With the calendar turning to 2026, the puck is set to drop on the second half of the hockey season, with the 25^th annual Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament taking place inside Kreitzberg Arena on the first weekend of the new year, with competition coming from all corners of the Division III landscape.

Kicking off the Friday twin bill at 4:00 p.m. is the first-ever meeting between Cortland and Misericordia, with the Red Dragons competing in their first Holiday Tournament since 2020, when they won the tournament championship in a shootout. Cortland concluded 2025 with a 2-2-1 record down the stretch and sits in a tie for first place in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) with top-ranked Hobart. Offensively, Sam Christiano (five goals, seven assists, twelve points), Nathan Garnier (six goals, four assists, ten points), and Colby Seitz (two goals, eight assists, ten points) lead the way for a potent attack that averages just under four goals per game. Shane Selest carries the load between the pipes for Cortland, sporting a .922 save percentage and a 1.80 goals against average in eight contests.

Under the tutelage of former Norwich Men's Ice Hockey Assistant Coach Kevin Cole, Misericordia finished 2025, collecting its first win of the season over King's College as the fledgling program seeks to find its footing in its second season of NCAA competition. The Cougars are led offensively by a trio of Jack Tos, Corbin Schiebel, and Patrick Toomey, while Ayden Pierce has the most minutes played in goal, accumulating 120 saves in his six games played.

Rounding out the Friday doubleheader of semifinal contests is the first meeting since the 2016 edition of the Holiday Tournament between the hosting Cadets and Nazareth. In that contest, the Golden Flyers struck first, but Tyler Piacentini '17 tied the contest in the second period before Kevin Salvucci '18 scored twice in the third period to send Norwich through to the title game.

The Cadets concluded the first half of the season riding a wave of momentum after a hard-fought LayerEight Shootout Championship, including a win over Stevenson and a tie against intrastate rival Middlebury in a back-and-forth affair, which Norwich took in the shootout. Offensively, the Cadets are led by a well-balanced attack led by Jed Brazo (Homer, N.Y.) and LayerEight Shootout MVP Frank D'Ancona (Fort Myers, Fla). Defense continues to be the Cadets' calling card as they sit second in the Little East Conference (LEC) in goals against average (2.2), led by the goaltending duo of Sami Molu (Toronto, Ont.) and Bryce Walcarius (Aylmer, Ont.).

On the flip side, the Golden Flyers come into competition sporting victories against Stevenson, ninth-ranked Geneseo, and went into the break earning a draw with fifth-ranked Hamilton. Much like the Cadets, Nazareth sports a balanced offensive attack while sitting in the top two of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) in saves, save percentage, and goals against average. They are backstopped by Mason Joseph, who's second in the UCHC in goals against average (1.89) and first in save percentage (.952), in a season that includes a 54-save performance against the fifth-ranked Continentals and 43 saves in a defeat to the ninth-ranked Knights. His backup, Paul Delessio, also sports a stellar stat line (1.76 goals against average and a .947 save percentage in four games), including 43 saves in the win over Geneseo.

Regardless of the results of the Friday doubleheader, the game involving Nazareth will open Saturday's slate of games at 1:00 p.m., followed by the Norwich game at 4:00 p.m.