River Hawks Tie for Hockey East Lead with 25 All-Academic Selections
7/6/2026 10:32:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell ice hockey team had 25 players named to the 2025-26 Hockey East All-Academic Team, giving them a tie for the top spot in the Hockey East, as announced by the conference office on Monday morning.
To be eligible for the All-Academic Team, student-athletes must attain a 3.0 GPA or higher. UMass Lowell's 25 honorees ties them with Merrimack for the conference lead, while Maine was just behind with 23.
"I'd like to recognize the UMass Lowell Hockey team on an extraordinary achievement both on the ice and in the classroom," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Leading Hockey East with the most All-Conference Academic honorees for the fourth year in a row is a testament to the dedication, discipline, and character of our student-athletes. This accomplishment reflects the team's unwavering commitment to excellence in every aspect of the collegiate experience and exemplifies what it means to be true scholar-athletes. Congratulations to the players, coaches, and support staff on this remarkable milestone and for representing UMass Lowell with pride and distinction."
Sophomore Dominick Rivelli (Highland Park, Ill.) led the way for the River Hawks, earning Hockey East All-Academic All-Star Team honors for compiling the highest GPA at his position.
Graduate student TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) and senior Jack Collins (Canton, N.Y.) also shined in the classroom, collecting the Distinguished Scholar title, which is given to a student-athlete that has qualified for the All-Academic team in each of four seasons of varsity play.
Two different River Hawks joined the Hockey East All-Academic team for the third time of their career in juniors Sean Kilcullen (Kensington, Md.) and Jaiden Moriello (Saugus, Mass.), both doing so in each of their first three seasons.
Six players collected their second All-Academic honors. Those players include senior Connor Eddy (Victoria, B.C.), junior Jak Vaarwerk (Clarence, N.Y.) and sophomores Daniel Buchbinder (Clarence Center, N.Y), Jacob MacDonald (Fort Worth, Texas), Lee Parks (Ottawa, Ontario) and Rivelli.
Rounding out the list of honorees are the 15 Hockey East All-Academic first-timers. That list includes graduate student Jay Ahearn (Staten Island, N.Y.), senior Samuel Richard (Ste-Catherine, Quebec), sophomores Libor Nemec (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Dominic Payne (North Vancouver, B.C.), as well as freshmen David Adaszynski (Burnaby, B.C.), August Classon (Stockholm, Sweden), Austin Elliott (Strathmore Alberta), Niko Goich (Homer Glen, Ill.), James Johnson (Ajax, Ontario), Ryan Kroll (Plainville, Ill.), Tnias Mathurin (Ajax, Ontario), Nate Misskey (Melfort, SK), Josh Mori (Richmond, B.C.), Luke Shipley (Powell River, B.C.) and Cole Lonsdale (Mississauga, Ontario).
218 total student-athletes across the league were included on the Hockey East Men's All-Academic Team after posting a 3.0 GPA or higher during the 2025-26 season.
Full List of 2025-26 UMass Lowell Hockey East All-Academic Honorees
David Adaszynski
Jay Ahearn
Daniel Buchbinder **
August Classon
Jack Collins +
Connor Eddy **
Austin Elliott
Niko Goich
James Johnson
Sean Kilcullen ***
Ryan Kroll
Jacob MacDonald **
Tnias Mathurin
Nate Misskey
Josh Mori
Jaiden Moriello ***
Libor Nemec
Lee Parks **
Dominic Payne
Samuel Richard
Dominick Rivelli **
TJ Schweighardt +
Luke Shipley
Cole Lonsdale
Jak Vaarwerk **
** two-time honoree
*** three-time honoree
^ Top Scholar Athlete (Highest GPA in Hockey East)
+ Distinguished Scholar (3.0 in each semester of four varsity seasons)
! Five-time Honoree
To be eligible for the All-Academic Team, student-athletes must attain a 3.0 GPA or higher. UMass Lowell's 25 honorees ties them with Merrimack for the conference lead, while Maine was just behind with 23.
"I'd like to recognize the UMass Lowell Hockey team on an extraordinary achievement both on the ice and in the classroom," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Leading Hockey East with the most All-Conference Academic honorees for the fourth year in a row is a testament to the dedication, discipline, and character of our student-athletes. This accomplishment reflects the team's unwavering commitment to excellence in every aspect of the collegiate experience and exemplifies what it means to be true scholar-athletes. Congratulations to the players, coaches, and support staff on this remarkable milestone and for representing UMass Lowell with pride and distinction."
Sophomore Dominick Rivelli (Highland Park, Ill.) led the way for the River Hawks, earning Hockey East All-Academic All-Star Team honors for compiling the highest GPA at his position.
Graduate student TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) and senior Jack Collins (Canton, N.Y.) also shined in the classroom, collecting the Distinguished Scholar title, which is given to a student-athlete that has qualified for the All-Academic team in each of four seasons of varsity play.
Two different River Hawks joined the Hockey East All-Academic team for the third time of their career in juniors Sean Kilcullen (Kensington, Md.) and Jaiden Moriello (Saugus, Mass.), both doing so in each of their first three seasons.
Six players collected their second All-Academic honors. Those players include senior Connor Eddy (Victoria, B.C.), junior Jak Vaarwerk (Clarence, N.Y.) and sophomores Daniel Buchbinder (Clarence Center, N.Y), Jacob MacDonald (Fort Worth, Texas), Lee Parks (Ottawa, Ontario) and Rivelli.
Rounding out the list of honorees are the 15 Hockey East All-Academic first-timers. That list includes graduate student Jay Ahearn (Staten Island, N.Y.), senior Samuel Richard (Ste-Catherine, Quebec), sophomores Libor Nemec (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Dominic Payne (North Vancouver, B.C.), as well as freshmen David Adaszynski (Burnaby, B.C.), August Classon (Stockholm, Sweden), Austin Elliott (Strathmore Alberta), Niko Goich (Homer Glen, Ill.), James Johnson (Ajax, Ontario), Ryan Kroll (Plainville, Ill.), Tnias Mathurin (Ajax, Ontario), Nate Misskey (Melfort, SK), Josh Mori (Richmond, B.C.), Luke Shipley (Powell River, B.C.) and Cole Lonsdale (Mississauga, Ontario).
218 total student-athletes across the league were included on the Hockey East Men's All-Academic Team after posting a 3.0 GPA or higher during the 2025-26 season.
Full List of 2025-26 UMass Lowell Hockey East All-Academic Honorees
David Adaszynski
Jay Ahearn
Daniel Buchbinder **
August Classon
Jack Collins +
Connor Eddy **
Austin Elliott
Niko Goich
James Johnson
Sean Kilcullen ***
Ryan Kroll
Jacob MacDonald **
Tnias Mathurin
Nate Misskey
Josh Mori
Jaiden Moriello ***
Libor Nemec
Lee Parks **
Dominic Payne
Samuel Richard
Dominick Rivelli **
TJ Schweighardt +
Luke Shipley
Cole Lonsdale
Jak Vaarwerk **
** two-time honoree
*** three-time honoree
^ Top Scholar Athlete (Highest GPA in Hockey East)
+ Distinguished Scholar (3.0 in each semester of four varsity seasons)
! Five-time Honoree
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