University of St. Thomas Athletics

Friday, November 8
Mendota Heights, Minn.
7:07 p.m. Central

vs

Minnesota State

Cooper Gay
Photo by: George Dannecker

Men’s hockey battles nationally ranked Minnesota State

11/7/2024 11:16:00 AM | Men's Hockey

The Tommies continue to battle through their strong schedule to begin the season against #16 Mavericks

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES
  • St. Thomas (2-4-1 overall, 1-1-0 CCHA) has the 16th ranked Minnesota State Mavericks (6-4-0 overall, 1-1-0 CCHA) next up on its schedule with an early-season home-and-home series. Friday's game is set for a 7:07 p.m. puck drop at Saint Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights and Saturday's game two has a 6:07 p.m. start at Mayo Clinic HSEC in Mankato. 
  • This is the only home-and-home battle within conference play for the Tommies. The final two games of the four-game season series is set for January 31 and February 1. 
  • The history between the two teams has been mostly dominated by Minnesota State. The Mavericks won the first eight games of the series by a combined score of 48-11. St. Thomas took its first game, 3-2 in overtime on Feb. 2, 2022, before dropping the final game of the Mike Hastings era the following night. The Tommies are 2-2 in the Luke Strand era with an overtime loss. St. Thomas took the season series in terms of conference points.
  • Minnesota State has won four of its last five games after a split with Bemidji State to begin CCHA competition (1-0 L and 2-1 W). The Mavericks have four nationally ranked victories (5-2 W vs #7 Michigan, 3-0 W vs #5 North Dakota, 4-3 W and 1-0 W vs #16 Omaha) to begin the season. Offensively, they are led by Minnesota transfer Rhett Pitlick with four goals and five assists for nine points, just a hair under a point-per-game. Pitlick is tied for the NCAA lead with three game-winning goals (Michigan, Merrimack, Omaha). Alex Tracy has been the lone goaltender in net for MSU and has played to a stunning 1.41 goals against average and .946 save percentage, both are top 10 in the country. Tracy is 3-1-0 in 5 games played against St. Thomas with a 2.54 GAA and .867 SV%. The Mavericks are scoring 2.2 goals per game (6th in CCHA) and are allowing just 1.6 goals per game (best in CCHA).
  • St. Thomas is also fresh off a conference opening split. The Tommies won the first game of the series with the Vikings, 4-0 but fell in game two 3-2 at home. Aaron Trotter played both games and worked a shutout in game one, the third of his career. Liam Malmquist led the way for the Tommies over the weekend with consecutive two-point games and currently leads the CCHA with nine points in seven games. The senior is 28th in the country with 1.29 points per game. Trotter got the call for both games against the Vikings and comes into this weekend with a 2-2-0 record, 2.52 GAA, and .906 SV%. The Toms are scoring 2.43 goals per game, second in the conference, and are allowing 3.29 goals per game, sixth in the conference. They have the worst power play at 4% (1-25) and third-best penalty kill (.879). 
ON THE RADIO
  • ESPN 1500 is the home of all St. Thomas Men's Hockey games. 
  • Fans can listen on the radio at 1500 AM, online at https://live.skornorth.com/listen/ or on the Varsity Sports App. 
CCHA TV ON MIDCO SPORTS PLUS
  • All St. Thomas and CCHA games will be live-streamed on Midco Sports Plus
  • Midco Sports Plus provides each subscriber with access to all content and events with the purchase of a monthly or yearly subscription.
  • Midco Sports Plus is available on IOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Chromecast.
POWER PLAY STRUGGLES
The Tommies started the 2024-25 season without a power play goal through the first seven games. They were 0-4 against St. Cloud State, 0-10 against Vermont, 0-3 against Minnesota, and 0-2 in game-one against Augustana for a 0-19 start. 
 
It was the longest power play drought to start a season in program history. During 2022-23, the Tommies scored on their 15th power play chance in their fourth game against Alaska Fairbanks, Luc Laylin scored the first power play tally. Last season it took the Toms until their sixth try in game one to score, Luke Manning put it in the back of the net.
 
This season, the lucky number was 20. Ryan O'Neill scored on the Toms' 20th power play chance and first of their eighth game against Augustana. The Toms' struggles continued, however, going 0-5 on their remaining opportunities. Their current mark of 4% (1-25) is second lowest in the country. They have scored more shorthanded goals (3) than power play goals this season. 
 
FIRSTS GALORE
The Tommies' 4-0 win over Augustana was one of firsts: 
  • First win in a CCHA season opener (1-3-0 all-time) 
  • First win over the Vikings in short history between the two teams 
  • First game-one win of the season
  • First win on a Friday this season 
  • First career goal for Casy Laylin 
  • First career point for Ethan Elias 
TOMMIE TIDBITS
  • St. Thomas has outshot its opponents in five of their seven games (2-2-1 record in such games) 
  • The Tommies have two 40+ shot games (1-1-0 record)
  • Ryan O'Neill's power play goal moved him into sole possession of second most points all time (48) 
  • Liam Malmquist added his third multi-point game of the season and 11th of his career (8 last season) 
  • The Tommies are 0-1-1 after losses this season and the Mavericks are 2-3-0 after wins. The Toms were 8-9-2 following losses last season, and the Mavs were 8-8-2 after wins last season
SERIES HISTORY
The Minnesota State Mavericks are 11-3-0 all-time against the Tommies with an overall goal differential of 65-26. The Tommies have punched back with wins in two of the last three games. Their only loss of those three netted them a conference point after a 4-3 overtime defeat in Mankato.
 
The Tommies have scored one power play goal in their last two games against the Mavericks and are 9-45 (.200) all-time. Minnesota State has also scored a power play goal in each of the last two against St. Thomas and is 19-59 (.320) all-time. 
 
Cooper Gay had the game-winner in the Tommies last game against MSU. Noah Prokop had the GWG in their December win last season.   
 
CURRENT TOMMIES AGAINST MINNESOTA STATE GOING STREAKING
Liam Malmquist – 4 game point streak (6 points)  
 
2024-25 CCHA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK 2024-25 CCHA PLAYERS OF THE MONTH DI SCORING RECORD HOLDERS
  • Mack Byers (2022-24; 31), Luke Manning (2021-24; 23), Luc Laylin, and Lucas Wahlin (20) round out the top three in DI goals scored 
    • Wahlin scored in the third period of the Toms' 4-0 win over Augustana 
    • Laylin's scored the first of the Tommies' three goals in the third period of their 5-5 tie with the Vermont Catamounts. Luc's brother, Casy, added an assist on the play for his first career point
  • Lucas Wahlin (55), Ryan O'Neill (48), and Mack Byers (2022-24; 47), make up the top three in DI points 
    • Wahlin added a goal in game one against Augustana 
    • O'Neill scored his first of the season and the Tommies' first power play goal in game two against Augustana 
OCTOBER RECAP
  • 1-3-1 record, -9 goal differential 
  • Lost a 1-0 game to open the season against nationally ranked St. Cloud State 
  • Tied with Vermont 5-5 in game one at home and then took the season series with a 3-1 win over the Catamounts
  • Mason Poolman's three goals in the series set a new high-water mark for his career and earned him his first CCHA Defenseman of the Week honor
  • Lost both games to a tremendously talented Minnesota Golden Gophers squad, 7-1 and 6-2
  • Poolman was named CCHA Defenseman of the Month, the first in program history 
  • Cooper Gay and Mason Poolman led the way with three goals in October, Poolman and Liam Malmquist each led the way with five points over the five games. Casy Laylin played all five games and finished the month with a team-best +3 rating 
  • The Tommies were 0-17 on the power play and 17-21 (.810) on the penalty kill
NOVEMBER RECAP
  • 1-1-0 record, +3 goal differential 
  • Split series with Augustana, won game one 4-0 and lost game two 3-2 
  • Matthew Gleason leads the Tommies with two goals while Liam Malmquist's four points pace the Tommies 
  • The Toms are 1-8 on the power play (.125) and 12-12 on the penalty kill 
MASON POOLMAN – CCHA DEFENSMAN OF THE MONTH
Mason Poolman was named CCHA Defenseman of the Month, the first Tommie to receive the honor in program history. 
 
Poolman, a native of East Grand Forks, Minn.. scored two goals and added an assist in game one against the Vermont Catamounts and tallied the game-winning goal in game two against the nonconference foe. His second goal on Friday tied the game at five and pushed the affair to overtime. 
 
He matched the Tommies' single-season program record for goals by a defenseman in just one weekend. The sophomore is now tied with Ethan Gauer (2022-23) and Trevor Zins (2021-22). He also surpassed his freshman season goal total of two. 
 
After a week off for the Toms' early season bye, Poolman added an assist in St. Thomas' game-two loss against #5 Minnesota at the Xcel Energy Center. 
 
He is currently tied for the team-lead with five points and sits in the top 10 in the CCHA in points, goals, points per game, and goals per game. He also paced all conference defenseman in goals and points during October. 
 
The award is Poolman's second CCHA honor of any sort in his 33-game collegiate career. He is the first Tommie in program history to be named Defenseman of the Month and the first defenseman to receive more than one in-season CCHA honor in program history.  
 
COACH BLASI
  • Entering fourth season for St. Thomas
  • During his 20-year tenure at Miami (Ohio) Blasi was the head coach of 10 NCAA Tournament teams, one national runner-up and one other Frozen Four team
  • National Coach of the Year in 2005-06
  • Coached one Hobey Baker Award winner (Andy Miele) and 10 Hobey Baker finalists, 10 All-America players, and 25 who went on to play in the NHL, including Stanley Cup Champions Alec Martinez, Jeff Zatkoff, Blake Coleman, and Riley Smith. 
  • 429 career wins (23rd all-time / seventh among active head coaches 
NON-CONFERENCE
  • St. Thomas plays eight non-conference games this season. They opened with the #16 ranked St. Cloud State Huskies for their first ranked-on-ranked matchup in program history. Vermont made their first journey to Mendota Heights before the Toms headed across the river for a game on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Game two of the cross-town series returned to Xcel Energy Center on Saturday October 26, presented by Wings Credit Union. The Toms' final non-conference games will be the second half of the home-and-home with St. Cloud on Sunday, December 29 and two games at Lindenwood in early January. 
  • The Toms are 1-3-1 outside of the CCHA this season. They fell to the #16 St. Cloud State Huskies, 1-0, to open the season. St. Thomas tied Vermont 5-5 and beat them 3-1 to take the series. Most recently, they fell in two games to #5 Minnesota, 7-1 and 6-2. 
  • St. Thomas has a -9 goal differential in five non-con games.
  • The Tommies have played three games against ranked non-conference opponents and they are 0-3-0. 
  • 1-1-1 home record, 0-1-0 away record, 0-1-0 neutral site record
AARON TROTTER – OFFENSE EXTRAORDINAIRE 
Junior goaltender, Aaron Trotter added his fifth career point with an assist on Cooper Gay's empty-net goal at the end of the Toms' 3-1 win over Vermont two weekends ago. Trotter is still lacking that first career goalie goal as all five of his points have come from assists. He recorded two his freshman year, two his sophomore year, and one in one game this year. 
 
The goaltender is tied for 30th all-time in scoring for the Tommies in their short 3+ year Division I history. Externally, Trotter is far-and-away the best offensive goalie in the country. His five career points are most among active NCAA Division I Men's Hockey. 
 
As of the Saturday in which Trotter added his fifth point, there were just seven active goaltenders with two points and 25 goalies with at least one point. One of those 25 other goalies is Jake Sibell with one career point scored last season for St. Thomas. The Tommies are one of three programs in the country with two goaltenders who have recorded at least one point, Holy Cross and Penn State are the other two. 
 
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR – LUCAS WAHLIN 
Junior, Lucas Wahlin was the first Tommie to score 30 points in a season, the first Tommie to be named to an All-CCHA team, and now the first Tommie in Division I program history to be named CCHA Preseason Player of the Year. 
 
He was one of three named by conference head coaches along with Isaac Gordon of Michigan Tech and Connor Milburn of Lake Superior State. Wahlin was the only Preseason Player of the Year selected by the media. He was also named to both Preseason All-CCHA Teams. 
 
The junior captain set career marks in goals (12), assists (18), and points (30) while playing in all 37 games last season. He ranked t-11th in goals, t-7th in assists, t-7th in points, and 3rd in shots in the conference. 
 
Wahlin, a native of Woodbury, Minn., is the program's leader in points (51) and is the only Tommie above the 50-point milestone during the DI era. He was also the program's first sophomore captain. 
 
He earned Second-Team All-CCHA, CCHA All-Academic, and CCHA Scholar Athlete honors last season and was named conference player of the week on November 6 for his four points in a weekend series sweep of Northern Michigan.  
 
NHL DEVELOPMENT CAMPS NHL DRAFT PICKS
  • Ryder Donovan was selected as the 110th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights. 
    • Donovan played three games last season for the Purple but made an instant impact with the overtime game-winner against ranked St. Cloud State to open the season. 
  • Chase Cheslock was selected as the 154th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils and is the Tommies first "homegrown" draft pick. 
    • Cheslock joined the Tommies mid-season and played 19 games with one goal and two assists. His first career goal came in the Toms' game-two playoff win over Lake Superior State. 
CAPTAINS
  • Junior, Lucas Wahlin, wears the "C" on his chest for coach Rico Blasi's squad for the second consecutive season. Wahlin, a Woodbury, Minn. native, finished with 30 points in 37 games last season. He became the first Tommie in program history to surpass the 50-point career milestone on March 9thagainst Lake Superior State. He played for three teams over three seasons in both the NAHL and USHL before finding a home on the corner of Cretin and Summit. 
  • Seniors Ethan Gauer and Matthew Gleason along with junior Cooper Gay don the "A" this season. 
  • Both Gauer and Gleason are one-time transfers, but Gauer has played in each season of the Tommies' four at the DI level. He has 25 career points and leads the program with 124 blocked shots in 103 career games in purple. 
  • Matthew Gleason transferred in from Colorado College last season and had a career year. He scored five goals and added 18 assists for 23 points. Gleason is originally from St. Paul and played high school hockey for Cretin Derham Hall. 
  • Cooper Gay was on track for a tremendous season before going down with an injury in the second half of the season. The Hanover, Minn. native scored 12 goals and added 10 assists for a total of 22 points in 29 games as a sophomore. Gay has scored the fifth most goals in program history (16) and is sixth in points (29). 
TRANSFERS
  • Graduate student, Chase Foley, a Mendota Heights, Minn. native and Colorado College transfer, played 104 games for the Tigers and scored three goals with 28 assists over his four-year career as a defenseman. He is coming off a career season with two goals and 14 assists. 
  • Graduate student, Ray Christy, a St. Paul, Minn. native and Colorado College transfer, played 105 games for the Tigers and scored five goals with nine assists over his four-year career as a defenseman. He is coming off a career season with two goals and five assists while wearing the "A". 
  • Junior, Caige Sterzer, a Kimberley, B.C., Canada native and Lindenwood transfer, played 54 games for the Lions and scored 14 goals with 19 assists over his two-year NCAA career as a forward. He is coming off a career season with eight goals and 14 assists, he was the Lions leading point scorer. 
  • Both Chase Foley and Ray Christy played their Minnesota High School hockey at Saint Thomas Ice Arena for the Saint Thomas Academy Cadets. Neither Christy nor Foley has played in Mendota Heights since 2017-18. Foley was the captain of that 2017-18 Cadets team. 
FRESHMEN
  • First-year, Casy Laylin, native of St. Michael, Minn. most recently played for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL for a season and a half. The forward skated in 69 games and added 15 goals and 29 assists for Salmon Arm. 
  • First-year forward, Nick Mikan, an Edina, Minn. native, most recently played for the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL where he skated in 35 games with eight goals and five assists. 
  • First-year defenseman, Ethan Elias, a native of Maple Grove, Minn., most recently played for the Madison Capitols for two seasons where he skated in 105 games with 10 goals and 22 assists. He was the captain of the 2023-24 Capitols team. 
  • First-year forward, Alexander Tell, from Linkoping, Sweden, skated in 49 games for Linkoping HC 120 and added 11 goals and 14 assists while wearing an "A".
SIBELL NAMED ONE OF NATION'S TOP TENDERS
Jake Sibell was named to the semi-finalist list for the Mike Richter Award last season. Sibell was the first in program history and only last season from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. 
 
The Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) announced the semifinalists for this year's Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men's NCAA Division I hockey since 2014. Ten goaltenders from a "Watch List" of 30 were singled out by a panel of voters across the hockey community. 
 
Sibell was one of two goalies on the list from Minnesota (Ryan Bischel of Notre Dame from Medina, Minn.). He was also one of two from a team within the Land of 10,000 Lakes (Justen Close from the University of Minnesota). 
 
Kyle McClellan of Wisconsin won the award for the 2023-24 season.  
 
PRESEASON CCHA COACHES POLL
St. Thomas was picked to finish first in the Preseason CCHA Coaches Poll on September 12th. The former high-water mark in the preseason poll was a fifth-place finish last season. The Toms earned 73 votes in total and tied with Bemidji State in first place votes (3). The Beavers earned 69 votes, four behind St. Thomas. Michigan Tech (2) and Minnesota State (1) finished third and fourth respectively and each earned at least one first place vote. Bowling Green (50), Lake Superior State (46), Augustana (46), Ferris State (28), and Northern Michigan (26) rounded out the poll. 
 
PRESEASON CCHA MEDIA POLL
St. Thomas was picked to finish second in the Preseason CCHA Media Poll on September 12th. This is the highest the Tommies have ever finished in the preseason media poll. Bemidji State came out on top with 107 total votes and five first place votes. The Tommies came up with the same amout of total votes (107) but earned one less first place vote. Minnesota State (2) and Michigan Tech (1) finished third and fourth respectively and each earned at least one first place vote. Bowling Green (63), Lake Superior State (60), Augustana (52), Northern Michigan (40), and Ferris State (33) rounded out the poll.
 

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