ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's hockey team was recognized in the final rankings released by both national polls following the completion of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championship. The team sits 15th according to USCHO.com and is receiving votes in the DIII Hockey News rankings.
The Thunder came in with 19 points after the final USCHO.com ballots were tabulated. They are one of six teams to not participate in the national championship tournament to be ranked by the poll. The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) was once again highly represented with Aurora University coming in at third, St. Norbert College at fifth and Adrian College at ninth.
Trine dropped just 13 points to fall just outside of the final DIII Hockey News poll but they were the highest receiving votes team by a wide margin. Aurora, St. Norbert and Adrian all sat in their same positions in both polls.
The semifinals and finals of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championship were played this past weekend. In the championship game, Hamilton College stunned the three-time defending champions from Hobart College with an overtime 2-1 victory. Aurora represented the NCHA in the semifinals, falling to Hamilton 6-3. Hamilton and Hobart claimed the top two spots in both polls.
The Thunder finished the season during the NCHA Harris Cup Playoffs semifinals. They posted an 18-8-2 record, tying for fourth most wins in a season for the program. It was the fifth straight season the team has reached the 18th win mark and the semifinals of the conference tournament.
