NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Assumption, the reigning league champion, has been picked to repeat according to the Northeast 10 Conference Ice Hockey Coaches' Poll released on Thursday morning.
It is the second time in three years that Assumption has earned the top spot in the poll, which is voted on by league head coaches. The Greyhounds tallied 34 points and four first-place votes, holding off Saint Michael's, which finished second with 30 points and three first-place votes. Saint Anselm, last year's NE10 Championship finalist, placed third with 27 points.
Assumption's
Jonathan Surrette, the 2025-26 NE10 Player of the Year, returns for the Greyhounds coming off a historic season. In 33 games, he scored 34 goals, added 31 assists for a conference-record 65 points - leading Assumption to the NE10 Championship for the fourth time in program history. He also won the 25th Joe Concannon Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England at the Division II/III level.
Michael Salvatore is back between the pipes for the Hounds, as he recorded a 14-1-1 overall record, while adding a 1.74 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage to his stat line.
Saint Michael's, the 2025 NE10 champion, had the best scoring defense in the conference last year, allowing just 2.39 goals per game. Ty Bloom and AJ Sacco return to the Purple Knights after finishing second and third on the team in points. Saint Anselm returns Sean Connolly, its First Team All-Conference defender from a year ago.
Franklin Pierce finished fourth in the poll, followed by Southern New Hampshire (SNHU), Post and American International (AIC). AIC will compete for the first time as an ice hockey program in the NE10.
The 2026-27 NE10 season opens on October 31st, as the Greyhounds take on Nichols College in the 2026 Woo Cup. All home games and conference games can be watched this season on
NE10 NOW on FloCollege.
2026-27 NE10 Ice Hockey Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
Team |
Votes (1st Place) |
| 1 |
Assumption |
34 (4) |
| 2 |
Saint Michael's |
30 (3) |
| 3 |
Saint Anselm |
27 |
| 4 |
Franklin Pierce |
17 |
| 5 |
SNHU |
16 |
| 6 |
Post |
14 |
| 7 |
AIC |
9
|
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