Two nationally ranked rivals will square off Saturday night as No. 15 Norwich University hosts No. 12 Babson College in the inaugural Little East Conference men's ice hockey championship game at Kreitzberg Arena.

The contest closes out a championship doubleheader in Northfield and carries significant stakes, with the conference title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament on the line.

It marks Norwich's second straight appearance in a conference championship game and its first time hosting a title game since 2020. Playoff Runs
Both teams entered the tournament as the top two seeds and received first-round byes before advancing with dominant semifinal performances.

Norwich powered past UMass Boston with a 6-0 victory in the semifinal. After weathering early pressure from the Beacons, Ben van Waterschoot (Whitby, Ont.) opened the scoring midway through the first period. Goaltender Sami Molu (Toronto, Ont.) kept Norwich steady early before the Cadets erupted in the second period with goals from Matt Harvey (Fort Covington, N.Y.) and Jed Brazo (Homer, N.Y.).

The offense continued to roll as Norwich secured the shutout win. Van Waterschoot and Zach Ophoven (Burlington, Ont.) each recorded three points, while Nick Cordeiro (Mississauga, Ont.) and Ocean Fancy (Orleans, Mass.) added two points apiece. Molu turned aside all 30 shots he faced for the shutout.

Babson advanced with a 4-0 semifinal victory over Plymouth State. After controlling play in a scoreless opening period, Jimmy Fallon broke the deadlock early in the second. Seconds after a Plymouth State chance rang off the post in the third period,

Egan Schmitt doubled the lead before the Beavers added two more goals late to secure the win.

Schmitt led the way with a four-point performance (2G, 2A), while Evan Brown tallied a goal and two assists, and Fallon added a goal and an assist. Nate Mueller recorded a 30-save shutout. This Season's Meetings
Norwich and Babson split the season series, with each team winning on home ice.

The Beavers claimed the first meeting on Nov. 14 in Wellesley. Fallon scored twice in the opening period as Babson jumped out to an early lead. Norwich answered quickly in the second period with goals from Zach Ophoven and Kyle Kudrna (Bartlett, Ill.) to tie the game, but Babson regained control with a power-play goal by Joseph Kramer and Fallon's third goal of the night. Matt Harvey pulled the Cadets within one early in the third, but Babson held on for the 4-3 win.

Norwich responded in the rematch on Feb. 7 in Kreitzberg Arena. Nick Cordeiro opened the scoring midway through the first period before Boyd Stahlbaum (Peterborough, Ont.) added a power-play tally. After Babson cut the lead to one, Devon Thibodeau (Pelham, Ont.) converted on the power play in the final seconds of the period to restore the two-goal cushion. Norwich held off the Beavers down the stretch for a 3-1 victory, backed by a 38-save performance from Molu.

Since 2015, the Cadets have held an 11-2 record against Babson at Kreitzberg Arena. Tale of the Tape

Stat Category	#15 Norwich	#12 Babson
Record	17-5-4 (13-2-3 LEC)	20-4-2 (14-3-1 LEC)
Goals/Game	3.6	3.8
Goals Against/Game	2.1	2.0
Power Play	22.6%	27.3%
Penalty Kill	81.8%	79.4%
Team Save %	.924	.922

Norwich Leaders
The Cadets feature a balanced offensive attack with several players surpassing the 20-point mark.

Ben van Waterschoot and Frank D'Ancona (Fort Myers, Fla.) lead Norwich in scoring, while Zach Ophoven's 13 goals pace the team. Colin Elliott (Peterborough, Ont.) and Boyd Stahlbaum have also been key contributors, with Stahlbaum tallying seven power-play goals and four game-winning goals this season.

Van Waterschoot and Cooper Bertrand (Caledon, Ont.) rank among the top ten in the LEC in assists, while van Waterschoot and D'Ancona sit second and third in the conference in faceoff percentage. Babson Leaders
Jimmy Fallon leads the Beavers in both goals and points with 19 goals and 34 points, including three hat tricks this season, both of which are among the leaders in the LEC.

Evan Brown ranks second in the conference in assists with 23 and has been a key playmaker for Babson's offense. Brown and Ian Driscoll are tied for second on the team in goals with nine apiece. Goaltending Matchup
Saturday's championship game will feature the top two goaltenders in the LEC.

Sami Molu has carried the load for Norwich down the stretch, starting the Cadets' last nine games. Molu anchors the 12th-ranked scoring defense in Division III and ranks second in the conference in goals-against average (2.11) while tying for the league lead in save percentage (.928). His semifinal shutout marked his second of the season.

Mueller matches Molu's save percentage at .928 and leads the LEC in goals-against average with a 1.82 mark, setting up a high-level goaltending duel in the championship. Rivalry with History
These longtime rivals — whose history dates back to the 1975–76 season — will meet once again with the stakes at their highest.

With the inaugural Little East Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament automatic bid on the line, the Cadets and Beavers will close out the championship Saturday in Kreitzberg Arena with one final battle for conference supremacy.