Men's Ice Hockey | 3/5/2026 9:59:55 AM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2025-26 Men’s Hockey Award Winners and All-Conference teams on Thursday, March 5. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Senior forward Alex Dameski of SUNY Geneseo was named 2025-26 Empire 8 Player of the Year, while Utica university junior forward Andrew Della Rovere, named the Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Jacob Torgner of Geneseo earned Goaltender of the Year SUNY Brockport forward Nick Reif garnered Rookie of the Year honors.
Dameski, a native of Oakville, Ontario, Dameski is enjoying a tremendous season, with 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points with a plus-24 rating in 26 games played. Dameski is tied for third nationally with five game-winning goals, while his 21 goals are tied for fourth in Division III. Dameski has 14 multiple-point efforts in 2025-26.
Della Rovere, a native of Caledon East, Ontario, Della Rovere excels on both ends of the ice. He is among the national leaders in the face-off circle, having won 400 draws and an astounding 66.7 percent (400-for-599) of his face-offs this season. In addition, Della Rovere has emerged as a top scoring threat for the Pioneers, with 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists and is plus-11 in 26 games played.
Torgner, who hails from Mjolby, Sweden, has exceled between the pipes for SUNY Geneseo this season on his way to being named the E8 Goaltender of the Year. He has appeared in 21 games, recording a 14-5-1 record, 2.32 goals against average and a .925 save percentage on the season. Torgner has made at least 30 saves on the season eight times and was a five-time Empire 8 Goaltender of the Week this season.
Reif garnered 2025-26 E8 Rookie of the Year accolades. A native of Depew, NY, Reif led the Golden Eagles in scoring this season with 21 points on nine goals and 12 assists in 24 games played. He ended the year with a six-game point-scoring streak with eight points over that stretch. Reif recorded a hat-trick in his second collegiate game, Nov. 1 against Neumann University.
SUNY Geneseo head coach Chris Schultz and assistants Kris Heeres, Mitch Stephens and Dan Bosio were named the 2025-26 E8 Coaching of the Year. Schultz has led the Knights to an 18-7-1 record this season, No. 10 ranking in the USCHO.com Division III Men’s Hockey poll and a berth in the 2026 United Collegiate Hockey Conference Championship game. He has previously led Geneseo to eight NCAA Tournament berths, including a NCAA National Runner-up honor in 2022. He is 341-147-32 all-time in 19 seasons at Geneseo.
Forwards Drake Morse of Utica and Reif joined Dameski on the first team at forward, while SUNY Geneseo junior Sean Melso and Utica junior Preston Brighton garnered first team honors as defensemen and Torgner was the first team goaltender. Six different Geneseo student-athletes earned all-conference honors to lead all E8 programs.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2025-26 Men’s Hockey Tomorrow’s Leaders Team. This team honors a student-athlete who has emerged as a leader not only on the field of play, but in the classroom and in the community. In addition, they “compete with honor and integrity” and have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
“Developing character and integrity is a hallmark of the Empire 8,” said E8 Executive Director
Chuck Mitrano. “This series is proof that Empire 8 and our member institutions are committed to intercollegiate athletics’ important role in higher education.”
2025-26 Empire 8 Men’s Hockey All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Alex Dameski, Sr., F, SUNY Geneseo
Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew Della Rovere, Jr., F, Utica
Goaltender of the Year: Jacob Torgner, Jr., G, SUNY Geneseo
Rookie of the Year: Nick Reif, Fr., F, St. SUNY Brockport
Coaching Staff of the Year: SUNY Geneseo, led by Head Coach Chris Schultz
Empire 8 First Team
Alex Dameski, Sr., F, SUNY Geneseo
Drake Morse, Jr., F, Utica
Nick Reif, Fr, F, SUNY Brockport
Preston Brighton, Jr., D, Utica
Sean Melso, Jr., D, SUNY Geneseo
Jacob Torgner, Jr., G, SUNY Geneseo
Empire 8 Second Team
Andrew Della Rovere, Jr., F, Utica
Blake Frost, Sr., F, Nazareth
Filip Wiberg, Jr., F, SUNY Geneseo
Kyle Kussman, Fr., D, SUNY Brockport
Charles Ross, So., D, Nazareth
Dakota Zarudny, Sr., D, SUNY Geneseo
David Filak, Jr, G, SUNY Brockport
Empire 8 Tomorrow’s Leaders
Andrew Della Rovere, Jr., F, Utica
Carter Diceman, Jr., F, SUNY Geneseo
Brody Haines, Sr., G, Elmira
Will Halecki, Jr., F, Nazareth
Josh Higgins, Sr., D, SUNY Brockport
Michael Peluso, Fr., D, St. John Fisher