College Sports
NCDC Commitment Profiles: Cyclones’ Martins Moving On to Saint Anselm College • USPHL
By Alexis Demopoulos A two-year veteran of the Northern Cyclones, forward Isac Martins was proud to announce his NCAA Division II commitment to Saint Anselm College for the 2025-26 season. Martins, a Lake Barrington, Ill., native, started his NCDC career back during the 2022-23 season when he played in 17 games for the Rockets Hockey […]

By Alexis Demopoulos
A two-year veteran of the Northern Cyclones, forward Isac Martins was proud to announce his NCAA Division II commitment to Saint Anselm College for the 2025-26 season.
Martins, a Lake Barrington, Ill., native, started his NCDC career back during the 2022-23 season when he played in 17 games for the Rockets Hockey Club. Martins signed with the Cyclones for the 2023-24 season and put up 12 points in 32 games. It was a no-brainer for him to return this season. In 51 regular season games, Martins has 26 points (13G, 13A) and he was a big help in the Cyclones’ drive to the New England Division Championship.
“Having played for the Northern Cyclones for two seasons now, I have nothing but great things to say,” said Martins. “The facilities and staff available to the players give them every opportunity to not only succeed but thrive. I couldn’t be more grateful for Coach [Bill] Flanagan, Coach [Chris] Zuccaro and Coach [Bill] Weiand and the effects they’ve had on me as a player and as a person.”
Martins began communicating with Saint Anselm head coach Larry Rocha at the beginning of the season. He explained that Rocha was a big fan of his “speed, tenacity and complete game.” During the recruiting process, Martins was impressed with Saint Anselm and he loved the fact that he would be competing in a competitive hockey conference.
“Saint Anselm has a great program for what I want to study, with lots of resources in order to enable me to be the best student I can be,” said Martins. “On the hockey side, Saint Anselm is always competing to win the NE10, and I look forward to helping continue that over the next four years. Having a rink on campus and a great athletic gym will allow me to improve my game on and off the ice.”
Martins knows it’s important during the off-season to work hard and be ready to level up next season.
“Next season, I will be playing against older and stronger guys so I really am going to be focusing on getting more powerful and explosive in the gym,” said Martins. “Being bigger and stronger will be instrumental if want to be successful at the collegiate level.”
The NCDC congratulates Isac Martins, his family, the Northern Cyclones and Saint Anselm College for his commitment.
College Sports
2 former St. Cloud residents named to Team USA’s World Junior Championship staff
COLORADO SPRINGS — Two former St. Cloud residents are among the six assistant coaches named for the 2026 U.S. National Junior Team on Wednesday, June 25. The six coaches are Greg Brown (Scituate, Mass./Boston College), Steve Miller (Sun Prairie, Wis./University of Minnesota) and Garrett Raboin (Detroit Lakes/Augustana University) have been named assistant coaches, David Lassonde (Durham, N.H./USA […]

COLORADO SPRINGS — Two former St. Cloud residents are among the six assistant coaches named for the 2026 U.S. National Junior Team on Wednesday, June 25.
The six coaches are Greg Brown (Scituate, Mass./Boston College), Steve Miller (Sun Prairie, Wis./University of Minnesota) and Garrett Raboin (Detroit Lakes/Augustana University) have been named assistant coaches, David Lassonde (Durham, N.H./USA Hockey) was named goaltending coach and Jacob LeRoy (Dublin, Ohio/University of Minnesota) and Travis Winter (St. Cloud/Bemidji State University) were named video coaches.
The group will work with former St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko (Austin/University of Minnesota) who was previously named head coach of the 2026 U.S. National Junior Team.
The U.S. enters the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be played from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The Americans have won the last two gold medals in the tournament. Ticket information is available
here.

Contributed / USA Hockey
Raboin will enter his third season as the head men’s ice hockey coach at Augustana University in 2025-26. He will serve as an assistant coach of the U.S. National Junior Team for the third straight year.
Prior to arriving at Augustana, Raboin spent four seasons as an assistant men’s ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota, highlighted by helping the Gophers to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2023. During his time with at Minnesota, the Gophers won the Big Ten championship in 2022, and made NCAA Tournament appearances (2021, 2022, 2023).
Prior to joining the Gophers, Raboin spent six seasons as an assistant men’s ice hockey coach at his alma mater, St. Cloud State University. He helped guide the Huskies to five trips to the NCAA tournament, including a spot in the 2013 Frozen Four, along with three NCHC regular-season championships.
As a player, Raboin was a two-time All-WCHA selection and led St. Cloud State to three NCAA Tournament berths. He went on to play professionally in Europe for two seasons.

Contributed / USA Hockey
Winter, associate head coach of the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team,
is serving on the staff of the U.S. National Junior Team for the first time.
The St. Cloud native has been part of the Beavers coaching staff for the last 11 seasons, including the first eight as assistant coach and the last three as associate head coach.
Previous to his time at BSU, he was the head coach and director of hockey operations for the Aberdeen Wings of the NAHL for one season (2013-14). Prior to that, he spent parts of four seasons (2009-13) serving as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
Winter was also a volunteer coach for the Saint Johns University men’s ice hockey program in 2009 and served on the coaching staff of the USA Hockey Selection 15 National Camp in 2010.
As player, Winter was a four-year letterwinner (2005-09) for Bemidji State where as a senior he served as captain and helped the Beavers to the program’s first Frozen Four appearance in 2009.
College Sports
NCAA Tournament Expansion, Pro Sports Gambling Changes on the Horizon
NCAA Tournament expansion is a three-word profanity for most college basketball fans. However, they aren’t the ones cashing the big checks. Power players within college athletics want even bigger checks, which has put the subject at the forefront for years. Despite significant pushback from the general public, NCAA Tournament expansion talks have persisted. Now, it’s […]

NCAA Tournament expansion is a three-word profanity for most college basketball fans. However, they aren’t the ones cashing the big checks. Power players within college athletics want even bigger checks, which has put the subject at the forefront for years.
Despite significant pushback from the general public, NCAA Tournament expansion talks have persisted. Now, it’s one step closer to becoming a reality.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that we will know “in the next few weeks” if the NCAA elects to expand the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments for the 2026 season. There is no clear consensus on exactly how many teams will be added to the NCAA Tournament field, but 76 teams feels more likely than 72.
What exactly will that look like? The NCAA Tournament will double its preliminary games from the “First Four” to the “First Eight.” Instead of just two games on Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton before the first round begins, we will get four total play-in games on each night. The other pod of games will be at a location outside of the Eastern Time Zone.
The NCAA Tournament is the largest revenue generator for the four-letter entity. This is a way to make more money from their broadcast partners to redistribute to power conference schools, who are looking for more revenue in the revenue-sharing era.
In an ideal world, this would give more opportunities for mid-major programs that win their conference in the regular season, but are upset in the conference tournament. We aren’t too naive to believe that will be the case. This will most likely pave the way for bubble teams from power conferences to play their way into the round of 64. Even though it disgraces the bracket we love, let’s be honest, getting more March Madness games isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Pro Sports Gambling for NCAA Athletes
Almost 20 years ago, I had to sit through “Don’t Bet On It” seminars from the NCAA before participating in AAU events. That was long before sports gambling became legalized and ubiquitous in American sports culture. Betting on sports you play in is still frowned upon, but is it so wrong to bet on sports you will not be playing in?
The NCAA Division I Council has drafted a proposal that could be finalized today that will allow student-athletes, staffers, and coaches to bet on professional sports games.
It seems fair. Why shouldn’t a college basketball player be able to make a $10 parlay on an NFL Sunday? For years, many coaches played the ponies regularly because it was their only avenue to gamble on sports. That restriction may soon be lifted.
Sign up for the KSR Newsletter to receive Kentucky Wildcats news in the most ridiculous manner possible.
College Sports
College Hockey Inc » College Hockey Storylines for 2025 NHL Draft
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 35 NCAA Schools Have Players in Central Scouting Rankings James Hagens is ranked No. 3 among North American skaters (Photo: BC Athletics). The present and future of college hockey will take center stage this week at the NHL Draft in Los Angeles, with more than 100 current and committed NCAA Division […]

Wednesday, June 25, 2025
35 NCAA Schools Have Players in Central Scouting Rankings

The present and future of college hockey will take center stage this week at the NHL Draft in Los Angeles, with more than 100 current and committed NCAA Division I players listed in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings.
Twelve active college hockey players were among those ranked by Central Scouting, including potential top-five pick James Hagens. The Boston College forward from Hauppauge, New York, enjoyed a terrific freshman season, collecting 11 goals and 37 points in 37 games, and was ranked No. 3 among North American skaters.
Other rising sophomores ranked inside the top 25 of North American skaters included Wisconsin defenseman Logan Hensler (12), Boston University defenseman Sascha Boumedienne (18), Arizona State forward Cullen Potter (22), and Michigan forward Will Horcoff (24).
In all, 35 different schools had at least one current player or recruit ranked by Central Scouting.
Last season at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, 57 players with NCAA ties were selected, including nine first-round picks. Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini and Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov were taken with the first two picks by San Jose and Chicago, respectively.
The 2025 NHL Draft takes place Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round is on Friday, followed by rounds two through seven on Saturday.
For more NCAA-related storylines ahead of this year’s draft, including the complete list of current or committed college hockey players on Central Scouting’s final rankings, visit College Hockey Inc.’s 2025 NHL Draft Guide.
College Sports
Men’s Ice Hockey Announces 2025-26 Schedule
Story Links Purchase Season Tickets 2025-26 Schedule BOSTON – Highlighted by a two-game home series against Michigan State and a pair of home games against Boston College, the Boston University men’s ice hockey team announced its 2025-26 schedule on Wednesday. […]

BOSTON – Highlighted by a two-game home series against Michigan State and a pair of home games against Boston College, the Boston University men’s ice hockey team announced its 2025-26 schedule on Wednesday.
BU will play 19 home games, including two exhibitions and a season-opening seven-game homestand, at Agganis Arena. Fans can purchase season tickets by clicking here; individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.
The Terriers will open the 2025-26 slate on Oct. 4 when they welcome LIU to Agganis Arena in the first-ever matchup between the two schools. BU will then host RPI in an exhibition game the following day before a two-game set with Colgate on Oct. 10-11. Michigan State will then visit Agganis for a weekend series on Oct. 17-18. The Spartans are one of eight NCAA Tournament teams from last year that BU will face this season.
BU will close its homestand by opening a home-and-home series with UConn on Oct. 25 before traveling to Maine for two tilts on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. A home-and-home set with Merrimack (Nov. 7-8) follows before a non-conference contest at Quinnipiac on Nov. 15 and a me-and-home series with Northeastern (Nov. 21-22).
As previously announced, BU and Cornell will travel to New York City for the 10th edition of Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 29. Fans can purchase tickets to that event by clicking here. The Terriers will then begin December with a pair of home games against Vermont (Dec. 5-6).
BU will fittingly be Northeastern’s opponent in the final hockey game to be played at Matthews Arena, as the Terriers visit their old home on Dec. 13. Known then as Boston Arena, Matthews was the Terriers’ home until 1971 when Walter Brown Arena opened.
The Terriers will welcome Simon Fraser back to Agganis for an exhibition on Jan. 3. A trip to Harvard (Jan. 12) is sandwiched between home-and-home weekends against UMass (Jan. 9-10) and UMass Lowell (Jan. 16-17). BU will then head to Providence on Jan. 23 before the Friars come to Agganis the next night.
The 300th Battle of Comm. Ave. will take place in Boston, either on the second night of the 73rd Dunkin’ Men’s Beanpot at TD Garden or at Agganis Arena on Feb. 27. BU bested BC, 4-1, in the 2024 title game to claim the program’s 32nd Beanpot. BU and BC will meet for the 299th time at Agganis on Jan. 30, with the Terriers traveling to Chestnut Hill on Feb. 28.
BU will open its Beanpot title defense against Northeastern on Feb. 2 before hosting Maine on Feb. 6. A home-and-home series with New Hampshire on Feb. 13-14 precedes the aforementioned weekend set with BC, while the regular season is scheduled to conclude on March 7 at UMass Lowell.
All home and Hockey East games will be broadcast on ESPN+, as will the Terriers’ trips to Quinnipiac and Harvard. Game times will be announced at a later date.
College Sports
Crusaders record 3.43 GPA during Spring 2025 semester
Story Links Holy Cross student-athletes continued to raise the bar for academic excellence during the Spring 2025 semester, with a department semester grade-point average of 3.43 during the term — the highest department GPA on record. The mark bests the previous high set last semester, when Crusader student-athletes averaged a 3.40. This […]

Holy Cross student-athletes continued to raise the bar for academic excellence during the Spring 2025 semester, with a department semester grade-point average of 3.43 during the term — the highest department GPA on record.
The mark bests the previous high set last semester, when Crusader student-athletes averaged a 3.40.
This is also the second consecutive semester in which every Holy Cross team has recorded a 3.0 GPA or better; last semester was the first time since 2016 that every Holy Cross team recorded a GPA above 3.0 during a single semester (excluding a COVID-impacted Spring 2020).
Additionally, 14 teams finished with a 3.5 GPA or better. The women’s tennis team had a 3.79 GPA to lead all programs; the men’s soccer team (3.66) had the highest GPA of any men’s team.
For 30 consecutive semesters, Holy Cross student-athletes have averaged above a 3.1 GPA.
In total, 577 student-athletes had a 3.0 or better; 371 posted a 3.5 or above while 55 student-athletes recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA during the semester.
Seventeen Holy Cross programs achieved a perfect score of 1,000 in the NCAA’s academic performance standard, the Academic Progress Rate (APR), that was released in May, which is tied for third in the nation. According to the Graduation Success Rate Report released last November by the NCAA, Holy Cross’ athletic teams tied for sixth in the nation with an overall graduation rate of 98 percent. This marks the 18th consecutive year in which the Crusaders have posted a Graduation Success Rate of at least 97 percent.
ABOUT HOLY CROSS
The College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts — the second-largest city in New England — is among the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions. A highly selective, four-year, exclusively undergraduate college of 3,100 students, Holy Cross is renowned for offering a rigorous, personalized education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. Holy Cross is one of a select group of colleges that meets 100% of each admitted student’s demonstrated financial need. Holy Cross has made a positive impact in society since its founding in 1843 by graduating students who distinguish themselves as thoughtful leaders in business, professional and civic life.
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
Be sure to follow all things Crusader Athletics on social media!
X – @goholycross
Instagram – @goholycross
Facebook – Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube – GoHolyCross
College Sports
Value City Arena atmosphere needs improving, Ohio State’s Ross Bjork says
See Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork discuss new NIL era Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork discusses changes to the collegiate sports landscape in this June 12, 2025 press conference. Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork knows “the atmosphere can be better” at Value City Arena. The future of the arena, as well as […]
See Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork discuss new NIL era
Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork discusses changes to the collegiate sports landscape in this June 12, 2025 press conference.
- Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork knows “the atmosphere can be better” at Value City Arena.
- The future of the arena, as well as that of St. John Arena, are long-term questions for the athletic department.
There is work to be done to get Ohio State men’s basketball to where the program believes it should be, and it’s not strictly tied to the on-court product.
Amid a stretch of three straight years without appearing in March Madness, the Jerome Schottenstein Center will open its doors this year for its 27th season as the home arena for the Buckeyes.
To a degree, the lack of recent success and the condition of its home arena are connected.
Last year, the Buckeyes saw a slight uptick in attendance, ending a three-year trend of diminishing numbers. Still, it ranked ninth in the Big Ten with an average announced crowd of 11,578. That put OSU behind, in order, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Purdue, Michigan State, Maryland and Michigan.
Ohio State was also ninth in 2023-24 with an average of 10,938 fans per home game. That made it the least-attended season in Value City Arena’s 26-year history.
That contributes to a sense of growing apathy that athletic director Ross Bjork said he’s aware of.
“Yeah, we sense that,” Bjork said. “We know we can be better. We know the atmosphere can be better. It’s all about (on-court) consistency. The fans … when they come to a game, they’re going to expect consistency in the performance.”
The Buckeyes are investing in changing up the in-arena experience. They will play on a newly designed, predominantly gray court this year, and a new scoreboard is also in the works. Lighting changes are being made to further put an emphasis on the hardwood, and Bjork said the department is studying what can be done from an in-game promotional or simply a musical standpoint to liven up the atmosphere.
“What we have to do is, separate from the game itself, have the atmosphere in the Schott just be better again,” Bjork said. “We’ve got to just make Ohio State basketball exciting and fun. Of course, winning helps, and that’s a great marketing plan, but at the same time, there are some elements that I think that we can do that make the atmosphere better.”
The size of the arena doesn’t help. Value City Arena can be loud when it’s packed to the rafters, but those types of crowds have become the exception to the norm in the last decade. There’s no way to make the arena smaller, and the Buckeye Nuthouse student section will remain behind the team benches, but Bjork referenced more choreographed roles for them as one possibility to create a better home-court advantage.
“I think it has some good, really, really good bones to it,” he said of the arena. “Now we just need to tweak around the edges, and I think we can make it a lot better.”
Improving the in-arena experience would also help Ohio State improve its bottom line. In the new revenue-sharing era of collegiate sports, the Buckeyes will be paying out the maximum of $20.5 million in the form of increased scholarships and direct payments to student-athletes in four programs: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball.
Putting more fans in seats would help the department’s financial stability. Last year, Bjork said the men’s basketball program had around 9,000 season-ticket holders.
“Every dollar matters,” Bjork said. “We think we can have better attendance and be more consistent. A good season ticket base, could we get that over 10,000? Can we get that up to where you know it’s just more of a built in revenue stream?”
Any sort of return to the former home of St. John Arena is an impossibility. Not only is the playing surface permanently unsuitable due to a water leak during the COVID-19 pandemic, but university development plans for the future no longer include the historic arena.
Bjork said there’s no new update on the arena’s fate but added that what eventually happens there could have ramifications for Value City Arena, which houses the men’s hockey program. The women’s hockey program plays at the OSU Ice Rink adjacent to St. John.
“We definitely need and we’re pursuing a new ice hockey arena that would be 4,000-5,000 seats that would be for men’s and women’s (hockey),” he said. “Once you get that project off the ground, then then that’s where you can really look at, OK, what happens?”
Removing the need to play hockey inside Value City Arena would open up some more seating possibilities that could help create a more natural basketball feel, but any such developments are nothing more than concepts and projections at this point.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
Get more Ohio State basketball news by listening to our podcasts
-
Motorsports2 weeks ago
NASCAR Weekend Preview: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
-
NIL3 weeks ago
Patrick Mahomes in OKC for WCWS, praises NiJaree Canady and Texas Tech
-
NIL3 weeks ago
Greg Sankey fires jab at obstruction rule after controversial WCWS call in Texas vs. Texas Tech
-
NIL3 weeks ago
Report
-
Motorsports2 weeks ago
NASCAR Through the Gears: Denny Hamlin has gas, a border needs crossing, and yes, that’s a Hemi
-
NIL3 weeks ago
Texas Tech Pitcher’s $1M Deal Proves What’s Possible For Women
-
Motorsports3 weeks ago
Chase Elliott’s $12.6 billion backer made major Kyle Larson decision – Motorsport – Sports
-
Sports3 weeks ago
Arkansas Volleyball reveals 2025 schedule dates
-
Health3 weeks ago
Bold and unapologetic
-
NIL3 weeks ago
Mahomes lauds NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech softball at WCWS finals