NORTHFIELD, Vt. - A new era of Norwich University men's ice hockey begins Saturday night, as the Cadets open the 2025-26 season against No. 4 Curry College at 7 p.m. in Kreitzberg Arena. The game marks the debut of head coach
Dominick Dawes '04, the 12th head coach in program history, as Norwich embarks on its inaugural season as a member of the Little East Conference (LEC).
The Cadets are coming off a 15-10-3 campaign that included a 12-6-2 conference record and an appearance in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Championship Game, where they fell to three-time defending national champion Hobart.
Dawes, a former national champion both as a player at Norwich and coach, returns to his alma mater with 240 career wins and a .617 winning percentage. He spent the last nine seasons at Stevenson University, guiding the Mustangs to their first-ever Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2024-25. Under his leadership, Stevenson averaged 3.3 goals per game, while allowing 2.6, with a 20.7% power play and a .910 team save percentage.
"The group has been great since day one," Dawes said. "We have demanded a lot from them as we try to start to establish an identity. We aim to be a team that is difficult to play against and is always willing to compete every day. We were very happy with our two exhibitions and are looking forward to playing Curry on Saturday."
The Cadets will look to replace key departures, including
Clark Kerner (First Team All-NEHC),
Bryan O'Mara,
Johnny Johnson, and
Anthony Domina, but return a strong core led by junior defenseman
Cooper Bertrand, junior goaltender
Sami Molu, and junior forward
Ben van Waterschoot.
Bertrand, a First Team All-NEHC selection, anchored a power play that ranked second in the nation (25.4%) last season. Molu, a Second Team All-NEHC pick, was a workhorse in net with a 2.36 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in 27 starts. Van Waterschoot contributed 17 points in 27 games, winning 53.9% of his faceoffs.
Norwich was selected second in the 2025-26 LEC Preseason Poll, just three points behind Plymouth State, earning two first-place votes.
New Additions Bolster The Roster
Head coach
Dominick Dawes and his staff usher in seven newcomers for the 2025–26 season - including four forwards, two defensemen, and a goaltender.
- Jacob Gorinsky, goaltender (Oakville, Ont. - St. Michael's Buzzers OJHL): Posted 17 wins in 34 decisions last season and a .939 save percentage in six playoff games.
- Frank D'Ancona, forward (Fort Myers, Fla. - New Hampshire Mountain Kings NAHL): Ranked seventh on his team in goals last season.
- Samuel Larsson, defenseman (Stockholm, Sweden - Islanders Hockey Club NCDC): Logged 26 points from the blue line last season.
- Ocean Fancy, defenseman (Orleans, Mass. - Maine Nordiques NAHL): Recorded 25 points and brings a unique background blending Cape Cod roots and Indonesian heritage.
- Cory Kashul, forward (Naperville, Ill. - Seahawks EHL): Averaged a point per game in 2024-25, with 25 of 47 points coming in goals.
- Boyd Stahlbaum, forward (Peterborough, Ont. - Wisconsin-Stout): Entering as a junior, posted 14 goals and 18 assists in 2023-24 and 47 points in 54 games.
- Niko Benjamin, forward (Surprise, Ariz. - Utica Jr. Comets NCDC): Tallied 52 points (36 assists) in 52 games last season; also a Corps of Cadets recruit and member of Air Force ROTC.
The Cadets will open with a challenging early schedule, featuring several special events at Kreitzberg Arena:
- Nov. 1 vs. #4 Curry (7:00 p.m.) - Opening Night; honoring legendary broadcaster George Commo with the 2025 AHCA Jim Fullerton Award.
- Nov. 7 vs. Plymouth State (7:00 p.m.) - 6th Annual Darn Tough Sock Toss and LEC opener.
- Nov. 8 vs. New England College (4:00 p.m.) - Celebration of the 25th anniversary of Norwich's 1999-2000 National Championship team.
The Cadets will also host two in-season tournaments: the LayerEight Shootout (Nov. 28-29) featuring Stevenson, Middlebury, and Plattsburgh State, as well as the Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament (Jan. 2-3) featuring Nazareth, Misericordia, and Cortland State.
