Le Moyne Men’s Club Hockey Team Makes National Tournament

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For the first time since 2014, Le Moyne men’s club hockey team will play in the national club sport hockey championship tournament, with its first game on Wednesday, March 11 at 12:45 p.m. in Jacksonville, Fla., against Quincy College.

One of 26 members of the Upstate New York College Hockey League (UNCHL), this year’s team posted a record of 12-4-1. The Dolphins are one of four teams from UNCHL to make the national AAU hockey tournament. There are 17 teams in the national tournament, which is a double-elimination format. Teams make the tournament based on several factors, including strength of schedule and the margin of victory.

“One of our goals this year was to make it to the national tournament,” said Coach Ryan Monahan ’19, who played club hockey while he was attending Le Moyne. “I would attribute our success to a combination of hard work, some first-year players who really stepped up and getting buy-in from upperclassmen. We recognized early on that making the tournament was possible.”

“We are happy to have this opportunity but we are going into the tournament to win,” said Patrick Kenney, a senior forward on the team. “We are not scared to play anyone. This is college hockey and any team can beat any other team and that’s how we approach every game.”

“I’m very proud of this team, especially given that we only won one game during the 2022 season, which was my first year as coach,” said Monahan.

Playing home games at Twin Rinks in Cicero, the team has seen a growing number of students coming to their games. Monahan said that since the College announced its move to DI in 2023, interest in the club hockey program has increased and helped the team become more competitive.

An accounting and risk management and insurance major from Saratoga Springs, Kenney said the team’s success this year is particularly gratifying given how far the team has come over the past four years. “I can’t imagine being at Le Moyne without all my teammates and the relationships we’ve built over the past four years. We’ve shared so many memories on and off the ice.”

The March 11 game will be live-streamed at this link, with the game posted online once concluded.