreaking loss in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Orange Bowl to Notre Dame, Franklin’s record against AP Top 10 teams dropped to 4-20.

In perspective, Paterno was 3-12 in his final 15 games against AP Top 10 teams, so he wasn’t getting the job done either. 

When a Penn State fan identifies their sport allegiance, the odds are football will be the sport over hockey, and in many Penn State fans minds of a certain age, Penn State is still the reigning perennial national power it was in the late 1970’s up until the mid 1980’s. 

This is the absolute closest Penn State has been to that mid-1980’s level.

This is no disrespect to the legendary 1994 team, who finished No. 2 that season and was recognized by ESPN in their celebration of the 150 years of college football as the highest ranked team to not win a national championship. But they were preseason No. 9 going into 1994.

There have been three Penn State teams that have started in the Top 5 since: 1995 at No. 4, 1999 at No. 3 along with 1997 squad being preseason No. 1. This should be the highest preseason rank for Penn State since these teams.

This is another log onto the fire.

When you consider the bevy of talent that has returned such as quarterback Drew Allar, who could have been selected in the Top 10 of this past Draft, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, offensive lineman Vega Ioane, defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant, as well as defensive backs Zakee Wheatley and AJ Harris, that is a national championship nucleus. 

Another log was added when Penn State made defensive coordinator Jim Knowles the highest paid assistant coach in college football history at north of $3 million per season.

‘You Don’t Mess Around With Jim’: Penn State Set to Hire Jim Knowles as Defensive Coordinator

When you consider how aggressive Penn State was in the transfer portal retooling their wide receiver room and adding depth at key positions like offensive line and linebacker it shows the sense of urgency to get this done. 

I feel the vision Franklin has wanted and conveyed to Penn State’s administration was tasted in the waning moments of the Orange Bowl. Everyone at Penn State felt they should have been able to drive to get points to move on to play for a national championship. 

To be so close and be denied in such fashion gave Franklin more leverage than he has ever had at Penn State. 

The aggressiveness of hockey cannot be overlooked, but Penn State’s proverbial “bread” will always be buttered by the success of what happens in Beaver Stadium. The wrestling program has a John Wooden-esque dynasty amongst us winning 12 of the last 14 national championships that was competed for, hasn’t lost a dual meet since 2020, and  that dominance hasn’t even made a dent into the engine that is Penn State football. 

If Penn State were to come up short this year, going “all-in” with significant investment to build the most complete rosters in the country, assemble thebest coaching staff in the nation of being able to retain Andy Kotelnicki another year and bringing in Knowles, a very favorable schedule that has Penn State the first five weeks in State College before hitting the road, that will leave many wondering what it would take to get it done.

Everyone got a taste of Franklin’s vision back in January being only moments away from getting to the national championship last season.

The immense pressure to satisfy that hunger is now on Franklin and his team is to deliver a return trip to Miami for the National Championship. Hockey may have gotten a hockey prodigy, but the significant investment to deliver a football national championship dwarves anything that happens at Pegula Ice Arena.



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University of New Hampshire

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire women’s hockey program, under the leadership of 12th-year head coach Hilary Witt, announced its 2025-26 schedule on Monday and season tickets are on sale now.   UNH women’s hockey season tickets are $75 per seat for the 18-game package. CLICK HERE to buy your seat now for a value […]

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DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire women’s hockey program, under the leadership of 12th-year head coach Hilary Witt, announced its 2025-26 schedule on Monday and season tickets are on sale now.
 
UNH women’s hockey season tickets are $75 per seat for the 18-game package. CLICK HERE to buy your seat now for a value of less than $5 per game.

CLICK HERE to view complete schedule.

 

For the second consecutive year, UNH and Maine face off in an exhibition game at the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex when the Wildcats and Black Bears collide Sept. 20 (2 p.m.).

 

New Hampshire opens regular-season play with a two-game home series against Mercyhurst University on Sept. 25 (6 p.m.) & 26 (1 p.m.). The teams split the series in Erie, Pa. last November.

 

October starts with four consecutive road games as the Wildcats travel to Assumption University (Oct. 3-4) and Union College (Oct. 10-11). UNH faces off against regional rival Harvard University at the Whitt on Oct. 18 (2 p.m.).

 

The ‘Cats begin a stretch of nine consecutive Hockey East league games Oct. 24 at Boston University. That league opener is followed by home-and-home series against both Merrimack College and Providence College with games at the Whitt on Nov. 1 (2 p.m.) vs. the Warriors and Nov. 7 (6 p.m.) against the Friars.

 

UNH travels to UVM for two games against the Catamounts on Nov. 14-15, then plays a game at Holy Cross (Nov. 21) before playing host to those Crusaders on Nov. 22 (7 p.m.).

 

The Wildcats are back on the road to play Ivy League foe Brown University on Nov. 30 and Northeastern on Dec. 2.

 

New Hampshire begins a stretch of five consecutive home games Dec. 5 (6 p.m.) against Maine and the Buffalo Wild Wings Border Battle continues Dec. 6 (2 p.m.). The Wildcats ring in 2026 with two games against LIU on Jan. 3-4 – both games scheduled for a two o’clock start – and the homestand ends Jan. 10 (TBA) vs. Boston University.

 

UNH wraps up the season series vs. Northeastern with a Jan. 16-17 home-and-home series in which the teams face off at the Whitt on the 17th (TBA). The ‘Cats play Friday home games four consecutive weeks beginning Jan. 23 (6 p.m.) against Boston College and continuing Jan. 30 (6 p.m.) against UConn, Feb. 6 (2 p.m.) vs. Merrimack and Feb . 13 (2 p.m.) vs. UConn.

 

In the final weekend of the regular season, UNH goes to BC on Feb. 20 and then welcomes UVM to the Whittemore Center on Feb. 21 (2 p.m.).

 

The Hockey East tournament begins Feb. 25 with the first round, followed by the Feb. 28 quarterfinals, March 4 semifinals and the March 7 championship game.

 

WHOC home schedule 2025-26 graphic



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Ireland, Orr Named 2025-26 Men’s Hockey Captains; Androlewicz, Aben Tabbed as Assistants

Story Links EASTON, Mass. (July 14, 2025) – Stonehill College men’s ice hockey head coach David Berard has announced the team’s leadership group for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Senior forward Frank Ireland and senior defenseman Evan Orr will serve as co-captains, while graduate goaltender Connor Androlewicz and sophomore forward Zach Aben have been named assistant captains. […]

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EASTON, Mass. (July 14, 2025) – Stonehill College men’s ice hockey head coach David Berard has announced the team’s leadership group for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Senior forward Frank Ireland and senior defenseman Evan Orr will serve as co-captains, while graduate goaltender Connor Androlewicz and sophomore forward Zach Aben have been named assistant captains.

Ireland returns as captain for the second consecutive season, while Orr is elevated to co-captain after serving as an assistant during the 2024-25 campaign. Androlewicz and Aben will wear a letter for the first time in their collegiate careers. The leadership group—consisting of two seniors, one graduate student, and one sophomore—brings a combined six years of experience within the Skyhawks program.

A cornerstone of the program since arriving on campus, Ireland has been part of Stonehill’s leadership core since his sophomore year and enters the season as one of just three four-year seniors on the roster. The Easton native leads all players in Stonehill’s NCAA Division I era with 74 career points (32 goals, 42 assists) in 95 games. In 2024-25, he tallied 12 points on six goals and six assists, including a power-play goal against LIU and a pair of multi-point efforts—one coming in an overtime win against Merrimack at Warrior Ice Arena on November 12.

Orr, a transfer from Michigan Tech, made an immediate impact in his first season with the program in 2024-25, earning NCAA Division I Independent Hockey All-Star honors. He recorded a career-best 15 points on eight goals and seven assists, ranking second on the team in goals and leading the Skyhawks with five game-winning tallies—three in overtime. One of those overtime winners secured a historic 3–2 road victory over No. 9 UMass Lowell, marking Stonehill’s first-ever win over a nationally ranked Division I opponent.

Androlewicz, who joined the Skyhawks from the University of Maine, turned in a breakout season in net during 2024-25. He appeared in 30 games, setting a Stonehill Division I single-season record with 11 wins while posting a 3.11 goals-against average. His stellar February earned him NCAA Division I Independent Co-Goaltender of the Month honors. Androlewicz also played a critical role in Stonehill’s four shutouts—another program record—sharing the crease with Linards Lipskis.

Aben enters his sophomore campaign after an impressive freshman season and becomes just the third sophomore in program history to earn a leadership role at the Division I level, joining current teammate Ireland and former Skyhawk, Carter Rapalje. In 30 games, Aben led all Skyhawk freshmen with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) and was one of just two players to score a shorthanded goal, joining 2025 graduate Henri Schreifels.

The Skyhawks aim to build on a milestone 2024-25 season that featured a Division I era program-record 12 wins—an improvement of 10 victories from the previous year. Stonehill posted a 7-7 mark at home, captured 10 wins over Division I opponents, and earned road wins against Merrimack, Lake Superior State, UMass Lowell, and LIU—setting a new program benchmark for success away from home.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

 





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Biggest Arenas in College Hockey: Top 5 Highest Capacity in NCAA

College hockey’s importance to the professional game and its relevance on a national level have never been higher.  But, for some schools, where college hockey ranks higher than any other sport, this newfound attention isn’t new to them.  Many of the best programs in the NCAA have programs and stadiums of gargantuan size and importance […]

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College hockey’s importance to the professional game and its relevance on a national level have never been higher. 

But, for some schools, where college hockey ranks higher than any other sport, this newfound attention isn’t new to them. 

Many of the best programs in the NCAA have programs and stadiums of gargantuan size and importance to their school community. Here’s a ranking of the five largest arenas, by capacity, in Division 1 college hockey. 

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (Value City Arena) – 17,500

The Buckeyes play in a stadium that seats more fans than nine NHL teams’ home stadiums. Ohio’s NHL team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, only seats roughly 600 more fans at Nationwide Arena.

Value City Arena is located in the heart of Ohio State’s campus, and it’s a roughly 15-minute walk away from where the Buckeyes play their football games at Ohio Stadium. 

Like some college hockey arenas, Value City also hosts Ohio State’s men’s and women’s basketball games. It’s also hosted some major musical acts for concerts. 

The Buckeyes began playing college hockey in 1963 but have never won a national championship. They have two Frozen Four appearances and two conference tournament championships in the CCHA, but none since joining the Big Ten’s hockey conference. 

2. Wisconsin Badgers (Kohl Center) – 15,325

Opened in 1998, Madison’s Kohl Center is home to the six-time NCAA champion Wisconsin Badgers. 

Like Value City, the Kohl Center is also home to Wisconsin’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. It also regularly hosts the state’s high school basketball and wrestling tournaments.

The stadium was named after Wisconsin politician and businessman Herb Kohl, whose family owns the Kohl’s department stores. Kohl donated $25 million in 1995 for the construction of the stadium. 

Despite being around 2,000 seats smaller than Ohio State’s stadium, it had the nation’s second highest attendance last season, compared to the 18th highest for the Buckeyes. 

But don’t get all riled up just yet, sensitive Ohio State fans, you still have an all-time record of 36-28-5 record against the Badgers. 

3. North Dakota Fighting Hawks (Ralph Engelstad Arena) – 11,640

Even though it comes in as third on this list, North Dakota’s home arena, often referred to as just ‘The Ralph,’ is generally regarded as one of the nation’s college hockey stadiums. 

It’s been called the “Taj Mahal of Hockey” and in 2004 the New York Times called it “the Little Rink on the Prairie.” 

The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, labeled it as “one of the most beautiful buildings we have in North America.” I assume he’s just talking about hockey stadiums or else Memphis’ Bass Pro Shop Pyramid would like to have a word. 

It opened in October of 2001 with a $104 million price tag. It has many features that you can’t usually find in college or even professional hockey stadiums, like granite floors in the concourse and cherry wood seats with leather cushions.  

In a state without professional sports or much else to do besides visit Mount Rushmore, which isn’t even in their state, it makes sense that their college hockey team gets all the focus. 

4. Minnesota Gophers (3M Arena) – 10,000

The Minnesota Gophers’ college hockey team is one of the best and most storied in the country, according to Minnesota Gophers fans. 

For anyone who’s ever attended a game where the Gophers are playing and has had to endure thousands of people spelling out their state’s name every time they score, you’ll know they have a strong fan base. 

When you enter the stadium, there’s a sign that says, “Through these gates walk the greatest fans in college hockey.”

They’ve won five national championships, but none since 2003, back when having a Nokia smartphone was a significant status symbol. 

The 3M Arena, whose legal government name is the 3M Arena at Maricucci, was opened in 1993. 

Minnesota-based conglomerate 3M purchased the naming rights for $11.2 million in 2017, but they only paid enough for the stadium to still technically not be called 3M Arena by its fans.

5. UMass Minutemen (Mullins Memorial Center) – 8,387

UMass Amherst’s college hockey team is another of the oldest and most storied programs in the country. 

The team is so old that for much of the program’s early history, they played their games outside on a campus pond. Multiple seasons in their early years were altered by poor weather conditions that made it challenging to play.

The Minutemen won their first NCAA championship in 2021. 

The Mullins Center is also the home of UMass’ men’s and women’s basketball teams. 

It was named after state legislator William Mullins, who proposed in 1985 that the university should have a multipurpose arena on its campus. Someday, I want something named after me just because I asked for it to exist. 

Ohio Sports Betting

BetMGM is the premier sportsbook for all online sports betting throughout the year.

From NFL odds, NBA betting, and NHL odds to live sports betting and parlays, BetMGM has wagering options for everyone.

Is Sports Betting Legal in Ohio?

Yes, sports betting is legal in Ohio.

How To Bet Online in Ohio

Visit the online sportsbook and sign up for an account!

You can place any number of wagers, including straight bets, over/unders, parlays, in-game live betting, and more on teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Ohio State Buckeyes, as well as additional professional and college programs around the country.

Visit the sportsbook for updated odds, the best sportsbook promos — including BetMGM’s welcome offer — and more.



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