By Danielle Ngamegni
The University of Maryland Terrapin Hockey Club players and coaches reflected on the 2025-26 hockey season and their performance in the 47th annual Crab Pot tournament.
The Crab Pot tournament is a college hockey competition hosted by the United States Naval Academy. Regional universities across the Northeast take part.
The UMD Hockey Club beat the United States Naval Academy 6-1 on Feb. 13, but were defeated 4-3 by The College of New Jersey the following day.
“Yes, that is a game we were definitely the better team in and should have won, but the bounces did not go our way, and sometimes that’s how the cookie crumbles,” said James Botti, president and senior forward.
“Reflecting on that,” Botti continued, “we can still take pride in getting to that point — we beat Navy for the first time in program history in the semifinals, and it was also only the fourth time in program history, albeit the third time in the last four years, that we even reached the finals.”
While acknowledging their unprecedented wins, the Terrapins look ahead to how they can make the most of next season.
“That loss hurt so bad knowing we were close to making history since Maryland hasn’t won since 1992. But it adds so much fuel to the fire for next year,” junior forward Luke Mohan wrote in an email.
The UMD Hockey Club suffered a losing streak, battling tough teams consecutively, while adjusting to new players.
“I think those were some of the best teams they had played so far, and so once they understood the speed and skill the other teams had, our guys were able to adjust, which I think they’ll use to improve for next season,” assistant coach Trevor Drake wrote in an email.
Drake mentioned that in the league playoffs, UMD placed as the No. 7 seed out of eight and eliminated the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to advance to the finals. During the season, they were one overtime goal away from winning the league.
Players recalled their most memorable moments from the season were on senior night, when they defeated the Delaware Blue Hens in a 7-6 game.
In retrospect of the 2025-26 season, Drake wrote, “Definitely a rollercoaster but overall a success. When you make both of the championship games you’re competing for, that’s for sure an accomplishment. Even though we weren’t able to pull through in either, I’m still definitely proud of how they played and happy with the season overall.”
Featured Image: Rain falls outside of Eppley Recreation Center through trees on the afternoon of Feb. 22, 2026. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.