DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced their honorees for At-Large Academic All-District and five UMass Dartmouth men's hockey student-athletes were recognized. Seniors
Lane Ruffner and
Vincent Nicosia, juniors
Alex Walker and
Connor Little, along with sophomore
Hunter Scanlon were all tabbed to this year's team.
A senior captain and defender from Latrobe, Penn., Ruffner owned a 3.64 cumulative grade point average as a Mechanical Engineering major. Playing in all 25 games this season, he notched a power play goal with six assists for seven points. Additionally, Ruffner blocked 70 shots on the season, leading all of NCAA Division III and the Little East in blocked shots.
In 100 career games, Ruffner scored five goals – three on the power play – with 36 assists for 41 points. He posted 175 shots, notching 76 penalties for 160 minutes. Additionally, Ruffner recorded 170 career blocks with his 70 during the senior season being a career high.
Nicosia, a senior left wing from West Bloomfield, Mich., posted a 3.68 cumulative GPA as a General Management major. Playing in 23 games for the Corsairs, he recorded four goals with four assists for eight points. Of his tallies, two came on the power play, while one was a game-winner. Nicosia also recorded six blocked shots.
Nicosia played in 84 career games at UMass Dartmouth, recording 13 goals with 12 assists for 25 points in that time. Notching 130 shots, he accumulated 29 penalties for 58 minutes. Four of his goals came on the power play, one was a shorthanded marker, while two others were game-winning goals.
Walker, a junior right wing from Latrobe, Penn., owns a 3.82 cumulative grade point average as a Finance major. Playing in all 25 games for the Corsairs in 2025-26, he scored nine goals with 16 assists for 25 points – ranking third on the team. Four of his goals were on the power play, while two were game-winning tallies. He also posted 11 blocked shots.
Little, a junior center from Portsmouth, R.I., had a 3.89 cumulative GPA as a Finance major. In 23 games this season, he tallied a goal with two assists for three points. In addition to 25 shots, he notched 20 blocked shots. Little also went 148-133 in the face-off circle.
Scanlon, a sophomore defender from Rockford, Ill., has a 3.91 cumulative grade point average as a Finance major. Played in all 25 games for the Corsairs, he recorded seven goals with 18 assists for 25 points – ranking third on the squad. Of his seven goals, three came on the power play. Scanlon finished the season with 56 blocked shots, ranking second on the squad and the Little East, as well as fifth in NCAA Division III.
UMass Dartmouth concluded the 2025-26 season with a 12-13-0 mark, going 7-11-0 in their inaugural season in the Little East Conference. The Corsairs had a five-game winning streak during the season, closing with victories over WestConn and Keene State to end the year.
