It was just over 13 years ago when Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula signed one final check to complete his funding of $102 million to Penn State, financing the men’s hockey program in its jump to the Division I level. The Pennsylvania native had a dream — he wanted hockey players to grow up in the Keystone State, play for the blue and white and then go on to play in the NHL.

Fast forward through five NCAA Tournament berths, one conference postseason tournament title and one regular season championship and Pegula’s vision is finally coming to fruition. All it really took was one Frozen Four run.

The Nittany Lions’ extended playoff surge in 2025 has fueled a new hype around the outlook of the team and garnered an increasing amount of recruiting interest in the program from top-tier athletes.

Here are a few notable prospects Penn State has been linked to.

Jackson Smith (LHD, 18)

Just one week ago, Scott Wheeler of the Athletic reported that left-handed defenseman Jackson Smith, a projected top-15 NHL entry draft pick, committed to Penn State. Just moments later, Wheeler walked back on that report.

Wheeler said “nothing’s done until it’s done done,” and that Smith feels that there is a potential fit at Penn State. While the commitment has not been announced, it seems as though both sides have mutual interest.

On Smith’s side, there’s an opportunity to develop and clean up his game in one of the best conferences in college hockey. For head coach Guy Gadowsky, he’d achieve the ability to add a two-way defenseman and a quarterback to his top power-play unit.

Smith met with Pegula’s Sabres during the NHL draft combine on Saturday, with reportedly a “good amount” of the conversation surrounding Penn State, according to Chad DeDominicis on X.

The Canadian is scheduled to visit Penn State immediately after the NHL Draft combine, which was completed on Saturday, per Cam Robinson of Eliteprospects. He’ll make other campus visits with Boston College and Michigan both linked to the defenseman.

Gavin McKenna (LW, 17)

Now to the crown jewel of prospects, Gavin McKenna.

The 2007-born forward has been a hot name as of late in the recruiting trail with Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State all rumored to be within the mix.

On 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, hosted by Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas, Friedman mentioned that he’s talked to numerous NHL sources and an “informal straw poll” leads him to believe Penn State is the favorite in the McKenna sweepstakes.

Friedman said he was told it would be “premature” to make any proclamation as to where McKenna will play next season, but when asking around, most of his sources picked Hockey Valley as the most-likely destination.

McKenna is the consensus top prospect in the 2026 NHL entry draft and just lifted the Medicine Hat Tigers to a Western Hockey League (WHL) championship. The Canadian recorded 129 points along with a WHL-leading 88 assists during the 2024-25 season.

Friedman mentioned the WHL hopes McKenna stays with the Tigers but he doesn’t “know the odds of that (happening).” McKenna is expected to make a few college visits and State College will most likely be one of them.

Michael Misa (C/LW, 18)

Back in early May, the Nittany Lions garnered a commitment from Luke Misa. Since then, the floodgates opened with rumors swirling about potential additional signings — including his brother, Michael Misa.

Earlier this week in a report via Puck Preps, Michael Misa said he’s never played on the same team as his brother.

“The chance to play with him has been a dream for a while,” Michael Misa told Puck Preps. “It’s never actually happened, but maybe someday it will.”

That dream could become a reality as soon as next season. Michael Misa is a consensus top-two prospect in the 2025 NHL entry draft, but there is a chance his drafted team wants him to develop elsewhere next year.

With a plethora of money available and his brother committed, Penn State is at the top of the list for Michael Misa’s 2025 destinations.

Porter Martone (RW, 18)

Arguably the most talked about prospect linked to the Nittany Lions has been Porter Martone.

Martone, former teammate of Luke Misa on the Brampton Steelheads, is projected to land in the top six of the 2025 NHL entry draft and offers size at the wing, standing 6-foot-3.

Penn State has been speculated to be getting aggressive with dollar offers to Canadian Hockey League (CHL) athletes, including reportedly offering a deal north of $250,000 to Martone over a month ago.

The forward recorded 98 points, 37 goals and 61 assists in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last season and would offer star power at the right wing for the Nittany Lions.

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Days after a multibillion-dollar legal settlement changed college athletics by allowing schools to directly pay their athletes, the most powerful conference commissioners are bullish in their ability to enforce NIL rules in a new system, even though specific punishments remain unclear.

Hours after the House v. NCAA settlement was approved on Friday, former MLB executive Bryan Seeley was named CEO of a new enforcement organization called the College Sports Commission. His job will be to lead the team responsible for enforcement of the new rules around revenue sharing, third-party payments to players for NIL deals, and roster limits.

One of the biggest questions, though, is what happens when those rules are broken?

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, who spoke Monday on a Zoom press conference with fellow commissioners Greg Sankey (SEC), Tony Petitti (Big Ten), Brett Yormark (Big 12) and Teresa Gould (Pac-12), said they’ve all had ideas, but nothing they’re “ready to come forward with.” Ultimately, Phillips said, the rules and boundaries will be under Seeley’s purview.

“We’re in the process of developing some of those rules and structure and overall implementation of that,” Phillips said. “Now that we have Bryan on board, I think we’ll be able to move a little bit quicker. But we want to get this right. It’s one of those areas that until you have somebody leading the College Sports Commission, it’s difficult to get together with that individual and start some of that framework that will be in place.”

Yormark called it “progress over perfection,” and said that while there will be challenges, they will meet them over time.

“Our schools want rules, and we’re providing rules, and we will be governed by those rules,” Yormark said, “and if you break those rules, the ramifications will be punitive.”

The annual cap is expected to start at $20.5 million per school in 2025-26 and increase every year during the decade-long deal. Those payments will be in addition to scholarships and other benefits the athletes already receive. Starting June 7, players have to report NIL deals of $600 or more to the College Sports Commission.

LBi Software and accounting firm Deloitte will monitor salary cap management and the NIL clearinghouse, an online platform called NIL Go. Those NIL deals will be outside of the revenue directly shared by schools, and will be vetted to determine if they are for a valid business purpose – not recruiting.

Sankey met with his head coaches in football and men’s and women’s basketball this past February, and said he has asked the same question at every level – including up to the university presidents.

“If you want an unregulated, open system, just raise your hand and let me know,” Sankey said. “And universally, the answer is ‘no. We want oversight. We want guardrails. We want structure.’ Those individuals don’t have the luxury to just say that in meeting rooms, period. They don’t have the luxury to just be anonymous sources. They have a responsibility to make what they’ve sought – what they’ve asked for – to make it work.”

The commissioners agreed, though, that in order to “make it work,” they need Congressional help. Sankey, who said he played golf recently with President Donald Trump and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, continued to stress the need for an “effort to preempt state laws.”

“Congress exists to set national standards, and we’re not going to have Final Fours and College Football Playoffs and College World Series with 50 different standards,” Sankey said. “Codification of at least settlement terms or around settlement terms would be enormously healthy.”

Sankey said he has always “appreciated [Trump’s] interest in college sports,” and while it was “helpful for me and Pete as well to hear his thoughts and his perspectives, and to share some of ours,” he said those are “best left for the moment on the golf course.”

Even with a multitude of questions still looming, Phillips said college athletics is in a “much better place” than it was 48 hours ago, before the settlement was approved.

“What’s not debatable is that this new model does bring stability and fairness to student-athletes in college sports,” Phillips said, “and we’ve been in an unregulated environment with no rules and no enforcement. It has paralyzed the NCAA in Indianapolis, and we’re responsible for certainly some of that. We’re now going to have a foundation and structure laying out those rules. The new structure provides our student-athletes with more opportunities and benefits than ever before.”

Today, we bring you our annual NHL Draft Confidential. You know where people like me stand on the players and the draft, but today we turn to the NHL, and the people who will ultimately decide where these players land, for their thoughts on the big questions facing this draft class. Numerous NHL evaluators were surveyed for this article. As a note, “Scout 1” in a given question does not refer to the same Scout 1 in another question.

Scouts and executives were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about the prospects in question.

The most interesting debate in this year’s draft, as it is with most drafts, is what happens at the very top. Most expect Erie defenseman Matthew Schaefer to be the first pick. Then there’s a big group of forwards after him. Who will be the first forward taken? How close is the grouping? Does anyone have a forward ahead of Schaefer? We asked the NHL.

Scout 1: “Misa would be our top forward followed by (James) Hagens but there’s a sizable gap from Schaefer to those guys.”

Scout 2: “We have Schaefer, then a gap. (Anton) Frondell is No. 2 for us. He’s a potential (Aleksander) Barkov/(Anze) Kopitar type of forward.”

Scout 3: “(Michael) Misa should be No. 1, even ahead of Schaefer. I don’t understand why he’s not getting as much hype as previous top OHL guys, when he’s been just as good, if not better, than some of the top Ontario kids in recent years. He could be an NHL superstar.”

Executive 1: “Schaefer is the best player in the draft. It’s not close, quite frankly. After that, Misa is the top forward, but it’s close. He has the best chance to be a No. 1 center, all-around player who scores a lot.”

Scout 4: “Schaefer is the top player by a good margin, then it would either be Frondell or Hagens. Misa I think is getting overrated — his compete level is average and he’s not as dynamic as some portray.”

Scout 5: “Martone is the best forward in this draft, and I think in the playoffs he will show he has as much value as Schaefer. He’s a competitor who plays a style that will translate to success when the chips are down.”

Scout 6: “Misa and Schaefer would be neck and neck for me. I would lean Misa. Misa has the potential to be a star No. 1 center, and that’s the harder player to find compared to a No. 1 D, even if both are very valuable. (Caleb) Desnoyers would be third, then. He’s a great all-around center, a guy you win with.”

Executive 2: “Schaefer, then a gap to Misa, then a gap to the rest. (Roger) McQueen would have been in the group with Misa if he was healthy.”

Executive 3: “Schaefer and Misa are clearly ahead of the rest of the pack. Then it would be some order of Hagens, (Jake) O’Brien and Martone. Desnoyers and Frondell are nice players, but we worry about their offensive upside.”

Executive 4: “Schaefer and Misa distinguished themselves from the pack. Then it’s Desnoyers and Frondell in a group with Martone on the edge of that group. I expect that combination of players will make up the first five picks.”

Scout 7: “It goes Schaefer, then O’Brien, and then Frondell. O’Brien is so talented, has a lot of upside, and a lot of physical development left to go.”

Scout 8: “Schaefer is in a group by himself, then I would have Desnoyers, Hagens, Martone and Misa all closely bunched together. My lean would be towards Desnoyers as the best of that bunch. He’s a winner who does a lot of things very well.”

Scout 9: “Schaefer is the top player. Misa could get close, he is extremely talented, although he is inconsistent and has some bad habits. The top forward is between Misa and Desnoyers, but you have to take Misa after the year he had.”

Executive 5: “After Schaefer/Misa, Brady Martin is right in the mix with that next group, may even be at the top. He looks very similar to what Sam Bennett has become.”

Scout 10: “Schaefer and Misa are the clear top two players. After that I would have Desnoyers, Frondell, O’Brien and Martin in a close group together.”

Scout 11: “Schaefer is the best player in the draft, then I would have Desnoyers at 2. He does so much well, he could be a player you build around.”

Executive 6: “Schaefer is the clear No. 1. Then it would be a group of Misa, Desnoyers, Frondell and Martin for me. It’s funny because I think Hagens could potentially outscore all of those forwards by the end of their careers, but you’re trying to build a team that wins playoff rounds, and those guys bring different elements.”

Schaefer is by leaps and bounds the top defense prospect in this draft. No other defenseman is expected to go in the top five. But the second defenseman to be picked will be interesting, and we expect another one will go in the top 10. So we asked people in the league for their second-ranked defender.

Executive 1: “Kashawn Aitcheson is an apex predator. He knocks a guy out with a hit, and then he knocks out the guy who comes calling for the fight afterwards. There’s nobody in a top four in the NHL who plays like him. If you want his attributes, it’s normally in a No. 6 or 7, but he is a top-four defenseman, a better version of Radko Gudas.”

Scout 1: “Mrtka will give you the least headaches of the top candidates. He’s poised, makes good plays at both ends, just a very good all-around defenseman. Aitcheson’s and Smith’s hockey sense are concerning.”

Scout 2: “Mrtka is clearly the top guy. He transformed Seattle when he got there.”

Executive 2: “Smith. He’s a better skater than Aitcheson or Mrtka. He has the most skill of all of them. His decisions aren’t the best, but he has the most pro potential.”

Executive 3: “Smith. He’s big and such a good skater, competes, has offense. There’s no miss factor with him.”

Scout 3: “Mrtka is going to play 1,000 games and just eat up minutes. You wished he played a bit harder, but he has successful pro written all over him.”

NHL teams will at least somewhat follow public discourse. So I asked people around the league who are some top prospects for this draft that they feel the public is overrating.

Scout 1: “Victor Eklund. He’s a small winger without elite offense, those types tend to fall. He’s top 10 on almost every list, but I can almost guarantee that won’t happen on draft day.”

Scout 2: “Lynden Lakovic. His compete is an issue, doesn’t get to the middle and lack of physical engagement, and his hockey sense is ordinary. He’s more of a late first-rounder than a top-15 pick.”

Scout 3: “Cullen Potter is a one-dimensional offensive guy. His skating is elite, but his compete is average and he doesn’t make many plays.”

Scout 4: “Cameron Schmidt. The lists that have him as a first-rounder are way off. He’s talented, but he has a lot of issues in his game. He’s probably going in the third round.”

Scout 5: “Schmidt. He’s not special enough of a scorer for where people have him rated. He’s skilled and can shoot, but he slowed down a lot in the second half, and his hockey sense is questionable. I’m not even sure I would draft him.”

Executive 1: “Ivan Ryabkin. We wouldn’t even draft him. His compete and habits are pretty bad, and he’s not a great skater for his size.”

Scout 6: “Radim Mrtka. He’s not that smart or competitive. I get he’s big and skates well, but he’s nothing special other than that. More of a teens pick than a top-10 type.”

Scout 7: “Kashawn Aitcheson has major questions for us in terms of his hockey sense and decisions. You love how hard he plays, but he’s not that big either. He’s good but nothing special.”

Executive 2: “People need to slow down on the Brady Martin hype because he had a good U18s. He’s super likable because he hits a lot of guys and has skill, but he’s not a smart player and probably a middle-six wing in the NHL.”

Executive 3: “Desnoyers and Frondell are both being oversold a bit. They’re good players who compete but don’t have high-end hockey sense. They are second-line centers at best in the NHL. I would much rather bet on guys like Hagens, Martone or O’Brien.”

On the other side of the coin, who does the league feel is not getting enough love?

Scout 1: “Cameron Reid. He’s an elite skating defenseman with good enough skill and sense. He’s not a big points guy in the NHL, but he can be successful in the NHL.”

Scout 2: “Caleb Desnoyers. See him listed often as a 6-10 guy, would say he’s a lot closer to top five. He’s a well-rounded center with very good puck play and size — he will go in the first few picks.”

Scout 3: “Cole McKinney. Don’t see him talked about a lot. He was very good the last few months of the season, helped turn that NTDP team around.”

Executive 1: “Blake Fiddler has a lot more of an identity than some of the other top-ranked defensemen. He’s not flashy, but he’s hard and can skate and has enough skill. I bet NHL coaches will love him even if he’s not a big points type.”

Scout 4: “People are underrating how high (Justin) Carbonneau in Blainville will go. He does a lot of things NHL teams will love and will translate to the playoffs. He’s a handful to contain, he hits guys, skates well and has legit offense.”

Scout 5: “Jack Nesbitt had a bad U18s, but before that, I thought he had a chance to be a top 10-12 pick. I bet he still goes top 20. He’s a big, heavy center with a lot of skill who did a lot of important things for that Windsor team.”

One of the more fascinating prospects in this year’s draft is Mason West. He is a 6-foot-6 center who played high school hockey in Minnesota. He’s a projected late first/high second-round pick by NHL teams. However, he also has offers to play college football as a quarterback.

Scout 1: “He’s a fantastic athlete. Go look up highlights of the way he can throw a football. He’s just so talented. If he commits to hockey and can iron out some details, he has a lot of NHL potential. He’s a first-round talent if he’s a hockey player.”

Executive 1: “We’re just not in love with the hockey player. He’s tall and fast, but he plays on the outside a lot, and he’s not overly physical. He’s at best a second-round talent who you’re now not sure if he’s playing hockey or not. He’s telling everyone he intends to play football in the fall, then go to the USHL.”

Scout 2: “He didn’t have a great overall season, but the way he ended it was very convincing between his high school playoffs and in the USHL. He looks like an NHL player.”

Executive 2: “It seems he’s trending towards being a hockey player. He doesn’t have QB offers from major schools. But that could change. My biggest concern is you use a high pick on him and then Minnesota offers him a scholarship to be their QB, and then I think he would go that way.”

Executive 3: “It doesn’t seem like he’s a premier quarterback recruit. His combine interview will be critical. If he switches positions in football, he could be a higher-tier recruit. What sport is he truly invested in?”

We are near the end of the survey by quickly hitting on the goalie crop. Almost everybody agrees Joshua Ravensbergen is the top goaltender this year. We asked where teams would be comfortable taking him, and who would be their next name.

Executive 1: “Ravensbergen is a late one/high two type of goalie. The two Russian goalies, Semyon Frolov and Pyotr Andreyanov, look so good on video. If we felt comfortable taking Russians, we would have them as second-round picks.”

Executive 2: “We don’t love Ravensbergen like some others. He’s a maybe first-rounder for us. The London guy, Alexei Medvedev, would be our next guy. He’s very athletic. I wouldn’t say he’s truly elite at anything but very good at everything.”

Scout 1: “Ravensbergen is a late first type of goalie. He’s so big and athletic. Then there’s a drop to Frolov, then a drop to everyone else.”

Executive 3: “Ravensbergen is a mid-first. We think he has starting goalie potential. Then it’s Frolov, who I love. If we got live views I could see us talk him into a first-rounder. He has a ton of talent and structure in his game.”

Executive 4: “I’m a little hesitant on the Ravensbergen hype. He had a lot of tough stretches this season. We don’t have any goalie rated in the first, but the closest would be one of the Russian goalies, and we would lean towards Frolov.”

Finally, we end on a flash poll, where I ask evaluators who are the best prospects in the class at various traits.

Best skater

• Matthew Schaefer (Unanimous vote)

Best hands

• James Hagens (Unanimous vote)

Best hockey sense

• Jake O’Brien (Majority votes)
• Matthew Schaefer (Multiple votes)

Best compete level

• Brady Martin (Majority votes)
• Kashawn Aitcheson (Multiple votes)

Best shot

• Anton Frondell (Majority votes)
• Kashawn Aitcheson
• Victor Eklund
• Cameron Schmidt

(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; photos of Radim Mrtka, Matthew Schaefer, Joshua Ravensbergen: Michael Miller / Getty, Leila Devlin / Getty)

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Before looking ahead to the 2025-26 school year, the Northeast 10 is looking back, allowing fans to decide the Moment of the Year from the previous season in a social media vote on Instagram.

Thirty two moments were selected by school sports information directors and the league office and a bracket was created by a computer randomizer.  Starting June 10th, each weekday at noon two first round matchups will be posted on the NE10’s Instagram story.  Fans will be able to vote for their favorite of those moments, with the winners advancing to the next round.

The quarterfinals will begin on June 20th with the semifinals kicking in on June 26th.  The championship will be held on July 1st to decide the NE10 fan’s Moment of the Year.

The 32 moments are listed below in their opening round pairings.  Again, the bracket was created by computer randomization.

DAY 1: Kaylee Matsuda College World Series Walk-off vs. Saint Michael’s Soccer Wins Record
After being struck in the head by a pitch earlier in the game, Kaylee Matsuda delivered a walk-off, extra inning single to defeat Saginaw Valley State in an elimination game of the College World Series.

DAY 1: FPU Sweeps the Steeplechase vs. St. Anselm Lacrosse Win over Adelphi
The Ravens made thier mark at the NE10 Outdoor Track & Field Championship, putting three members on the podium, led by All-NE10 performer Ryan Outerbridge.

St. Anselm knocked off defending national champion Adelphi in the regular season, earning its first win over the Panthers in school history and helping secure the second undefeated regular season in Hawks history.

DAY 2: FPU Baseball Advances to Supers vs. Cameron Belton is NCAA Runner-Up
Franklin Pierce baseball was one of the strongest teams in the NE10 all season, and after earning an at-large berth to the NCAA Regional as the No. 5 seed, the Ravens fought off elimination against Thomas Jefferson and beat the Rams twice to advance to (and host) the NCAA Super Regional.

Cameron Belton lost only three shot put competitions all season — two of them were NCAA Championships.  The SCSU star was third in the country during the indoor season and finished as national runner-up in the outdoor.  One of the best shot put athletes in the country, Belton was the indoor and outdoor NE10 Field Athlete of the Year.

DAY 2: Bentley Volleyball Advances to Final Four vs. McPherson Returns Pair of Blocks   
Bentley made history in the fall, becoming the first NE10 women’s volleyball team to advance to the national semifinals.  The Falcons did that by knocking off the previously undefeated No. 1 team in the country, Ferris State.

Shakeer McPherson did the unique twice this fall.  The Assumption special teamer returned a blocked kick for a touchdown … in consecutive weeks.  

DAY 3: Franklin Pierce Advances to the Final Four vs. AIC Upsets Assumption
Franklin Pierce got hot at the right time last fall, rattling off 11 straight wins to capture the NE10 Championship and advance to the National Semifinals.  The Ravens finished 20-4-1.

AIC knocked Assumption from NE10 title contention when Fatir Bell hauled in a TD pass with 15 seconds left to seal a win.

DAY 3: Assumption MBB Wins the Region vs. Saint Michael’s Softball Defeats Pace
Daeman entered the NCAA Championship as the No. 1 team in the nation, but Assumption was the team that left Buffalo with the trophy.  The Hounds captured their first men’s basketball regional title in 50 years before heading to Evansville.

Saint Michael’s became the only team in the NE10 to beat Pace en route to the Setters heading to the College World Series.  The Knights almost ended the Pace postseason early, toppling it during the opening matchup of the NE10 Championship with an early home run off Gisselle Garcia.  Pace bounced back to win the next game and advance.

DAY 4: Saint Michael’s Wins NE10 Ice Hockey vs. Bentley Heads to the Elite 8
The Purple Knights won the NCAA National Championship in 1999 — and about a quarter century later they reclaimed glory with the NE10 Championship, upsetting No. 1 St. Anselm in Manchester.

Bentley completed a near-perfect East Region run, toppling Holy Family in Waltham to win the East and advance to the Elite 8 for the 15th time in school history.  The win was also Bentley’s 29th straight.

DAY 4: Kurtis Henderson Wins SNHU an NE10 Title vs. AIC Clinches Division Title
SNHU was in a near literal dogfight with Pace in the NE10 Championship.  It came down to the wire and Kurtis Henderson hit the shot every child dreams of in their driveway — a three just before the buzzer to win the conference crown.

With the chance to host the NE10 Championship in the air, AIC faced New Haven in Springfield.  The Jackets allowed four runs in the top of the ninth inning to cough up the lead before Josh Formeta belted the walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth.  Yeudy Ramirez also hit for the cycle in the game.

DAY 5: Kha’lil Eason Returns Pair of KOR for TD’s vs. St. Anselm Wins NCAA Title
Kha’lil Eason turned immediate heads this fall when he ran back two kickoffs more than 90yds each for a pair of touchdowns vs. Pace.

Maddy Davis scored in OT, knocking off the defending field hockey national champion Kutztown and delivering St. Anselm the school’s first NCAA title in any sport.

DAY 5: Bentley Breaks NCAA Record vs. New Haven Wins First NE10 Title
The Bentley men’s basketball team drained a three for the 1,000th straight game on November 23rd vs. CSI — yes, 1,000 straight games.  The Falcons are the first team in DII to eclipse the 1,000 game mark and hold the NCAA record.

New Haven women’s tennis knocked off defending champion Adelphi in a clean sweep to earn the team’s first NE10 title.

DAY 6: McAllistar Milne seals the NE10 Title vs. AIC Volleyball Winning 20 Straight
The Owls were pushed to the limit in the NE10 Championship, but Milne came to the rescue at the end, winning the 200m Butterfly in 1:51:27, edging out a pair of Adelphi swimmers, including the top seeded competitor in the field.  The win held off a surging Panther squad that was looking for its first NE10 title.

After getting off to a tough start against a tough non-conference slate, AIC found its groove and won 20 consecutive matches en route to an NE10 Championship.

DAY 6: Declan Landers Beats the Horn vs. Adelphi Soccer Advances in PKS
Pace men’s lacrosse forced overtime vs. Molloy in the NCAA Championship when a full-field pass found Declan Landers, who scored with no time remaining.

Who says you need to be an offensive player? Alba López Martínez, Adelphi’s reserve keeper, came off the bench to score the final PK against Bentley in the NE10 Semifinals and push the Panthers into the Championship round.

DAY 7: Adelphi Lacrosse Goes Back-to-Back vs. Amelia Freitas Throws a No-No
The Adelphi Panthers won their second straight NCAA National Championship when Kyle Lewis scored in OT to abolish the previously unbeated reign of No. 1 Tampa.

In a 14-0 win over AIC, Amelia Freitas tossed the first no-hitter in eight years for the Penmen.  Freitas was one batter away from a perfect game.

DAY 7: Assumption Field Hockey Goes Unbeaten vs. Tray Alexander Buzzer Beater
The Assumption Greyhounds barked back after falling in the NE10 Championship in 2023.  The Hounds knocked off eventual NCAA Champion St. Anselm at home in shutout fashion to claim the league crown.

Pace advanced to the NE10 Championship, but they would never have happened without Tray Alexander at the buzzer.  The NE10 Player of the Year knocked down a game-winner at the horn in the NE10 Quaterfinals after Assumption had tied the game with just six seconds remaining.  

DAY 8: Elizabeth Driscoll Sets St. Anselm Wins Record vs. SNHU Beats FPU
Elizabeth Driscoll was named National Goalie of the Year in women’s lacrosse, and for good reason.  Driscoll saved better than 50% of shots faced this season and earned her 36th career win, a St. Anselm record.

Franklin Pierce hadn’t lost a men’s soccer game in 63 tries — an NCAA DII record.  That ended when SNHU beat the Ravens, 4-2, in October.  The Penmen went on to win the NE10 Championship.

DAY 8: Albert Vargas SCSU Debut vs. Ryan Kakimseit Goes Unbeaten
Welcome to Division II.  Albert Vargas burried a buzzer beater to open the NCAA men’s basketball season and knock off CSI in his first game as a member of the SCSU Owls.

Ryan Kakimseit was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2025 NE10 Swimming Championship after winning ever race he entered.  The Panthers came in second as a team, the best finish in school history.
 

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
 
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.