LEC Announces First-Ever Men's Ice Hockey Major Award Winners and All-Conference Teams

3/10/2026 3:00:00 PM

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Little East Conference (LEC) announced its first-ever men's ice hockey major award recipients and all-conference teams Tuesday, following a vote of the league's head coaches. LEC regular season and tournament runner-up Babson College had a pair of major award recipients in 2026 LEC Player of the Year junior Jimmy Fallon and 2026 LEC Coach of the Year Jamie Rice. Norwich University junior Sami Molu was named 2026 LEC Goaltender of the Year after helping lead the Cadets to the Little East regular season and tournament titles, while Plymouth State University freshman Etienne Tremblay-Mathieu was named 2026 LEC Rookie of the Year. 

Player of the Year: Jimmy Fallon, Babson
  • Appeared in all 27 games for the Beavers this season.
  • Led the team with 19 goals and 34 total points. His 15 assists were third-most on the team.
  • Ranks second in the LEC in goals and is third in the LEC points.
  • Tied for eighth in NCAA Division III in goals, and tied for 21st in total points.
Goaltender of the Year: Sami Molu, Norwich
  • Started in each of his 21 appearances in goal so far this season.
  • Owns a record of 12-5-4 with a 2.06 goals against average and .930 save percentage. 
  • Leads the LEC in save percentage, while ranking second in saves (585) and goals against average.
  • Tied for 16th in DIII in save percentage, and ranks 19th in GAA.
  • Named Most Outstanding Player of the 2026 LEC Men's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament, presented by Townshend Hockey.
Rookie of the Year: Etienne Tremblay-Mathieu, Plymouth State
  • Appeared in all 27 games in his first collegiate season. 
  • Led the Panthers with 19 assists this season, while finishing second on the team with 28 points and 32 blocked shots. 
  • Ranks fifth in the LEC in assists.
Coach of the Year: Jamie Rice, Babson
  • Guided the Beavers to an overall record of 20-5-2 in 2025-26
  • Babson finished second in the LEC standings and advanced to the LEC Championship Tournament Final.
  • The Beavers are ranked No. 14 in this week's edition of the USCHO.com poll, after being ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation. 


First Team All-LEC
Jimmy Fallon Jr. Forward Babson
Tyler Stewart Sr. Forward UMass Dartmouth
Will Redick Sr. Forward Plymouth State
Cooper Bertrand Jr. Defense Norwich
Etienne Tremblay-Mathieu Fr. Defense Plymouth State
Sami Molu Jr. Goaltender Norwich
Second Team All-LEC
Evan Brown So. Forward Babson
Jude Kurtas Sr. Forward UMass Boston
Ben van Waterschoot Jr. Forward Norwich
Charlie Andriole Sr. Defense Babson
Cam Reid Jr. Defense VTSU Castleton
Nate Mueller Sr. Goaltender Babson
All-Rookie Team
Kailin Chen Fr. Forward UMass Dartmouth
Ben Aucoin Fr. Forward Southern Maine
Kim Hilmersson Fr. Forward Plymouth State
Ocean Fancy Fr. Defense Norwich
Etienne Tremblay-Mathieu Fr. Defense Plymouth State
Alex Koenig Fr. Goaltender UMass Boston