After winning the Division 2 national championship last year, the Neumann Knights returned to Division I competition this season, marking their first year back at the top level of play. The transition back to Division I came with intense competition and a challenging schedule, but the Knights showed resilience throughout the year while continuing to build on the success of their championship run.
The season began in October with a series of exhibition games in Broomall, Pennsylvania. Neumann opened with a tough 6–1 loss to Quinnipiac but quickly bounced back with dominant wins over Farmingdale (14–2) and Rowan (1–0). As the regular season began, the Knights faced strong Division I opponents including Slippery Rock, Michigan State, Boston, and Quinnipiac. Despite several close losses, Neumann earned important victories throughout the fall, including a 10–4 win over Farmingdale and another defensive battle against Northeastern that ended in a 1–0 victory. The team continued its schedule through the winter semester, facing multiple rematches against conference opponents. In February, Neumann had one of its best stretches of the season in Old Bethpage, New York, defeating Farmingdale 7–6 in overtime, dominating Slippery Rock 10–2, and earning a solid 7–3 win over Boston. These wins helped the Knights gain momentum heading into the postseason.
Offensively, Neumann was led by several standout scorers. Tommy Angelone finished as one of the team's top offensive threats, playing 12 games and recording 22 goals and 10 assists for 32 points, including five power-play goals and two game-winning goals. Close behind him was Anthony Putter, who also scored 22 goals while adding 9 assists for 31 points in 13 games, along with one shorthanded goal and one game-winning goal. The Knights also received strong contributions from Brian Barnett, who totaled 7 goals and 12 assists for 19 points, and Preston Goshorn, who added 5 goals and 12 assists for 17 points over 16 games. Anthony Santorello contributed offensively as well, finishing the season with 10 goals and 7 assists for 17 points, while also providing physical play with 24 penalty minutes. Other key contributors included Nicolas Cubillos (4 goals, 6 assists), Nicholas Fonseca (3 goals, 6 assists in just 7 games), and Victor Foley (3 goals, 5 assists).
In goal, the Knights split time between Kevin Toye and Michael Falkowski. Toye appeared in 12 games and recorded 251 saves on 304 shots, finishing with a 4–8 record, a 4.99 goals-against average, and a .826 save percentage. Falkowski also saw considerable time in net, playing 7 games with 117 saves on 143 shots, posting a 2–3 record with a 5.17 goals-against average and a .818 save percentage.
The Knights closed out their season with playoff action in March. They opened with an impressive 6–4 win over Quinnipiac but narrowly fell to Boston 3–2 before losing a hard-fought 5–4 overtime game against Quinnipiac to conclude their playoff run.
Despite the ups and downs of returning to Division I competition, the Knights demonstrated strong offensive production and competitiveness against some of the top teams in the division. Their performance throughout the season earned them a spot at the Division I National Championships, which will take place April 15–18 in Springfield, Missouri, giving the team another opportunity to compete on the national stage.
Written By: Jeremy McCartney
