EASTON, Mass. (July 14, 2025) – Stonehill College men's ice hockey head coach David Berard has announced the team's leadership group for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Senior forward Frank Ireland and senior defenseman Evan Orr will serve as co-captains, while graduate goaltender Connor Androlewicz and sophomore forward Zach Aben have been named assistant captains.

Ireland returns as captain for the second consecutive season, while Orr is elevated to co-captain after serving as an assistant during the 2024-25 campaign. Androlewicz and Aben will wear a letter for the first time in their collegiate careers. The leadership group—consisting of two seniors, one graduate student, and one sophomore—brings a combined six years of experience within the Skyhawks program.

A cornerstone of the program since arriving on campus, Ireland has been part of Stonehill's leadership core since his sophomore year and enters the season as one of just three four-year seniors on the roster. The Easton native leads all players in Stonehill's NCAA Division I era with 74 career points (32 goals, 42 assists) in 95 games. In 2024-25, he tallied 12 points on six goals and six assists, including a power-play goal against LIU and a pair of multi-point efforts—one coming in an overtime win against Merrimack at Warrior Ice Arena on November 12.

Orr, a transfer from Michigan Tech, made an immediate impact in his first season with the program in 2024-25, earning NCAA Division I Independent Hockey All-Star honors. He recorded a career-best 15 points on eight goals and seven assists, ranking second on the team in goals and leading the Skyhawks with five game-winning tallies—three in overtime. One of those overtime winners secured a historic 3–2 road victory over No. 9 UMass Lowell, marking Stonehill's first-ever win over a nationally ranked Division I opponent.

Androlewicz, who joined the Skyhawks from the University of Maine, turned in a breakout season in net during 2024-25. He appeared in 30 games, setting a Stonehill Division I single-season record with 11 wins while posting a 3.11 goals-against average. His stellar February earned him NCAA Division I Independent Co-Goaltender of the Month honors. Androlewicz also played a critical role in Stonehill's four shutouts—another program record—sharing the crease with Linards Lipskis.

Aben enters his sophomore campaign after an impressive freshman season and becomes just the third sophomore in program history to earn a leadership role at the Division I level, joining current teammate Ireland and former Skyhawk, Carter Rapalje. In 30 games, Aben led all Skyhawk freshmen with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) and was one of just two players to score a shorthanded goal, joining 2025 graduate Henri Schreifels.

The Skyhawks aim to build on a milestone 2024-25 season that featured a Division I era program-record 12 wins—an improvement of 10 victories from the previous year. Stonehill posted a 7-7 mark at home, captured 10 wins over Division I opponents, and earned road wins against Merrimack, Lake Superior State, UMass Lowell, and LIU—setting a new program benchmark for success away from home.

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