By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com 

Cole Ranta, a two-year USPHL Premier veteran, is working towards what has all the makings of a fantastic college hockey career. Ranta, a 2004-born native of Marquette, Mich., committed just after the conclusion of the 2024-25 season to Post University. Post plays in the only NCAA Division II hockey conference, the Northeast-10 Conference. 

“I started talking to Post about a month before my commitment. I love their hockey, and they put together a very good team every year and I am very excited to become one of them,” said Ranta, who closed up his career as a top player for the Connecticut Jr. Rangers. “Their academics are outstanding and after touring I knew it would be the perfect place for me.”

Ranta completed a 40-game season for the Jr. Rangers, scoring 10 goals and 25 points. With his 2023-24 season playing for the Florida Eels and Hudson Havoc included, he finished with 53 points in 82 regular season games, and he added six points in six career playoff games. 

“CJR helped me become a college level player in many ways. Coach Mike Stanaway puts together a good schedule for the guys and pushes you to the next level to become the best you can possibly be,” said Ranta. “He also helps promote his players a ton, which helps a lot. The USPHL also helps a lot with commitment. The level of play pushes players and shows that they can play at the NCAA level.”

Ranta has a good handle on what it will take to succeed in the college game, and is applying that knowledge to a busy preparation schedule in the summer. 

“In the off-season I want to work on my skating. It is a big factor in anyone’s game and I believe when you have good feet and can get to open ice better, you get more opportunities,” Ranta said. “I also continue to work on faceoffs to try and be the most dominant center.”

The USPHL congratulates Cole Ranta, his family, the Connecticut Jr. Rangers and Post University.  

Tennessee State University’s historic men’s hockey program will delay its debut according to a published report. Originally set to make history as the first ice hockey team at a public Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the 2025–26 season, the program will now reportedly aim for a 2026–27 launch.

As reported by The Tennessean, the delay stems from a mix of financial and logistical challenges, including the lack of a home rink, limited fundraising, and broader uncertainty around the university’s financial health. A source familiar with the situation confirmed the postponement, though no official announcement has been made.

The men’s hockey team was first unveiled at Bridgestone Arena in 2023 ahead of the NHL Draft, marking a groundbreaking step for HBCUs and the sport’s diversification. However, the excitement has been tempered by concerns that have built over the past two years.

Tennessee State has faced significant internal turmoil, including leadership turnover, declining enrollment, and budget deficits. Interim President Dwayne Tucker, who took office in December, warned earlier this year that the school would run out of funding without immediate intervention. In response, Tucker developed a five-year financial plan and negotiated with state officials for $96 million in funding, which was approved in June. That money, redirected from infrastructure reserves, is expected to stabilize the university’s operations. It remains unclear if any of those funds will support athletics or the delayed hockey program.

Despite the setbacks, supporters hope the program can regroup and make its long-awaited debut in 2026–27, keeping alive the vision of expanding hockey into new and more diverse communities.

Reporting credit: The Tennessean

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NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Annemartine Christis and Emma Peeters of the Southern New Hampshire field hockey program have been selected to the Academic All-America Women’s At-Large teams, as announced by College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Tuesday afternoon. 

Christis was named to the First Team as a Business Administration major with a 3.89 GPA in her graduate program. Peeters was selected to the Second Team as a Sociology major with a 3.88 GPA. 

Christis was the Northeast 10 Conference and East Region Player of the Year, as she ranked first in all of Division II in goals (30), goals per game (1.50), points (74) and points per game (3.70). She also tied for second in assists with 14 (0.70 per game). Christis became the career leader in goals, assists and points at SNHU during the 2024 season. 

Peeters became the first SNHU player to ever win NE10 Goalkeeper of the Year. She ranked first in Division II in save percentage (.943), third in goals against average (.920) and 10th in saves (102). Peeters posted 10 shutouts for the Penmen in 2024. 

Both Christis and Peeters were named All-Americans by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA). 

The Division II At-Large teams honored 45 student-athletes with eight members of the First Team holding perfect 4.0 GPAs. A total of 16 of the 45 members have 4.0 GPAs either as an undergraduate or a graduate student. The 15-member First Team has a 3.93 cumulative GPA. 

The Division II Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-25 Division II Academic All-America® program.

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.

Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and 2025 CHL Player of the Year, has committed to Penn State University for the 2025-26 season.

He announced his choice on the Tuesday evening edition of ESPN’s SportsCenter.

McKenna’s decision, which he narrowed down to Penn State or Michigan State (with Denver and Michigan as other considerations), had been widely anticipated for months and marks one of the biggest commitments in college hockey history.

McKenna has dominated the WHL over the last two years. He registered 103 points in 66 combined regular-season and playoff games two years ago, and 173 points split between 76 regular-season, playoff and Memorial Cup games last season, leading the Medicine Hat Tigers to a WHL title while stringing together a 51-game point streak. He was the third-youngest player ever to win CHL Player of the Year (behind Sidney Crosby and John Tavares) and could very well dominate college in a way that Macklin Celebrini, Jack Eichel and Adam Fantilli did, immediately becoming one of the preseason favorites for the Hobey Baker.

With McKenna and top 2026 D prospect Keaton Verhoeff — bound for North Dakota — now committed to play college hockey in their draft year, there is a very real chance that the top two picks in next year’s NHL Draft are both Canadians who chose to play in the NCAA, an indicator of the rapidly-changing landscape in junior and college hockey.

Why McKenna chose Penn State 

Michigan State is a historic program that has been rejuvenated since hiring head coach Adam Nightingale in the spring of 2022, and has assembled a loaded roster full of legitimate NHL prospects. Already a favorite in the Big Ten and nationally heading into the 2025-26 season, landing McKenna could have turned the Spartans into one of college hockey’s all-time juggernauts.

However, Penn State, fresh off its first appearance in the Frozen Four, has emerged as a rival in the now extremely competitive Big Ten and a leading contender for a lot of the top CHL names in this new world of college recruiting. With significant financial backing, Penn State has stepped up with major NIL offers in a push to land premier talent. It’s believed that despite a limited track record of producing NHL players, McKenna valued the opportunity to put his stamp on a program and look to help further lift the school’s college hockey standing under head coach Guy Gadowsky.

The Nittany Lions’ 2025-26 freshman class already included 2025 Blue Jackets first-rounder Jackson Smith and 2024 Flames draft pick Luke Misa. They’ve also added Mac Gadowsky, Guy’s son, who was one of the top players in the transfer portal, and are returning a core that includes Predators prospect Aiden Fink (who finished fourth in college hockey scoring last year) and 2025 Hurricanes second-rounder Charlie Cerrato.

Scouting reports

McKenna was one of the very best players in the CHL this season. He’s an electric forward with truly elite skill and offensive sense. He’s one of the most creative and skilled players I’ve seen in recent years. That McKenna is also a high-end skater who can make his difficult plays at quick tempos gives a lot of confidence about how his game could fare in the NHL. If teams were going to pick him apart, it would be that he’s an average-sized winger who doesn’t have a super high motor, but his talent and scoring are so good that it’s nitpicking. I wouldn’t call him a Macklin Celebrini/Connor Bedard-level prospect, but he’s not far off. — Corey Pronman, senior prospects writer

McKenna is a captivating offensive winger who had one of the most productive age-adjusted seasons in modern CHL history last season. He’s a fabulous, flowing skater with natural straight-line and corner speed, great edges and a rare ability to make plays while flying around out there. He’s impressive at carrying and dodging sticks through neutral ice to create entries. He has a first touch like glue where the puck just lands and sticks to his blade when he’s catching it, even when it’s coming in hot or into compromising positions. He’s a brilliant puck transporter, transition machine and get-out-of-jail-free card who routinely skates pucks out of the zone himself and relieves pressure. McKenna is so shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking. He has impressive maneuverability and adjustability from his hips down. He plays pucks into space and leads guys at an advanced level. He shields pucks extremely well from defenders’ sticks. He’s constantly changing directions and keeping defenders off him. He pre-scans and sees and reads the game at an elite level.

When he’s on the ice, the talent divide is always clear, even when he has played with top players. Though he’s a natural playmaker first, he’s also got scoring elements, has tons of pre-shot deception in his movements, attacks the middle and goes downhill, and has been one of the WHL’s leaders in shots on goal since entering the league. He can beat you to the middle or the outside if you give it to him. And while he’s lean, he’s also got a really good stick defensively, taking back and lifting a lot of pucks (though there is the odd time when he doesn’t pick up assignments and can puck watch/drive-by instead of stopping on pucks). He projects as a first-line, star and maybe even superstar winger. — Scott Wheeler, national prospects writer

(Photo: Jonathan Kozub / Getty Images)

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced their 2024-25 GNAC Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athletes, presented by Barnes & Noble College, and the Alaska Nanooks had 45 recipients. For a third year in a row, the GNAC recorded a record total of student-athletes earning the FAR honors, as 426 individuals were named on Tuesday.

Click here to view the entire 2024-25 list.

This number broke the previous record-breaking number of 394, set back in 2023-24. The GNAC FAR Scholar Athlete Award is presented to all student-athletes listed on any squad at a GNAC institution, regardless of whether the sport is a GNAC championship sport, who have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.85 or greater. Conference affiliate members could nominate only student-athletes from the sport in which they compete within the GNAC.

A faculty athletic representative (FAR) is a member of the faculty at an NCAA member institution who has been designated to serve as a liaison between the institution’s faculty and the athletic department. The FAR serves as a representative of the institution in conference and NCAA affairs.

The role of the FAR is “to ensure that the academic institution establishes and maintains the appropriate balance between academics and athletics.”

Female Recipients

Name	Sport	Academic Major	Year	GPA	Hometown
Rachael Charles	Rifle	Biological Sciences	Jr.	3.90	Urbandale, Iowa
Kinley Erickson **	Volleyball	Communication	Sr.	3.92	North Pole, Alaska
Elena Guc	Volleyball	Homeland Security	Jr.	4.00	East China, Mich.
Sára Karasová ***	Rifle	Sport & Recreation Business	Sr.	3.96	Šenov, Czech Republic
Lucie Kissenberger	Rifle	Biological Sciences	Fr.	4.00	Neuves-Maisons, France
Kendall Kramer *	Cross Country/Nordic Ski	Biological Sciences	Sr.	3.89	Fairbanks, Alaska
Miranda Lomax	Basketball	Business Administration	Jr.	3.85	Cathlamet, Wash.
Haylee Lyons	Volleyball	Business	Fr.	3.90	Kaimuki, Hawaii
Olivia Manley	Cross Country	Psychology	Fr.	3.87	Fairbanks, Alaska
Tristian Martin *	Basketball	Homeland Security	Sr.	3.86	Fairbanks, Alaska
Jordan O’Connor	Swimming	Marine Studies	Sr.	3.95	Jersey Shore, Pa.
Cecelia Ossi	Rifle	Business Administration	Sr.	3.96	Annandale, N.J.
Janci Pangburn	Swimming	Undeclared	Fr.	3.93	Tulsa, Okla.
Hazel Probst	Cross Country	Anthropology	Fr.	3.86	Fairbanks, Alaska
Sariah Rodgers	Swimming	Undeclared	Fr.	3.88	Fairbanks, Alaska
Larissa Scatamburlo	Volleyball	Biological Sciences	Jr.	4.00	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Cosima Schmeidel	Swimming	Biology	Fr.	3.87	Dusseldorf, Germany
Madison Schuh	Cross Country	Wildlife Biology	Fr.	3.89	Anchorage, Alaska
Jayda Van Dyke *	Basketball	Business Administration	Sr.	3.90	Herriman, Utah
Ashlyn White	Volleyball	Civil Engineering	Fr.	4.00	Goodyear, Ariz.
Delainey Zock ***	Cross Country	Wildlife Biology & Conservation	Jr.	3.88	Anchorage, Alaska
Rilee White ****	Volleyball	Biological Sciences	Sr.	4.00	Goodyear, Ariz.

Male Recipients

Name	Sport	Academic Major	Year	GPA	Hometown
Noah Barlage	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	Fr.	3.89	Humboldt, Sask.
Lars Tobias Bernhoft-Osa	Rifle	Accounting	Jr.	3.95	Rykkinn, Norway
Braden Birnie **	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	Jr.	3.89	Weyburn, Sask.
Benjamin Browning	Cross Country	Computer Science	Fr.	3.96	Kimberly, Idaho
Adam Cardona	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	So.	3.87	Beconsfield, Que.
Nicholas Grabko	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	Sr.	3.91	Channahon, Ill.
Blake Hanley	Cross Country/Skiing	Homeland Security	Fr.	3.93	Anchorage, Alaska
William Lawson-Body *	Ice Hockey	Accounting	So.	3.98	Grand Forks, N.D.
Bryce Monrean	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	Fr.	3.92	Anchorage, Alaska
Philipp Moosmayer **	Cross Country/Skiing	Digital Journalism	Jr.	3.89	Lutkritch, Germany
Paxson Ott	Cross Country	Biomedical Science	Fr.	3.96	Fairbanks, Alaska
Matteo Pecchia	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	So.	3.86	Nobleton, Ont.
Jace Peters	Cross Country/Skiing	Mechanical Engineering	So.	3.88	Leadville, Colo.
Peyton Platter	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	Fr.	3.92	Eau Claire, Wis.
Carson Reed	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	Fr.	3.94	Warroad, Minn.
Ruben Rhodes	Cross Country	Biochemistry	Fr.	3.90	Anchorage, Alaska
Matthew Rickard	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	Sr.	3.88	Coventry, R.I.
Gabriele Rigaudo	Cross Country/Skiing	Biological Sciences	Fr.	4.00	Raccavione, Italy
Brendan Ross	Ice Hockey	Accounting	Fr.	4.00	Calgary, Alta.
Broten Sabo *	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	So.	3.91	Rosemount, Minn.
Dean Spak	Ice Hockey	Business Administration	Fr.	3.94	Calgary, Alta.
Tyler Waram	Ice Hockey	Accounting	Fr.	3.94	Edmonds, Wash.

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GLOUCESTER, Mass. – Senior captain Alex Gagne (Bedford, N.H.) and senior defenseman Luke Reid (Warman, Saskatchewan) of the University of New Hampshire men’s hockey team have been named America Hockey Coaches Association Krampade All-American Scholars.
 
 
To earn recognition on this ninth annual list, a student-athlete had to attain a 3.75 or higher GPA in each semester of the 2024-25 academic year and had to play in 40 percent of the team’s games; exceptions were granted for injuries and backup goaltenders. The school is also required to be an AHCA member.
 
 

Both Gagne (Sport Management & Leadership) and Reid (Communication) posted perfect 4.00 GPAs during the 2024-25 season. Recently they both earned Hockey East Top Scholar Athlete honors for compiling the highest GPA at their position for the season. The two Wildcats were also named to the Academic All-Star Team.
 
 
This is the first time Gagne and Reid have earned this accolade.

 

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2025-26 UNH men’s hockey season tickets are now available and can be purchased at UNHWildcats.com/BuyTickets or by calling the ticket office at (603) 862-4000. Don’t miss the most exciting family entertainment in New Hampshire.