2025–26 LIU Sharks men's ice hockey season

2025–26 LIU Sharks
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceIndependent
Home iceNorthwell Health Ice Center
Record
Overall7–10–0
Home1–1–0
Road6–9–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachBrendan Riley
Assistant coachesMikhail Bryan
C. J. Kusch
LIU Sharks men's ice hockey seasons
« 2024–25 2026–27 »

The 2025–26 LIU Sharks men's ice hockey season will be the 6th season of play for the program. The Sharks will represent Long Island University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, play their home games at the Northwell Health Ice Center and be coached by Brendan Riley, in his 1st season.

Season

After the end of the previous season, head coach Brett Riley was hired by Ferris State for the same position.[1] Less than two weeks later, Long Island announced that they had hired Brendan Riley, Brett's cousin, as his replacement.[2]

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Austin Brimmer Forward  Canada Transferred to RIT
Isaiah Fox Forward  Canada Graduation (signed with Adirondack Thunder)
John Gormley Defenseman  United States Graduation (signed with San Jose Barracuda)
Connor Gregga Forward  Canada Graduation (signed with Savannah Ghost Pirates)
Aaron Grounds Forward  United States Graduation (retired)
Xan Gurney Defenseman  United States Graduation (retired)
Andrius Kulbis-Marino Defenseman  United States Graduation (signed with Utah Grizzlies)
Cade Mason Defenseman  Canada Transferred to Northern Michigan
Tyriq Outen Goaltender  United States Graduation (retired)
Chris Pappas Forward  Canada Graduation (retired)
Valtteri Piironen Defenseman  Finland Transferred to Ferris State
Carter Rapalje Forward  United States Transferred to Ferris State
Noah Rupprecht Goaltender  United States Transferred to Ferris State
Nick Trela Forward  United States Graduation (retired)
Riley Wallack Forward  Canada Transferred to Ferris State
Josh Zary Forward  Canada Transferred to Ferris State

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Nate Benoit Defenseman  United States 22 Bow, NH; transfer from Quinnipiac; selected 182nd overall in 2021
Carter Bickle Goaltender  Canada 21 Brooklin, ON
Blake Dangos Defenseman  United States 23 St. Louis, MO; transfer from American International
Jack Darby Defenseman  United States 21 New Hartford, NY
Jaden Dyke Forward  Canada 21 St. John's, NL
Trevor Griebel Defenseman  United States 24 Tampa, FL; transfer from Merrimack
Luke Hause Defenseman  United States 21 Saint Paul, MN
Dylan Kinch Forward  Canada 20 Salzburg, AUT
Casey McDonald Forward  Canada 24 Kindersley, SK; transfer from American International
John McMahon Forward  United States 21 Oceanside, NY
Lukas Renaud Goaltender  Canada 21 Montréal, QC
Brett Rylance Forward  Canada 24 Edmonton, AB; transfer from American International
Noah Serdachny Forward  Canada 22 Edmonton, AB; transfer from American International

Roster

As of September 19, 2025.[3]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Michael Polston Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2004-10-07 Cedarburg, Wisconsin Provo Predators (NCDC)
2 Trent Powell Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-03-09 Soldotna, Alaska Anchorage Wolverines (NAHL)
3 A. J. Casperson Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-07-19 Flower Mound, Texas Janesville Jets (NAHL)
4 Blake Dangos Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2002-04-08 St. Louis, Missouri American International (AHA)
5 Trevor Griebel Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2001-03-07 Tampa, Florida Merrimack (HEA)
7 Jack Darby Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2004-04-29 New Hartford, New York Anchorage Wolverines (NAHL)
9 Daniel Baldassarra Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2002-03-15 Woodbridge, Ontario North York Rangers (OJHL)
10 Heath Armstrong Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2002-05-12 Calgary, Alberta Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
11 John McMahon Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2004-05-25 Oceanside, New York New Jersey Titans (NAHL)
12 Brennan Nelson Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2003-03-21 Edmonton, Alberta West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
15 Luca Leighton Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2003-08-13 Old Brookville, New York Rochester Jr. Americans (NAHL)
17 Sixten Jennersjö Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2003-04-18 Ekerö, Sweden Northeast Generals (NAHL)
18 Anthony Lucarelli Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-10-16 Chatham, Ontario Powell River Kings (BCHL)
19 Chad Muller Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-07-13 Kingston, Ontario Minot Minotauros (NAHL)
22 Nate Benoit Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2002-11-26 Bow, New Hampshire Quinnipiac (ECAC) MIN, 182nd overall 2021
24 Luke Hause Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2004-03-24 Saint Paul, Minnesota Kenai River Brown Bears (NAHL)
26 Isaac Lambert Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2003-08-28 Victoriaville, Quebec Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)
27 Dylan Kinch Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-12-25 Salzburg, Austria Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)
28 Garrett Valk Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-10-20 North Vancouver, British Columbia Langley Rivermen (BCHL)
29 Jaden Dyke Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2004-08-06 St. John's, Newfoundland Rochester Jr. Americans (NAHL)
30 Daniel Duris Sophomore G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2003-08-15 Martin, Slovakia Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)
31 Carter Bickle Freshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2004-05-27 Brooklin, Ontario Milton Menace (OJHL)
37 Lukas Renaud Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2004-01-06 Montréal, Quebec Calgary Canucks (AJHL)
38 J. R. Perdion Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2003-06-25 Strongsville, Ohio Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL)
48 Nick Bernardo Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2003-05-13 Hauppauge, New York Maine Nordiques (NAHL)
52 Onni Leppänen Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2003-12-01 Helsinki, Finland Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
55 Brett Rylance Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 167 lb (76 kg) 2001-08-03 Edmonton, Alberta American International (AHA)
67 Casey McDonald Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2001-05-10 Plenty, Saskatchewan American International (AHA)
91 Noah Serdachny Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-03-09 Edmonton, Alberta American International (AHA)

Standings

Overall record
GP W L T GF GA
Alaska 10 2 8 0 21 39
Alaska Anchorage 6 1 5 0 9 33
Lindenwood 10 5 5 0 30 37
Long Island 7 2 5 0 21 21
Stonehill 8 1 7 0 16 32
Championship: March 7, 2026
* indicates tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated November 3, 2025

Schedule and results

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Exhibition
October 3 5:00 pm at Army* Tate RinkWest Point, New York (Exhibition) FloHockey Duris W 3–0  1,573
Regular Season
October 4 6:00 pm at #2 Boston University* Agganis ArenaBoston, Massachusetts ESPN+, TSN+ Duris L 2–4  5,170 0–1–0
October 10 7:00 pm at Canisius* LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York FloHockey Bickle L 2–3  670 0–2–0
October 11 7:00 pm at Canisius* LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York FloHockey Duris W 6–1  467 1–2–0
October 17 7:00 pm at #6 Penn State* Pegula Ice ArenaUniversity Park, Pennsylvania BTN+ Duris L 4–5 OT 6,449 1–3–0
October 18 6:00 pm at #6 Penn State* Pegula Ice ArenaUniversity Park, Pennsylvania BTN+ Duris L 0–3  6,428 1–4–0
October 24 7:00 pm at New Hampshire* Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire ESPN+ Duris L 2–3 OT 5,234 1–5–0
October 25 7:00 pm at Merrimack* J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, Massachusetts ESPN+ Duris W 5–2  1,787 2–5–0
October 27 2:00 pm Simon Fraser* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York (Exhibition) ESPN+ Duris W 3–2   
October 30 7:00 pm Maryville* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York (Exhibition) ESPN+ Bickle W 9–3  250
October 31 7:00 pm Maryville* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York (Exhibition) ESPN+ Renaud W 3–1  127
November 7 7:00 pm at Robert Morris* Clearview ArenaNeville Township, Pennsylvania FloHockey Duris W 6–3  675 3–5–0
November 8 7:00 pm at Robert Morris* Clearview ArenaNeville Township, Pennsylvania FloHockey Duris W 2–0  581 4–5–0
November 14 8:00 pm at Minnesota* 3M Arena at MariucciMinneapolis, Minnesota   Duris W 6–2  8,708 5–5–0
November 15 6:00 pm at Minnesota* 3M Arena at MariucciMinneapolis, Minnesota   Duris L 3–6  8,704 5–6–0
November 21 7:00 pm Merrimack* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+ Duris L 2–6  600 5–7–0
November 22 5:00 pm at Sacred Heart* Martire Family ArenaFairfield, Connecticut FloHockey Bickle L 2–7  2,543 5–8–0
November 28 8:40 pm at Lindenwood* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Duris L 2–5  901 5–9–0
November 29 7:10 pm at Lindenwood* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Duris W 5–2  894 6–9–0
December 5 2:30 pm Assumption* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+ Duris W 8–3  150 7–9–0
December 13 6:00 pm at Merrimack* J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, Massachusetts ESPN+ Duris L 2–4  1,738 7–10–0
December 28 5:00 pm Army* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+       
December 31 3:00 pm at Connecticut* Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, Connecticut ESPN+       
January 3 2:00 pm Connecticut* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+       
January 11 3:00 pm Stonehill* Bridgewater Ice ArenaBridgewater, Massachusetts ESPN+       
January 23 11:00 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Avis Alaska Sports ComplexAnchorage, Alaska         
January 24 9:00 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Avis Alaska Sports ComplexAnchorage, Alaska         
January 27 11:00 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Avis Alaska Sports ComplexAnchorage, Alaska         
January 30 11:00 pm at Alaska* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska FloHockey       
January 31 11:00 pm at Alaska* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska FloHockey       
February 13 2:00 pm Stonehill* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+       
February 14 2:00 pm Stonehill* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+       
February 20 7:00 pm at Stonehill* Warrior Ice ArenaBoston, Massachusetts         
February 21 7:00 pm at Stonehill* Warrior Ice ArenaBoston, Massachusetts         
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[4]

Scoring statistics

[5]

Rankings

Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
USA Hockey NR NR NR NR NR NR RV NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 12.[6]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

References

  1. ^ "Ferris State tabs LIU's Riley as its next head coach". USCHO. March 28, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  2. ^ "Brendan Riley Named Head Men's Ice Hockey Coach". LIU Sharks. April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  3. ^ "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". LIU Sharks. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". LIU Sharks. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Long Island Univ. 2025-2026 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  6. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.