CARLISLE, Pa. — Jason Tockstein (So., San Diego, Calif.) scored five times – including four tallies during a decisive fourth quarter – as Southeast Division Champion the University of Alabama overcame an 8-7 deficit at the conclusion of the third quarter to stun New England Division Champion/No. 17-ranked Dartmouth College by a 13-10 count in the opening round of the 2025 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
Competing at the Carlisle YMCA Aquatic Center, the Crimson Tide made the Big Green see red in the closing seven minutes of the game to tie the game at eight-all, nine-all and 10-all before swishing back-to-back-to-back shots in the final two minutes of the final frame to escape with a three goal victory.
The win places Alabama into the winners’ side of the championship bracket as the team is guaranteed to finish no lower than Eighth Place in the final 16-team, 30-game championship standings. Alabama – which previously tied for 15th (2017, 2018) and 13th (2021, 2023) places to accompany a program high 11th place mark (2022) – will next be in action at 10:10 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, November 8, in a quarterfinal match versus the winner of New York Division Champion Columbia University and Atlantic Division Third Place finisher Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech).
The 1997 National Champions which have placed Fourth (2013, 2015), Sixth (2012), Seventh (2001, 2023), Eighth (2008) and Ninth (2022) in the program’s appearances at the National Collegiate Club Championship since 2000, Dartmouth will return to the water at 6:20 p.m. against the fallen from the Columbia-Virginia Tech game.
Alabama struck first in the game as Will Rigazzi (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) and Landon Kenney (Fr., Pleasanton, Calif.) pumped in points at 5:03 and 2:14, respectively, in the first quarter to stake the Crimson Tide to a quick 2-0 margin. Max Sweeney (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) trimmed Dartmouth’s deficit to a single goal prior to the conclusion of the opening seven-minute frame by denting the twine with 1:22 on the clock.
Sweeney struck again at the 5:51 mark of the second quarter to even the damage at two-all, Chase DiMauro (Jr., Lansdale, Pa.) returned the lead to Alabama with a man-up strike at 5:10 and Kip Nilsson (Palo Alto, Calif.) rebalanced the scoreboard at three-all with 4:09 until halftime.
Dartmouth turned the tables on the Crimson Tide as Justin Stone (La Jolla, Calif.) and Sweeney wrapped up the second quarter/first half with back-to-back markers at 2:58 and 1:06 to stake the Big Green to a 5-3 lead at the break.
The lead ballooned to 7-3 slightly over two minutes into the third quarter as Felipe Leao (Greenwich, Conn.) (5:17) and Nik Nikcevic (Palo Alto, Calif.) (4:49) delivered for Dartmouth.
Alabama attempted to climb back into the contest as Kenney (3:24, man-up), Tockstein (2:50) and Michael Dilascia (Sr., Greenwich, Conn.) (2:05) spun in responses to pull the Crimson Tide within 7-6.
Nikcevic (1:05) and John Bryner (So., Columbus, Ohio) (seven seconds) exchanged goals for Dartmouth and Alabama, respectively, to set the scoreboard at 8-7 in favor of the Big Green heading into the fourth quarter.
Hank Jaffe (Jr., Greenwich, Conn.) (6:26) and Tockstein (5:53) erased the lead and put Alabama back in front at 9-8 to start the final seven minutes of regulation. Nikcevic (5:29), Tockstein (4:24, penalty shot) and Nilsson (3:54) ticked off goals as the contest swayed from a nine-all tie, a 10-9 Alabama lead and back to an 10-all tie with the potential of overtime hanging over the game.
However, Tockstein tallied back-to-back goals at 2:05 and 1:35 to push Alabama ahead 12-10 before Jaffe chipped in an insurance score with 11 seconds remaining to permit the Crimson Tide to earn a spot in the quarterfinals with a 13-10 victory.
For Alabama, Player of the Game Tockstein (five), Jaffe (two) and Kenney (two) posted multi-goal games, while Dilascia, DiMauro, Rigazzi and Bryner accounted for solo scores. Ethan Stout (Sr., Irvine, Calif.) made six saves in cage for the Crimson Tide.
Nikcevic (three), Sweeney (three), Nilsson (two), Leao and Stone combined for Dartmouth’s 10 goals with goalkeeper Nick Lutzky (Baltimore, Md.) finishing with eight saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| University of Alabama | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | – | 13 |
| No. 17 Dartmouth College | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | 10 |
| Dartmouth Goals: | Nik Nikcevic (3); Max Sweeney (3); Kip Nilsson (2); Felipe Leao; Justin Stone | |||||
| Alabama Goals: | Jason Tockstein (5); Hank Jaffe (2); Landon Kenney (2); Michael Dilascia; Chase DiMauro; Will Rigazzi; John Bryner | |||||
| Saves: | Dartmouth – Nick Lutzky (8) ; Alabama – Ethan Stout (6) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Dartmouth – 8 ; Alabama – 3 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Dartmouth – 0-for-3 ; Alabama – 2-for-8 | |||||
| Sprints: | Dartmouth – 0-for-4; Alabama – 4-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Kevin Jauregui, Matt Turner | |||||
Dartmouth College’s Nic Nikcevic (#5) defends the University of Alabama’s John Bryner (#25)
Dartmouth College’s Luke Fesnak (#17) scans for an opening as the University of Alabama’s Jason Tockstein (#2) pursues
The University of Alabama’s Will Rigazzi (#11) menaces Dartmouth College’s Max Sweeney (#7)
Dartmouth College’s Max Sweeney (#7) attempts to stop the University of Alabama’s John Bryner (#25)
