GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's ice hockey team has earned the No. 4 seed in the inaugural Little East Conference Men's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament, presented by Townshend Hockey. The Huskies went 10-7-1 in conference play during the regular season to finish with 31 points in the standings. They will host No. 5 seed UMass Boston on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:30 pm in the USM Ice Arena.
 
About the 2025-26 Huskies
Freshman Ben Aucoin (Moncton, New Brunswick) leads the Huskies' offense with 17 goals and 25 points in an impressive rookie season. His 17 goals rank fourth in the conference, and his four game-winners are tied for the conference lead. He is one of 10 players in the lineup with double-digit point totals. Seniors John Hagan (Canton, Mass./Tilton School) and Conor Donovan (Nahant, Mass./Swampscott) have been playing on the top line with Aucoin, and each player has 18 points. Hagan's points are courtesy of eight goals and 10 assists, while Donovan is one of three players tied for the team lead in assists with 12.
 
The Huskies' second line of junior Kayde Kinaschuk (Calgary, Alberta), junior Ethan MacDuff (Lloydminster, Alberta) and sophomore Gavin Simopoulos (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) also consists of three players with at least 10 points. Kinaschuk ranks second on the team in goals behind Aucoin with 11 and had eight assists. Simopoulos is tied with Kinaschuk for second on the team in points with 19 on nine goals and 10 assists. MacDuff, the center on the line has 18 points on six goals and 12 assists. Outside of the top two lines, sophomore forward Owen Arend (Palmetto, Fla./Kents Hill School) is another solid contributor with six goals and six assists.
 
Also tied with Donovan and MacDuff for the most assists on the team is senior defenseman Cole Brennan (Sussex, N.J./ Pomfret School). Brennan's 14 points are the most among the team's defensemen. Freshman Cam Gwatkin (Lyndonville, Vt./Proctor Academy) and senior Kadin Ilott (Kenora, Ontario) are defensemen with double-digital point totals as well. Gwatkin has a goal and nine assists for 10 points. Ilott has three goals and seven assists on the season in addition to leading the team in blocked shots with 37. Brennan ranks second with 30.
 
Freshman Loic Morin (Drummondville, Quebec) has started at goalie in 20 of the teams 25 games and has a 10-9-1 record with a .901 and a shutout. Morin has played well in his rookie season with 13 games with 30 or more saves and made 40 or more saves in six of those contests. 
 
About No. 5 UMass Boston
UMass Boston finished the regular season with a record of 9-7-2 in LEC play and 30 points. The teams split the season series 1-1 with each team winning on their home ice. The Beacons took the first meeting 4-3 on January 16, but the most recent game was a 4-3 win by the Huskies in Gorham on February 14.
 
Jude Kurtas leads the Beacons with 32 points on 13 goals and 19 assists, while Jazz Krivtsov has a team-leading 15 goals to go along with 13 assists. Jack Mortson and Chris Repmann have also reached the 20-point mark on the season. Mortson has 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists and Repmanm has 11 goals and nine assists.
 
Chris Merriman is the top-scoring defenseman for the Beacons with four goals and nine assists for 14 total points. Two other defensemen, Tyler Drummond (1-11-12) and Rhett Kodsi (2-9-11) also have double-digit points. Kodsi is the team's leading shot blocker with 34.
 
Alex Koenig and Connor McDonough have split time in net for the Beacons. Koenig has posted a record of 8-2-2 with a shutout and a .927 save percentage across 13 starts. McDonough has a .924 save percentage and 6-7 record in 13 games and 12 starts.
 
The Basics
Who: No. 4 Southern Maine vs No. 5 UMass Boston
When: Wednesday, February 25 – 7:30 pm
Where: USM Ice Arena – Gorham, Maine
What: Quarterfinal Round
 
2026 LEC Championship Tournament Schedule
First Round - Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at Higher Seeds
No. 3 Plymouth State vs No. 6 VTSU Castleton – 6:00 pm
No. 4 Southern Maine vs. No. 5 UMass Boston – 7:30 pm
 
Semifinal Round - Saturday, February 28 2026 at Higher Seeds
No. 1 Norwich vs. No. 4/ No. 5 Winner
No. 2 Babson vs. No. 3/ No. 6 Winner
 
Championship Final - Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Higher Seed
Semifinal Winners