BOSTON, Mass. (1/4/2026) – The Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational trophy returned home to The Hill on Sunday, with the Nichols men's ice hockey team soundly defeating Connecticut College 5-1 in the tournament title game at the Warrior Ice Arena.

Nichols improves to an even 6-6 (3-4 CNE) on the season, while Connecticut College drops to 5-4-1 (2-3-1 NESCAC) with the loss. Nichols returns as the invitational champion for the first time since 2023, when they won against SUNY Brockport by a score of 5-2. 

The Bison were able to net a pair of first period goals to grab the early 2-0 advantage, kickstarted by Owen Gallatin's fourth goal of the season at 17:42. Derek Greer set the play up with a wrister from up high that found the stick of Tremblay for the tip in front, which found its way into the cage up over the blocker side of the Camels netminder. Then, with the help of a late power play opportunity, freshman Christian Holden batted a free puck out of the air off a rebound, increasing the lead to 2-0 Bison with just two seconds left in the period, his first collegiate point and goal.

Alexis Trudeau fueled Nichols' momentum with a goal at 7:24 of the second period, beginning with a clutch save at the other end from freshman goaltender Ryan Henry that sprung a partial break the opposite direction. Trudeau then roofed a shot over the left shoulder of the Camel netminder, making it 3-0 Nichols. Connecticut College pushed hard over the next several minutes and eventually broke through with a goal at 13:17, trimming the Bison's lead to 3-1. However, the momentum shift was short-lived for the Camels, as Nick Brennan released a quick snapshot from between the circles less than a minute later, with Herman Asberg and Luca Ricci adding the helpers to put the Bison back up by three entering the third, 4-1.

The teams settled in for a physical third period, with Ricci capping off the win with an empty netter from way downtown in the final minute of play.

Henry was once again stellar between the pipes for the Bison, stopping 45-of-46 shots faced for the win. The freshman goaltender, for his efforts, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Along with awarding Henry the tournament's Most Valuable Player, the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational All-Tournament Team was announced at the conclusion of the tournament. The Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational All-Tournament Team includes:
Ryan Henry (Nichols College) - 75 saves, .973 save percentage, and a 1.00 GA average in the tournament
Luca Ricci (Nichols College) - 1 goal, 3 assists on the weekend for 4 points
Will Lawrence (Connecticut College) - 2 goals, 1 assist on the weekend for 3 points
Mason Hoehn (SUNY Potsdam) - 1 goal on the weekend for 1 point
Kurt Watson (Southern New Hampshire University) - 3 goals, 1 assist on the weekend for 4 points

Men's ice hockey will have the week off before returning to CNE play against Wentworth Institute of Technology on Friday, January 9^th. The game will be played inside Allied Veterans Rink, with puck drop set for 6:30 PM.