It’s a special time of year as the NCAA Division III men’s hockey tournament begins today.
This is what every team has been shooting for since the season began back in November, and for five teams from the west region, they will get their shot to hit the ice in the national tournament.
Gustavus, St. Norbert, UW-Eau Claire, Trine and Aurora are all in. Two teams are assured of advancing as the Gusties play the Green Knights and the Blugolds face the Spartans. A total of three teams could advance, however, as Trine plays Oswego.
For Gustavus (16-9-2), it’s the Gusties’ first tourney appearance since 2012. The Gusties won the MIAC and what a story it has been for a program that won only 11 games a year ago. Tyler Walsh has taken Gustavus to the tourney in year one and that in itself is impressive. He’s guided the team to 16 wins this year.
Though unranked in the national poll, Gustavus has one of the top offenses in hockey, averaging nearly four goals per game. Jack Suchy has played a huge role in that success, scoring 15 goals and dishing out 14 assists.
The Gusties face a St. Norbert team that started out the season like it might never lose. The Green Knights won their first 12 games and have been on a roll again as of late, having not lost a game since January.
They are the champions of the NCHA, going back-to-back, and they are in the tournament for the 22nd time. In other words, NCAA trips are the norm for the Green Knights (23-5-1)
They are putting up more than four goals per game and allowing just two goals per outing. There is no doubt the Green Knights are one of the best all-around teams in the country. And they are currently third nationally in the USCHO.com poll.
Liam Fraser has been impressive, scoring 21 goals while also dishing out 21 assists. Logan Dombrowsky has scored 16 goals and dished out 33 assists. Hunter Garvey has won 18 games in goal.
These two teams have met twice in the tourney before, not since 2012. The Green Knights are 2-0 against the Gusties in tournament play.
While NCAA tournament trips aren’t anything new for St. Norbert, they are new for fifth-ranked Aurora and seventh-ranked Trine. Both squads are making their first ever trip.
Aurora has won 23 games this season, sporting a 23-4-1 record. The win total is the most in the 11-year history of the program. And it gets to play its tourney opener at home, where it has lost only once all year.
The Spartans have dominated offensively, cranking out close to five goals per game. Leading the charge are Hassan Akl and Landry Schmuck. Akl has dished out 39 assists while also scoring 13 goals. Landry Schmuck has put the puck in the net 30 time and has also tallied 12 assists.
Aurora has lost only once in its last 15 games and is one of the teams many believe have a shot of going all the way to the title game.
As for Trine, the Thunder have won 20 games this season, tying for the most wins in program history. They are 20-6-2 on the season.
One of the best things for Trine is that it gets to host its first round game. That’s huge because Trine hasn’t lost at home this season, sporting 12-0 record.
Trine doesn’t have one player who is just putting up eye-popping stats, but the Thunder have thrived with a balanced attack. Logan Fustenau leads the team with 11 goals. Sam Antenucci and Tyler Blanchard have scored nine goals apiece.
But boy does Trine share the puck. Michael DiPietra, Alexander Babich, Drew Welsch and Jack Cooper all rank in the top 15 in the NCHA in assists. DiPietra has 17 assists. The other three have 16 assists.
As for Eau Claire, the Blugolds weren’t expected to win the WIAC. But here they are. They have gotten hot at the right time and have won six of their last eight overall. They might be under .500 from a record standpoint (14-15-1) but they are not a team you can look past.
Eau Claire, after all, has one of the top goalies in the game in Max Gutjahr, who ranks second in the country in shutouts with six, including a shutout win over River Falls in the WIAC title game.
For the Blugolds, this is technically their first time playing in the tournament since 2013 when they won the national title. But Eau Claire earned a tourney berth in 2020. The pandemic robbed the Blugolds of a chance to play in it. That won’t happen this time.
And that might be the best thing of all for NCAA D-III hockey in general. Five years ago, we had no postseason hockey in March. Five years later, we have a chance to watch teams compete for a national championship, including the five teams out of the west who come in with high hopes and high expectations.
