During Friday’s Mason Cup Championship, Groll got to hang on to a precious moment as he scored an empty-netter to clinch a 4-2 victory over rival St. Thomas and win the Mavericks’ third Cup in four years. He was happy that there was a little less pressure on the line for him to score this time around.

“Thankfully, our team was in a really good spot and it didn’t matter if I scored or not,” he said with a smile. “(Evan) Murr put the game-winner in before me. There was no pressure this time to make sure it counted, but it felt great. Having (Adam) Eisele hold me up like Simba and going around was really cool and saluting the crowd was fun after that. Just having the breath of fresh air and that relief after scoring was great, especially in a tight moment like that in the playoffs when everyone is kind of gripping their sticks a little bit. It gets everyone’s shoulders a little less tense.”

Things may have seemed a little tense heading into the third period as the game was tied 2-2, but Mavericks coach Luke Strand said that there wasn’t any stress in the Mankato locker room during the period break.

“Going into the third, there was a neat feeling in the room,” he said. “There was zero panic and very comfortable being an even game. I don’t think you take moments like this for granted, and that’s the maturity of this, this group.”

UST’s Chase Foley skates with the puck with Minnesota State’s Zach Krajnik behind him in their game on March 21, 2025. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

While the Mavericks were all smiles, the Tommies’ mood was significantly different. UST rolled into the game on an eight-game winning streak and was arguably the hottest team in the nation at puck drop. However, the Tommies fell one game short of being able to hang a CCHA Championship banner in their new arena next fall.

“I definitely feel for all the seniors and the age-outs,” Tommies captain Lucas Wahlin said. “They deserve better obviously. I’m going to be kicking myself for sure a little bit, and I’m definitely going to miss a lot of those boys, especially my linemates (Liam Malmquist and Matthew Gleason). It’s tough. They battled their hearts out and a lot of those guys stepped up when we needed them. You could see it tonight with goals from Gleason and Liam, two guys that won’t be here next year that gave it their all. (Jake) Sibell in net, I just feel bad for those boys. Hopefully next year, we can have a better outcome.”

When reflecting on the season as a whole, it was clear that Tommies coach Rico Blasi was proud of what his team accomplished during its big second half run that earned it home ice in the first round of the CCHA Tournament and a home semifinal win.

“There’s not too many teams in the country that go 15-4-1 in the last 20 games,” he said. “Led by the guy to my left (Wahlin), who drives our bus every day in practice and in games. This is what we play for. This is what St. Thomas hockey is going to be about. Playing for championships. So, everything that we do in our process from day to day will be geared toward that, on and off the ice.

“Our culture is in a really good place, our leadership group is in a good place. Our identity is what it is, and I don’t think we’re going to change that. There’s a lot of people that wrote us off at Christmas time, but this team buckled down and came together. They understood their roles and believed in each other. We have a saying in our locker room, Faith in Brother, and there’s a lot of meaning to that. Obviously, there’s faith in something bigger than ourselves, but also faith in each other and that’s what this team has and that’s where our program is at.”

An even game between the Tommies and Mavericks
The first period was evenly played overall. The Mavericks came out with a little more jump in their skates as the puck spent the majority of the first half of the period in the Tommies’ zone. However, as the period went on, things started to even out. There weren’t many high-quality scoring chances for either team, so the goalies weren’t tested much. However, they both made saves when they had to, and the score was 0-0 after 1.

Things were a different story in the second period as both teams started to get into a groove offensively. UST got on the scoreboard first on a great individual effort by Gleason. The senior forward collected a loose puck by the side boards, skated in hard and beat Mavericks goalie Alex Tracy blocker-side at the 6:56 mark.

UST defenseman Chase Cheslock chases a Minnesota State player with the puck in the CCHA Championship game on March 21, 2025. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

“I think that was a big confidence booster for our squad,” Wahlin said. “I would say that was our goal coming out. They obviously came out the first 10 minutes and gave us their best, so props to them. We kind of punched back the last 10 minutes of the first and we ended up getting our first goal of the game, which was huge for us. It brought our squad a lot of confidence and that was what we were looking for. We kind of came into the game with that confidence of ‘Hey, we’re going to score first’ and that was our mentality. We didn’t really get the bounces that we wanted to, so props to Minnesota State.”

However, Mankato answered back on the power play at 10:40. After UST was called for tripping, Mavs center Luigi Benincasa got a cross-ice pass from Rhett Pitlick and beat Sibell glove-side to tie the game at 2-1. The Mavericks then took the lead at 13:14 on a goal by Kaden Bohlsen. With Sibell trying to cover the puck, it squirted free and Bohlsen tapped it into the open net to make it 2-1.

The Tommies wouldn’t go away though. After the Mavs were called for interference, Malmquist brought the puck into the slot and toward the right post where he snapped it past Tracy to tie things up at 2-2 going into the third. That was Malmquist’s 20th goal of the season, which currently leads the CCHA, and his league-leading 45th point.

Things remained tight and a back-and-forth affair throughout the third period. The Mavericks grabbed the lead at 10:13 thanks to a shot by Murr. The CCHA Defenseman of the Year fired a shot from the point that beat Sibell to the far post to put Mankato up 3-2. The Tommies got a couple of good chances to tie the game, but Tracy denied them both. UST was also unable to pull Sibell for the extra attacker until 45 seconds were left in the period thanks to some good pressure from the Mavs, and then Groll finished off the win with his empty-net goal.

The post Mavs Win Mason Cup appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

After having a solid junior season as a transfer from Wisconsin, Malmquist has emerged as the Tommies’ most potent offensive threat as he currently has 19 points, with 13 of them being assists. Two of his six goals have been shorthanded.

Malmquist may put on a good show on the ice at times, but when asked about his accomplishments so far, he stays humble. However, he does admit that as an Edina alum, he’s embraced the stigma of being a “cake eater” to hockey fans around Minnesota.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said, with a laugh. “You grow up and guys know what Edina is. You get so used to it. You never really hear it (at first) because you’re always around other Edina guys growing up, but when you branch out, you’ll hear it. I think it’s funny.

“We were playing at Bemidji State this year and we were coming off intermission during Saturday’s game and they had some Bemidji alumni thing. We were walking through the tunnel and one of the alumni screamed ‘Hey Malmquist, you cake eater.’ It was a crucial game, so I was trying to stay focused, but I smirked and laughed at it. I’m used to it and it doesn’t bother me at all.”

It’s hard to rattle Malmquist on the ice as he carries himself with a quiet poise. As a former tennis player, he knows how to take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way.

“I like having the puck,” he said. “I like having the plays there for me and being able to see the whole ice sheet and seeing guys move to where they’re going to be. I like when I can do some quick cut-ups and enter the zone with speed and use my edges to change direction to try to catch people off guard. I also like if there’s a play and I can take a chance to try to do it by using my speed.

“Hockey is like a tennis match in a sense. Each shift and each period and each game is brand new. Maybe in different games, I try to use my speed depending on the team, and other times, I’ll need to be a lot smarter and use my head more than my legs.”

Liam Malmquist said being called an Edina “cake eater” doesn’t bother him. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

College-hockey decision was a tough choice
When it came time to decide on where to play college hockey, Malmquist had a tough time deciding as he wanted to find the perfect fit like his father found playing for Harvard or his brother Dylan found suiting up for Notre Dame. Liam eventually found it in Madison playing for the Badgers.

“It was a tough decision,” he said. “I was talking to other schools and a lot of the people I was talking with were really nice, and I have nothing but good things to say about my recruitment process. I wanted to make sure I was going to a place where I was going to get an opportunity. I didn’t want to rush, but I also had an opportunity to play junior hockey at the same time. Madison, at the end of the day, was the right fit. I respected (then head coach) Tony Granato and his way of thinking about the game and how he approached recruiting me.

“My two years in Madison were unbelievable. We didn’t have the best records or the playoff runs that we’d hoped for, but the guys were really nice and supportive. I learned a lot from my first two years just going to a big school with a city feel to it. At the end of the day, it worked out where I got to experience it and now, I’m back closer to home.”

After Malmquist’s sophomore year at Wisconsin, Granato was fired and replaced by former Minnesota State head coach Mike Hastings. After some initial discussions with his new coach, Malmquist decided the perfect fit might be somewhere else.

“I was still hoping to play hockey in Madison, but they had Mike Hastings come in, and I had a couple conversations with him prior to entering the portal,” Malmquist said. “I have nothing but respect for him as well. He’s the real deal. I wanted to express what I thought I could be and where I saw myself. I’m sure he had his own system and his own ideas in place, and it didn’t end up fitting mutually.

“So, it was a personal decision to enter the portal. I kind of took a leap of faith. I had a lot of people supporting me and people who had my back and taught me how to manage. It was pretty stressful and it’s hard when you’re at a place for two years and it feels like your home. But then time moves so fast and you kind of blink and it’s gone and then you’re back to where it started with recruitment.

“I was fortunate to talk with some schools and heard a lot hockey minds and perspectives on things, and I guess it all shifted when I got the call from (Tommies head coach) Rico (Blasi), (assistant coaches) Leon (Hayward) and Cory (Laylin). They were super supportive and really excited to talk to me. It was easy for me at the time because I knew what they were bringing in and I knew a lot of the guys already and who they had already recruited from the portal. My decision to leave Madison wasn’t against anyone. It was just kind of personal and wanting to try a different experience. I’m taking what I learned at Madison and am trying to continue to grow at St. Thomas.”

Before skating with Wisconsin and St. Thomas in college hockey, Liam Malmquist won the Class 2A state championship with Edina in 2019. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

Malmquist has produced on the stats sheet for Tommies
The Tommies were predicted to be better last season, but ended up surpassing preseason expectations by finishing second in the CCHA. Malmquist was a big reason for that as he finished with 10 goals and was second on the team in points with 27. When asked what created that sudden offensive explosion, Malmquist said there were a lot of factors, but it might’ve just come down to a new mindset.

“I think the biggest thing when I got to St. Thomas was the feeling of ‘I’ve got nothing to lose,’” he said. “Rico was really appreciative of who I was right away, and he gave me confidence and an opportunity that a lot of guys would want. I had the support of teammates and some really good guys and got set up with special teams with really good players. It kind of took off and after that first game at St. Cloud, we got that win and everything burst wide open. It was just, go out and play and just enjoy it.”

Now that he’s on track to probably having an even better statistical season this year, Malmquist said that he’s continuing to block out the noise around him.

“When you’re not focusing on the things you can’t control, things tend to work out point-wise,” he said. “You get compliments and you get some confidence from it. I’m just continuing on what it was last year. Everyone in that room, including myself, is there to win a hockey game. I know everyone will do whatever they can to get a result. Individually, I try not to focus on any of that. If we can get a clean breakout and move five guys on the ice and snap it around five or six times and create a chance, that catches my eye more than stats.

“It goes back to having confidence in myself. Last week, I was playing with (teammates) Matt (Gleason) and Lucas (Wahlin), who are unbelievable players, and two years ago at Madison, I maybe wasn’t playing as much. Now, I’m here as a senior, and it’s pretty amazing. I’m playing a top role on a top team with all these top players.”

Malmquist may be underrated nationally, but right now, it’s clear that he’s the Tommies’ top guy.

The post Tommies’ Top Guy appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Last year, the Tommies had two former Colorado College players on the roster. With center Matthew Gleason sticking around for one more year, UST added two more in defenseman Chase Foley and forward Ray Christy to have a total of three former Tigers on the Tommies roster this season.

Gleason grew up with Christy and then played against him and Foley in high school before they eventually all went off to Colorado Springs.

“I was actually really good buddies growing up with Ray’s younger brother Robert,” Gleason said. “He was my age growing up, so we were always on the same youth teams. And then Ray was on my older brother’s team. That’s how we connected. Chase, I didn’t know too much, but we did the same summer training program growing up, so we crossed paths with that and also playing against each other. All three us were on the same high school elite league team as well.

Added Foley: “We all kind of committed to CC around the same time, so we definitely knew each other going in, and it’s special that all three of us were committed from the same area.”

First stop: Colorado College
All three were recruited to CC by former Tigers assistant coach and current Tommies assistant coach Leon Hayward. Foley liked the idea of playing where his dad played hockey and his parents met, while Christy also had a family connection.

Ray Christy, playing for Colorado College, takes a shot during a 4-3 win over Denver University on March 8, 2024. Christy played at St. Thomas Academy in high school, and has come full-circle returning to play for the University of St. Thomas. (Photo courtesy of Colorado College athletic department)

“I originally committed there with my brother, so it was just an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up,” Christy said. “Another big factor was Chase’s dad played there, and he had a super big impact on not only myself, but Chase’s career and my brother Robert’s career. It just was a cool spot and a great opportunity.”

Once they all arrived on campus, it didn’t take long for the guys to reconnect and strengthen their bonds.

“It was awesome just moving in,” Gleason said. “I started second semester of my freshmen year moving into an apartment with those guys and Jackson Jutting (Bemidji State) and Jack Millar (AHL Ontario Reign). So, that was awesome. Just always growing up playing against each other either, especially with the Cretin (Derham Hall) and St. Thomas Academy rivalry. That was cool just becoming teammates and building that brotherhood and memories on and off the ice.”

Their freshman year was during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“So, there were barely any students on campus,” Foley said. “We could basically only hang out with your team because you weren’t allowed to be in groups bigger than 10 or so people. We got really close our freshman year and then it just continued into sophomore and junior year when Matthew was still there. We hung with each other away from the rink and going over to each other’s apartments to watch movies and hanging out. It was a lot of fun.”

One might think that because Gleason and Christy are forwards that they might’ve played a lot together, but the twosome only played two shifts together their entire careers with the Tigers. One time was during a game at Western Michigan in Gleason’s last season at CC, and the other was a game against CC’s archrival, Denver, which resulted in a memory the two of them can laugh at now.

“We were playing Denver, and me, Matt and Jackson Jutting all ran for the hills, and the Denver guys took the puck and put it in the back of the net,” Christy said, with a laugh. “It was memorable for the wrong reasons.”

Next stop: University of St. Thomas
In 2023-24, Gleason transferred to UST, while the other two stayed with the Tigers for another year and had the best seasons of their college careers after battling injuries through a good chunk of their time at CC. After last season, Christy and Foley entered the portal and were enticed about the idea to come back to their home rink.

Chase Foley carries the puck for Colorado College in a game against Arizona State on Dec. 1, 2023. This season, Foley has six assists in 10 games for St. Thomas. (Photo courtesy of Colorado College athletic department)

“There’s a lot of factors going into it, but I think the number one thing was being able to play at home in front of some friends and family,” Foley said. “So, they don’t have to travel as much to Colorado Springs. There’s other ones, too. Ray was obviously going to come here, and Matthew was one of my really good friends, and I wanted to be able to reconnect with those guys and being able to play Division I hockey at home is something pretty special and not everybody gets the opportunity to do.”

When St. Thomas coach Rico Blasi called, Christy said it was an opportunity to come home.

“I enjoyed my time in Colorado, it was great, but the opportunity to come home and be part of a new program that was on the rise was something that really interested me.” Christy said.

Hayward said Christy and Foley both fill a specific need on the Tommies roster, with Christy serving as a good replacement for another CC transfer in Noah Prokop and Foley being a leader on the power play.

“Ray knows who he is as a player,” Hayward said. “I don’t think he came here saying ‘Hey, I want to be on the power play’ or ‘I want to do this, or I want to do that.’ He really wanted to be part of a team and a team that has a chance to win some games and compete. I think that’s what ultimately drew us to him and him to us. I think it was a good fit in terms of stylistically what we were looking for at the time and what he had to offer.

“Chase is a power play 1-type guy with great hockey sense. He’s elusive. He’s just a really smart player, and he always has been. That was something we were looking for, for our power play and frankly, I don’t think we had had the first three years here at St. Thomas. So, he was a very specific need. Certainly, for us the portal has changed from ‘Hey, let’s just get guys to fill spots’ to ‘We have a very specific need and does this player fill it?’ Chase is a prime example of that. He had a few other options at some bigger schools, and I think we lucked out with obviously a little bit of a relationship there and then being able to come close to home. So, it worked out. But he was very specific. We really needed someone to run a power play, and I think you’re seeing that now and what that kind of means to our team.”

Reunited, and it feels so good
Now that they’ve all been reunited, Gleason and Foley are off to solid starts as the former is second on the team in goals and the latter is second in assists. Christy also returned to the lineup last weekend against Bowling Green after being out for two weeks with an injury. Almost two months into the season, the two newcomers feel that they’ve fit in nicely within the Tommies roster.

“Coming into a new team, it’s always a little nerve racking because you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Foley said. “But from the first workout in the summer, the sense you get from the guys is the team is bigger than the individual. That’s something that’s super easy to pick up on in our locker room. Everybody is playing for the guy next to them. Nobody is playing for themselves. Everyone has the greater goal, which is a championship in mind.

Added Christy: “It’s been great. I’ve been playing with them for quite a bit now. I know their games inside and out. Just having that special experience, just knowing where they’re going to be at and what plays they usually make. Off the ice, it does a lot because we have such good friendships where we’re not afraid to push each other or confront each other if things aren’t going the right way. To have those types of teammates that can be a rock and kind of build you to motivate yourself to be better, I’m super grateful to have them.”

Now that he’s played with both Christy and Foley at two colleges, Gleason says he’s built up a tight connection with both, and he said that benefits the team.

Matthew Gleason has five goals and one assist in 11 games with St. Thomas this season, matching his goal total from 2023-24 with the Tommies. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

“Just during office conversations (with Christy), we always saw the game the same way,” Gleason said. “I think the cool thing with Ray is that he’s an older guy and he’s seen a lot of hockey. So, we have a lot of conversations about how the game works and what we can do as players to be better in those situations and how we can attack different teams. Basically, just work on our strengths to be more effective in games.

“With Foley, you understand the way somebody works on the ice and how they react as a person, it makes the communication better. I think that’s the biggest thing with playing with guys you build a relationship with. You know how to talk to each other. Sometimes you need to scream at each other and sometimes you just need to have a conversation. Just overall, getting on the same page and working toward that end goal.”

According to all three of them, that end goal is a CCHA championship. The Tommies were predicted to win the conference in the preseason CCHA polls, and even though they’ve gotten off to a bumpy start, they all believe that the team still has what it takes to finish at the top in their final collegiate seasons.

“For me personally, that’s what I want to hang my hat on here at St. Thomas,” Gleason said. “Helping the culture move forward brick by brick, as Rico always says. Building those relationships with guys and winning a conference championship and hanging that first banner in the new rink for those guys next year and the history going forward.”

Foley and Christy agreed with Gleason’s thoughts and said they’ll keep striving to make that happen.

“That was our goal at the beginning of the year and nothing’s changed,” Foley said. “That’s what we’re all working hard for.”

The post Tigers To Tommies appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

That wasn’t the case for the St. Thomas men’s squad Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center. After getting handed a 7-1 defeat Friday at the hands of No. 5 Minnestota, the Tommies were looking to bounce back, but a costly major penalty by Matthew Gleason in the second period led to two Golden Gophers goals and Minnesota ended up cruising to a 6-2 victory to complete the series sweep.

“Obviously, the better team won tonight,” said Tommies coach Rico Blasi. “I thought we played hard. I thought we came out really well again. Our emotions got the best of us, and we took a couple of undisciplined penalties. You can’t do that against a good team.”

When asked if tonight was a learning experience for his team in regard to physical play, Blasi said that playing hard and physical was part of the Tommies’ identity, but they didn’t make better decisions.

“Obviously, we’ve got to keep our hands down and be smart about it, and we didn’t do that tonight,” he said. “So, we’re going to have to continue to focus on that. I think it’s just a mindset in making sure that we do that. We know that. Our guys know that. We got caught up in the emotion tonight, and it’s unacceptable.”

For the Gophers, it was another strong victory as they’ve now won four games in a row with impressive offensive showings. Coach Bob Motzko said that their power play unit needed to step up, and it did as they picked up three goals.

Cooper Gay (No. 20) scored his third goal of the season on Oct. 26 to give St. Thomas a 1-0 lead over the Gophers in the first period at Xcel Energy Center. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Stieg)

“There was a lot of 50-50 hockey last night, and then tonight was special teams,” Motzko said. “Our power play needed to answer the bell, and you have to do that in the season. We needed to get our power play going and got three of them tonight, and that was big. I didn’t like the shorty we gave up at the end, but I also liked some maturity in our team. We kept our cool. We tried to stay out of it and just play hockey and get through it. We got pucks deep at the end, and we made smart line changes and some things you probably don’t want to hear about. But we played with some maturity tonight with a lead, and I liked that.”

Motzko also said that he and his staff emphasized the importance of taking all of the games against the fellow Minnesota schools like UST seriously, since the smaller schools see it as a big event.

“We addressed it this year with our guys at the start of the year,” he said. “There’s been some years that hadn’t been great for us at times, and we kind of challenged our guys. It started with our exhibition game with St. Cloud. That we wanted to really be on top of our game and take our nonconference against in-state teams seriously because they take it seriously against us and they want to come after us. We’ve got great leadership and great veterans that have taken hold of that, and I’m proud of them.”

Lamb takes advantage of Gleason’s major penalty
Just like Friday’s contest, UST struck first. At the 4:19 mark, Tommies defenseman Mason Poolman sent a pass from the point to forward Cooper Gay and he tapped it past Gophers goalie Liam Souliere to make it 1-0.

However, the Gophers weren’t deterred and continued to put pressure on the Tommies and goalie Aaron Trotter. Minnesota caught a break at the 10:42 mark as Trotter made a save on a Ryan Chesley shot, but the shot trickled through his pads and into the back of the net, tying the game 1-1.

Minnesota got on the scoreboard again less than two minutes later while on the power play. A Sam Rinzel shot was saved by Trotter, but the puck was free by the left post and the Gophers’ Brody Lamb tapped it into the open net to put them up 2-1 heading into the second period.

That’s when the Gophers broke the game open. Gleason was whistled for a contact to the head major penalty and a game misconduct. Lamb took advantage, scoring two goals on the lengthy power play to complete his natural hat trick. His second goal of the game came at the 6:43 mark when he one-timed a pass from Luke Mittelstadt into the back of the net, and then his third came at 8:36 when he beat Trotter to the right post to push Minnesota’s lead to 4-1. With less than a minute left in the period, the Gophers’ Aaron Huglen made it 5-1 going into the third.

UST got a goal back while trying to kill another major penalty early in the third as forward Liam Malmquist slid past the Gophers’ power play unit and scored on a shorthanded breakaway at the 4:02 mark. However, any hopes of a Tommies comeback were squashed at the 6:57 mark when Minnesota’s Connor Kurth scored his sixth goal of the season.

Next weekend, the Tommies host CCHA foe Augustana for the first time, while the Gophers open Big Ten play against Penn State.

The post Gophers Sweep Tommies appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It’s sometimes difficult for transfers to fit into a new system right away, but St. Thomas forwards Noah Prokop and Matthew Gleason make it look easy.  

“We actually joke about it that we had one shift together in our two years at Colorado College,” Gleason said with a laugh. “We actually had a scoring chance there. But I think the thing with us is that we’ve lived with each other for two years now, and we can work off each other and we can communicate really well with each other, which I think that’s one of the biggest things about being on the line with guys.

“He can yell at me when I’m doing something wrong, and I can yell at him if he’s doing something wrong. But at the end of the day, it’s just for the better of the team and to perform better. I think that’s the biggest thing is just the relationship we have off the ice.” 

Noah Prokop (No. 21, center) scored three goals and six assists in two seasons with Colorado College before transferring to St. Thomas this season. (Photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas)

The two are really close friends and on the same wavelength about things, Prokop said. 

Matthew Gleason skates for Colorado College in a game against Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 5, 2022. He scored 10 goals and 16 assists in the last two seasons with CC. (Photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas)

“And then Gleason was a kid that I recruited all the way back when he was at Cretin (Derham Hall). I’d been watching him for years. I had a really good relationship with his family, but I honestly was surprised when he popped in the transfer portal. He’s just a kid that works his butt off and has a ton of skill and really kind of how we want to play at St. Thomas. I knew he would be a kid that (UST head coach) Rico (Blasi) would appreciate in terms of what he brings to the table on a nightly basis. So, that was a big reason for those two.” 

Gleason and Prokop helped the Tommies reach second place in the conference standings at the holiday break. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

“You’d like to sit there and think that he’s kind of pesky and just always working hard and in your face kind of water bug that’s all over the place,” Prokop said. “But at the end of the day, he is a skilled player. He can make plays and he can score goals. I think he’s an all-around good player and that his work ethic is absolutely off the charts, and it goes to show in games and in practice that guys are nervous going up against him and they know they’re going to get his best all the time.

“His work ethic is top notch, and I think his hockey IQ is unbelievable as well. So, it kind of makes for a perfect combination of being a good player.” 

The post From Tigers to Tommies appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

But wait. For the current 2023-24 season a sixth Minnesota Division I program has vaulted into immediate contention, with the University of St. Thomas opening the season with a startling split with St. Cloud State and taking the then-No. 1 ranked Gophers to overtime before falling 6-5 before more than 11,000 fans at Xcel Energy Center.

The WCHA is, of course, no longer in operation. It shattered when Minnesota went off to help start a Big Ten hockey conference, prompting Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State to start up with the new, and supremely powerful, National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) and leaving MSU-Mankato and Bemidji State in what was left of the WCHA. That league changed its name to the CCHA, recapturing the Central Collegiate Hockey Association call letters forced by Michigan when it branched off from the WCHA to form its “bus league.”

While St. Thomas, under proven mastermind Rico Blasi as head coach, raised all its sports to Division I status, nobody expected the Tommies to be the surprise of the state’s college hockey stalwarts this quickly.

Sophomore Ben Steeves scored a shootout goal as UMD solved a 2-2 tie with Michigan Tech. (MHM Photo / John Gilbert)

Regardless, we have to turn back to Minnesota Duluth to find the new king of bargain promotions in college hockey. The Bulldogs started off this season unbeaten through three games, while giving their fans the benefit of a bargain for their ticket prices. In two of their first three games, the Bulldogs skated to ties, then through scoreless overtimes, and then through shootouts before prevailing to turn those deadlocks into symbolic victories.

A young student, new to big-time hockey, saw the teams prepare for the shootout after UMD and Michigan Tech tied 2-2 in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game and asked: “Do they get a point if they win the shootout?” He was told no, that there was no tangible benefit, no points, no indication of winning, but only giving the fans the satisfaction of seeing the game end in something other than a tie.

He was unimpressed at the answer, but as the shootout saw Ben Steeves score a goal, and then freshman Anthony Menghini clinch it 2-1, the fans, all of whom stood in their AMSOIL Arena seats, erupted with a roar that would do a league playoff championship proud. The young man acknowledged, “OK, now I get it.”

A week later, in their first official non-conference game against Northern Michigan, UMD started with a 3-0 lead before allowing three unanswered goals and needing to rally to go back ahead 4-3 on Steeve’s second goal of the night, then fell behind 5-4. That left it up to Menghini, the freshman, to score another pivotal goal, tying the game 5-5 with 2:58 remaining. Then the Bulldogs and Wildcats sparred through six rounds of the shootout before Matthew Perkins, another freshman, scored to claim another 2-1 shutout victory. Again, however, it was not a victory, just an official tie. But don’t tell the 5,947 screaming fans that!

They went home happy and, thanks to the return of a previous promotional deal with area Culver’s restaurants, every fan turning in a ticket stub whenever UMD scores five goals or more gets a free scoop of frozen custard. How can you beat having extra-time hockey and free frozen custard after your team won the game — as far as you’re concerned.

The next night, UMD kept rolling through Northern Michigan in a second penalty-fest that saw a repeat of double-digit penalty calls with each team scoring three power-play goals and the Bulldogs getting an 8-5 victory and a sweep.

“These are games that test your inner strength,” UMD coach Scott Sandelin said afterward. “I thought we handled the adversity a little better tonight than in the first game, and fortunately our power play was clicking.”

Fears of struggling to score were washed away in that series sweep, thanks to Steeves and a couple of freshmen, starting a trend that seems to have engaged the whole team, which Sandelin will welcome as he tries to take his team off to the NCAA tournament in quest of his fourth national title at UMD.

Snuggerud is back for the Gophers
Down Interstate 35 a couple of hours, Bob Motzko has assembled a flashy crop of talent led by Jimmy Snuggerud, who started off hot after several of his classmates turned pro after last season’s near miss at NCAA time. Motzko got his way by narrowing the Olympic-sized, 200-by-100-foot ice sheet at 3M Arena at Mariucci to a hybrid width, now 200-by-89 feet. With an inability to use the wider ice surface favored by the late Herb Brooks and Doug Woog to win his first national title with a dressing room filled with NHL draft choices, maybe a narrower rink will help.

At the start, Snuggerud made the plan work. After scoring the overtime winner against upstart St. Thomas to climax a rally from a 4-2 deficit in the third period, Snuggerud brought his teammates back to Mariucci for the second game and scored twice for a 2-0 lead that the Gophers expanded with an empty-net goal for a 3-0 victory and a sweep.

The media-heavy Twin Cities promotional backing may have helped the Gophers gain the No 1 ranking in the nation despite losing four players to early NHL contracts. But Snuggerud makes it appear they won’t be missed as the Gophers try to repeat as Big Ten champions.

Early adversity for St. Cloud State 
The St. Cloud State Huskies, who rose up from a disappointing season to make a run at the NCAA tournament last spring, lost some big scorers. But coach Brett Larson has proven to be a master at fashioning his talent into contenders as the season progresses. The Huskies were the first victim of St. Thomas, losing 5-4 in overtime, and had to go to the Mendota Heights home of the Tommies to battle for a 1-0 victory and a split.

But next came a huge rivalry series against MSU Mankato, which spotted the Huskies the first two goals before roaring back to tie the game 2-2 in the second period and beat St. Cloud 3-2 on Adam Eisele’s overtime goal. The next night, Mankato stung the Huskies 5-1 for a sweep.

New coach leads Minnesota State Mankato
Minnesota State Mankato suffered what seemed like crushing setbacks when Mike Hastings left to become head coach at Wisconsin, and several of his top Mavericks entered the transfer portal to go with him. New head coach Luke Strand, however, has regenerated the Mavericks right from the start.

They were heartened by the return to form of Sam Morton, a fifth-year captain who went out after only 10 games with a knee injury last season. Alex Tracy looks solid in goal. The Mavericks have retained a great tradition, as they blocked 23 shots in the 5-1 game against St. Cloud State.

Beavers host Ice Breaker Tournament
Bemidji State is another team joining Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech in trying to unseat MSU Mankato as CCHA champion, and the Beavers got an early taste of the competition by co-hosting the Ice Breaker Tournament with North Dakota to open the season. That came after losing 5-2 at Minnesota in an exhibition opener. Back home, Bemidji State dropped a 4-3 overtime game to Wisconsin and the reappearance of old rival Hastings on the visiting bench.

The next night, Army came to Bemidji’s sparkling Sanford Center and the Beavers made a determined rally to tie the Cadets 2-2 on Eric Pohlkamp’s goal at 7:30 of the third period. Lleyton Roed scored the game-winner at 0:59 of overtime for a 3-2 triumph. Roed also had a goal against Wisconsin, when the Badgers outshot Bemidji 61-19 and only the 57 saves by goaltender Mattias Scholl kept the Beavers in the game.

Toms roll in game one
The state’s newest DI team, the St. Thomas Tommies, served notice of their intentions not only against in-state rivals like Minnesota and St. Cloud State, but challenging the CCHA as a legitimate contender. Blasi established his skills in building Miami of Ohio into a solid team in the NCHC. After he was let go by Miami he was a natural choice to lead the Tommies into DI. So, his team’s early successes this year shouldn’t be a surprise.

Benefitting by the transfer portal, Blasi has assembled speed and talent that went on display in the season-opener at St. Cloud State. Goals by Jake Braccini, Cameron Recchi, Luke Manning and Matthew Gleason got the Tommies into overtime, where former Duluth East star Ryder Donovan scored at 1:11 to win it 5-4. It won’t be easy for St. Thomas to keep knocking off powerful rivals, but Blasi has made a name for himself by sending tough, tenacious teams over the boards.

Now that St. Thomas is planning a new arena for its future, about all they need is to find an ice cream shop — or maybe a St. Paul pizza joint — and come up with a promotion whenever they score five goals.

The post DI College Hockey Preview appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Fans of the Minnesota state high school boys’ hockey tournament might recognize Lamb’s name from the goal fest he put together on the same sheet during the 2021 tourney. The Byron native scored six of the seven goals for his Dodge County team in a 7-3 quarterfinal victory over a depleted Hermantown squad (pandemic protocols kept most of the top Hawks out of the lineup). Lamb was the leading scorer in that tournament with 10 tallies as he led Dodge County to a runner-up finish to Gentry Academy.

Friday, Lamb scored a pair of third-period goals in a back-and-forth contest against St. Thomas, helping the Gophers achieve an eventual 6-5 overtime victory.

“Obviously it’s a little different play style from what I played in high school,” Lamb said. “The atmosphere was great tonight, obviously two big student sections. It’s always good to play in front of a loud crowd.”

Jimmy Snuggerud scores in overtime to give the Gophers a 6-5 victory. (MHM / Jonathan Watkins)

The crowd, a mix of maroon-and-gold and purple-clothed spectators, was engaged and created a fun atmosphere for the Minnesota/St. Thomas women’s and men’s hockey doubleheader. Looking around the lower bowl for the men’s game with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop was reminiscent of the turnouts for the Class 1A boys’ high school tournament.

Paid attendance for the two games (the women played at 4 p.m., an 8-0 Gophers win) was 11,376; one ticket provided entry for both contests, with St. Thomas as the home team playing at a neutral site but still in its native St. Paul.

“This is my favorite road trip now of the year,” said Gophers coach Bob Motzko. “I’ll be home by 11:02 p.m. We’ll keep it going. Our fans want it, and we’ve got to deliver it.”

Fans were treated to a very entertaining hockey game that helped establish what many hope could be a new in-state, Division I rivalry. St. Thomas, in only its third season as a DI program after moving up from Division III, faced the Gophers for the first time since January 1927 for a regular-season game.

St. Thomas entered the night on the high of splitting a series with St. Cloud State a weekend ago with an overtime victory, while the Gophers officially opened their season on Friday.

The Gophers took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, but St. Thomas responded with a three-goal second period to grab the 3-2 lead headed for the final 20 minutes of play. The Gophers “got off script,” Motzko said, and St. Thomas capitalized.

“I have no idea who that team was playing in the second period,” Motzko said, of his Gophers.

If any fans lingered in the concourse following the second intermission, they missed out on a ton of action. Only 27 seconds in, sophomore Lucas Wahlin gave the Tommies a two-goal cushion. The momentum appeared to be all St. Thomas. But the Gophers, the nation’s runner-up last season, countered right away. Gophers sophomore Jimmy Snuggerud needed only five seconds into a power play to score his first goal of the game, and only 20 seconds after Wahlin.

Then it was time for Snuggerud’s linemate Lamb to put on his show. Still only 2 minutes, 8 seconds into the third period, Lamb tied the game 4-4 with a perfect top-shelf wrister from the slot. Four minutes later, Lamb struck again for his first collegiate multi-goal game to give the Gophers a 5-4 lead.

Maintaining a positive attitude throughout the third period was key for the Gophers bench, according to Lamb.

“Two-goal lead’s the worst lead in hockey,” Lamb said. “So, I think just staying composed, talking to everyone on the bench, staying positive.”

Gophers goaltender Justen Close made 31 saves against St. Thomas on Oct. 13. (MHM / Jonathan Watkins)

But Wahlin countered again for the Tommies with 6:43 left in regulation. Snuggerud scored the overtime winner to avoid the season-opener upset for a 6-5 Gophers victory. The Gophers avoided what would have been an eye-popping loss, but also put on some entertainment for the fans.

Wahlin, who scored twice and added an assist, credited the Gophers but also noted how the Tommies battled back from being down 2-0 early.

“We’re right there with the No. 1 team in the nation,” Wahlin said. “It is tough. Definitely a good hockey game and a good team.

“They got the last bounce, but it’s the way it goes.”

Saturday, the home-and-home series moved to 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Gophers finished off the sweep with a 3-0 victory, with Snuggerud scoring two a pair of goals before Lamb, who assisted on the second goal, scored an empty-netter in the final minute. The Tommies pressured but couldn’t get a goal past Justen Close, who made 24 saves for the shutout.  

After Friday’s game, St. Thomas coach Rico Blasi said his team was taking the necessary steps to progress and make sure they’re in more games than not.

“So, we were in that game (Friday),” Blasi said. “Do I think we’re there yet? Probably not. But we’re getting close.”

The post Like a Lamb appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

SAINT PAUL — There’s an age-old adage that says “success breeds success” and, while that may be true, it also has a way of breeding nearly as much contempt. The University of St. Thomas experienced both sides of that coin over the course of several decades of athletic dominance at the Division III level.

But a new era has dawned for St. Thomas, which now faces the reality of playing the role of David in a world of Goliaths at the Division I level beginning with the 2021-22 sports season. With the puck having already dropped on both the Tommies men’s and women’s hockey seasons, it’s a role the school, the players and its fans have already embraced.

Both teams went from the frying pan and into the fire in their respective opening weekends.

The women opened on the road against Ohio State, the NCAA’s current No. 3-ranked team, and were swept by the Buckeyes. The Tommies bounced back the following weekend at home against Bemidji State, winning the second game of the series 2-1 on Luci Bianchi’s third-period goal for its first Division I win and a series split.

The men, meanwhile, faced second-ranked St. Cloud State in a home-and-home series culminating with the Tommies hosting the Huskies at Xcel Energy Center. The Tommies got themselves in penalty trouble in St. Cloud, falling 12-2 thanks in no small part to seven Husky power-play goals. The following night was a different story as St. Thomas played a more disciplined game and hung in there with St. Cloud State before falling by a 2-0 margin in front of 4,261 mostly Tommie fans. 

St. Thomas coach Rico Blasi, who led Miami (Ohio) University to 10 NCAA tournament and two Frozen Four appearances, including one championship game, took note of the fan support and even singled out the student section. 

“I’m super excited for our program, I’m super excited for our university,” Blasi said. “All the people have been working extremely hard for this transition and to have that kind of support is really going to show you what St. Thomas is going to be all about.”

The post Tommies Take Center Stage appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.