University of Connecticut Athletics
Ryan Tattle Named Finalist for Hockey Humanitarian Award
2/24/2026 2:00:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – Five collegiate ice hockey student-athletes are finalists for the 31st annual Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen. Founded in 1996, the Hockey Humanitarian Award celebrates a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism. The 2026 Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient will be announced on Friday, April 10th during the NCAA Men's Frozen Four weekend in Las Vegas.
Kara Goulding, Boston College (Sr., F, Belmont, Mass.)
Throughout her time at Boston College, Kara Goulding has been a dedicated leader and advocate, committed to service, inclusion, and community impact. Goulding has used her platform to promote mental health awareness, strongly advocating for Morgan's Message. In addition, Goulding has been actively involved with Newton Special Athletes and Team IMPACT. She has also volunteered her time at Franciscan Hospital, further demonstrating her commitment to supporting vulnerable populations through hands-on service. The 2025-26 SAAC president has played a pivotal role in amplifying student-athlete voices and fostering meaningful community engagement across Boston College Athletics. One of Goulding's most impressive initiatives came through her leadership in organizing the Women's Hockey HEADstrong Game, where the team raised over $4,000 in support of the HEADstrong Foundation. Proceeds benefited Nick's House, a home away from home for families traveling for cancer treatment, with locations in Philadelphia and Boston. Her compassion-driven leadership, commitment to advocacy, and passion for service continue to leave a lasting imprint on the Boston College community and beyond.
Grace Sadura, University of Minnesota Duluth (Jr. F, Chanhassen, Minn.)
Sadura has continued UMD women's hockey's well-known community service initiatives as its volunteer coordinator, tasked with organizing and leading community service initiatives for the team, coordinating events that connect student-athletes with the local community, and building partnerships with local organizations to expand outreach opportunities. This season alone, the Bulldog squad is averaging 29 hours of community service per player. The alternate captain's biggest volunteer commitment is the 7 Stars Horse Ranch, which provides growth, healing, and community through hands-on horsemanship and ranch experiences. It serves youth, veterans, first responders, and their families, and the ranch helps participants build confidence, skills, and meaningful connections. Sadura has also spent countless hours helping run practices with the Duluth Special Wild, an organization for hockey players with special needs, and has helped coach local youth teams in the Duluth community. The UMD DEI Council's Clothing Drive, an annual event that collects clothing that the council then donates to schools in need in the community, is another project Sadura leads. The drive has been hugely successful, with the Council also handling publicity and outreach, social media, and the sorting and delivering of the items around Duluth.
Meg Simon, Middlebury College (Sr., F, East Grand Rapids, Mich.)
For all that the Middlebury College and Middlebury, Vermont communities have given Meg Simon, the impact she has left on her programs, campus and community is far greater. Throughout her four years, Simon has contributed to a conference title and two national semifinal appearances with the women's ice hockey program while being a member of the first NESCAC champion women's golf team in school history. For Simon, though, hockey and golf are the vehicles by which she uplifts others and expands access to sport in her community. She serves as the Co-Chair of Volunteering for the Middlebury women's ice hockey program and has worked with multiple local organizations, including the Middlebury Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) and Special Olympics Vermont. She is also a member of the Yellow House Community, an organization that provides safe, residential housing and meaningful vocation to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. On campus, Simon has held roles as the President of Middlebury College Access Mentors (MiddCAM) and a RADical Health Mentor. The Panther has served on Middlebury's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is a social media/content creator for both the Middlebury women's golf and women's ice hockey programs. She is the first Panther to be nominated for the Hockey Humanitarian Award.
Jayden Sison, Princeton University (Sr., D, Paoli, Pa.)
During his four years at Princeton, Jayden Sison has redefined what the term selfless means when it comes to the Princeton men's ice hockey program. Whether being ready as called on to play either forward or defense in his more than 100 games as a Tiger or offering many hours of his free time to multiple service initiatives, Sison has left a remarkable legacy on the ice, in the locker room, and in the community. Sison is a member of the Princeton Student-Athlete Service Council (SASC), a group of 30 student-athletes who meet once a month to help introduce new service opportunities among their teams and support Princeton Athletics in planning and executing volunteer opportunities for all 1,000 student-athletes across 38 varsity sports. Sison has led his teammates' involvement in the PVC Youth Sports Clinic and Reading with the Tigers. He has also served on the leadership team for the Tiger Pals mentorship program for young men in underprivileged school environments and led the team's Team IMPACT initiative. Sison is also active in his hometown, serving as a Program Delivery Intern with the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation where he coordinated on-ice and off-ice programming, events, and engagement for one of hockey's largest philanthropic organizations.
Ryan Tattle, University of Connecticut (Sr., F, Port, Moody, B.C.)
Captain Ryan Tattle has demonstrated strong leadership and community spirit both on and off the ice. Tattle founded the Score for Cancer initiative, showing support for those affected by cancer. Tattle has sadly been personally affected by cancer. In 2021, Tattle's mother, Joanne, and a former teammate were diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, Tattle lost his mother, but he has continued to show a selfless commitment to Score for Cancer, helping raise more than $178,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. His leadership and community spirit began at a young age after his father co-founded a different charity, Lina's Dream, in 2011.Through leadership and community spirit, Tattle has been involved with the organization since its inception, helping to raise more than $775,000 for breast cancer research. This season, Tattle continues the Score for Cancer initiative with renewed purpose as it serves as a tribute to those who have lost their battles with cancer and celebrating those who are still fighting.
The Hockey Humanitarian Foundation will make donations to the charity that is most important to each of the five finalists. These donations are made possible with the generous support of the award's partners and donors
"In the end, it's not how many times you touch the puck, but how often you touch a life."
For more information about the award visit www.hockeyhumanitarian.org
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