Men's Hockey hosts first round of Mason Cup Playoffs

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES

St. Thomas (14-18-2, 12-11-1 CCHA) hosts the first playoff series on home ice in program history this weekend against the Lake Superior State Lakers (15-18-1, 11-12-1) as the CCHA's second-best team after 24 games of conference play
They match up with the Lakers who finished in seventh place in the conference
Game one at Saint Thomas Ice Arena is set for a 7:07 p.m. puck drop on Friday night. Game two will begin at 6:07 p.m. on Saturday and, only if necessary, game three will start at 6:07 p.m. on Sunday night
Game one at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena is set for a 7:07 p.m. EST puck drop on Friday night. Game two is scheduled for 6:07 p.m. EST on Saturday.
The Tommies and Lakers split their one series during the regular season in Mendota Heights
St. Thomas is coming off a split with Michigan Tech in Houghton in which they shutout the Huskies in game one 2-0 and then were shutout themselves in game two, 6-0

ON THE RADIO

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TOMMIE TIDBITS

Aaron Trotter recorded his and the Tommies' second shutout ever in the 2-0 win over Michigan Tech last weekend, his first and only other shutout was a season ago in a 4-0 win over Lake Superior State
Ethan Gauer added two assists in the Toms' last win for the third time this season, he has two assists in two of his last four games played
Gauer is now the program's leading point scoring defensemen with 24 points, he is also second in blocks with 122 behind Matthew Jennings 218.
The Toms improved year-over-year in shots on goal (902 to 1025), goals (86 to 90), goals per game (2.4 to 2.6), shots per game (25.1 to 30.1), assists (137 to 158), faceoff percentage (.476 to .501), shorthanded goals (3 to 5), unassisted goals (4 to 5), goals allowed (117 to 96), goals allowed per game (3.3 to 2.8), power play goals allowed (29 to 25), penalties (160-137), penalty minutes (385 to 323), goals against average (3.11 to 2.69), and save percentage (.902 to .910)
Individual skaters who set single-season program records include: Lucas Wahlin (27 points and 119 shots on goal), Ryan O'Neill (18 assists), Mack Byers (+9 rating, 2 shorthanded goals), Cooper Gay (4 game-winning goals), Liam Malmquist (2 unassisted goals)
Jake Sibell set new single-season program records in goals against average (2.18) and save percentage (.923)
Both teams this weekend are 4-6 in one goal games this season
The Purple are 12-1-2 when scoring first, their only loss came in game one to Augustana in Sioux Falls, they scored first in their game one win over Lake State (Liam Malmquist power play goal)
Mack Byers became the second DI Tommie to surpass the 50-point plateau (Luke Manning did it earlier this season) – No player has yet tallied 50 points for St. Thomas alone in the current iteration of the program – Lucas Wahlin (48), Mack Byers (47), and Ryan O'Neill (45) are the closest
Liam Malmquist is the only DI Tommie with multiple unassisted goals in a single season
Lucas Wahlin's 27 points are a single season program record.
Rico Blasi moved is 23^rd all time with 426 career head coaching wins, seventh amongst active head coaches

SCOUTING THE LAKERS

Overall record (15-18-1, 11-12-1 CCHA), the Lakers finished the season in seventh place just four points from hosting a first-round playoff matchup and five points from the Toms in second place. They finished the regular season with a 4-1 win over last-place Ferris State.
The Lakers were victorious in two of their last three and three of their last five. They also took three of four games from the McNaughton Cup Champion Bemidji State Beavers.
They beat every team in the conference at least one time.
They were 4-6 in one-goal games
Senior Jared Westcott led the CCHA in scoring with 34 points (1 point per game), he was also the leading goal scorer with 17, second-most in the conference
Lake State boasted the best power play in the CCHA during the regular season with 23 power play goals, Dawson Tritt led the way with eight tallies while on the man advantage, nine different skaters scored while on the PP
Senior Ethan Langenegger was the man in net for a majority of the season with a 12-15-1 record in 28 games started. He finished with a .909 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average. He played in both games against the Tommies and went 1-1-0 with 5GA and 63 saves for a .926SV%

SERIES HISTORY
The three-year series history between the Tommies and Lakers has been the tightest of any CCHA foe for St. Thomas. Each side has won five games and each team has taken at least one win out of the other every season since the Toms' move up to Division I. The Lakers were one of St. Thomas' three wins in year one.

Since the start of year two, the Tommies hold a 4-2 edge over Lake State, outscoring the Lakers 14-9. The two sides split their lone series of the regular season with the Tommies victorious in game one 4-2 and Lake State on top in game two 3-1 at the Saint Thomas Ice Arena. These two teams have never met in the CCHA playoffs.

TOMMIES AGAINST LAKE SUPERIOR STATE THIS SEASON

Liam Malmquist: 1G-1A-2P
Matthew Gleason: 1G-1A-2P
Ryan O'Neill: 2G-0A-2P
Grant Docter: 0G-2A-2P
Lucas Wahlin: 0G-2A-2P
Quinton Pepper: 1G-0A-1P
James Marooney: 0G-1A-1P
Cooper Gay: 0G-1A-1P
Luc Laylin: 0G-1A-1P
Mack Byers: 0G-1A-1P
Aaron Trotter: 1-0-0, 2GA, 27SV, .931SV%
Jake Sibell: 0-1-0, 3GA, 31SV, .912SV%

STAT RANKINGS

Luke Manning, 316 faceoffs won (T-39^th in NCAA)
Cooper Gay, 4 game winning goals (T-12^th in NCAA)
Jake Sibell, 2.18 goals against average (10^th in NCAA)
Jake Sibell, .923 save percentage (7^th in NCAA)
Mack Byers, 2 shorthanded goals (T-8^th in NCAA)
St. Thomas, 9.50 PIM/G (17^th least in NCAA)
St. Thomas, 5 shorthanded goals (T-11^th in NCAA)

SIBELL NAMED ONE OF NATION'S TOP TENDERS
Jake Sibell was named to the semi-finalist list for the Mike Richter Award on Wednesday. Sibell is the first in program history and only this season from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) has 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 is one of two goalies on the list from Minnesota (Ryan Bischel of Notre Dame from Medina, Minn.). He is also one of two from a team within the Land of 10,000 Lakes (Justen Close from the University of Minnesota).

Three finalists will be announced in early March and the winner will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

TOMMIE HAT TRICK

Mack Byers scored three goals against Ferris State on Dec. 2 in the 7-1 win on the road
Byers hat trick was the first (and only) in DI program history
He is one of 56 players in the NCAA with three goals in a game this season
Seven others in the CCHA have recorded a hat trick, Michigan Tech leads all CCHA teams with three hat tricks

CCHA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Luke Manning Forward of the Week (10/9/23)
Liam Malmquist Forward of the Week (10/23/23)
Jake Sibell Goaltender of the Week (10/23/23)
Lucas Wahlin Forward of the Week (11/6/23)
Aaron Trotter Goaltender of the Week (11/13/23)
Ryan O'Neill Forward of the Week (12/4/23)
Jake Sibell Goaltender of the Week (1/15/24)
Aaron Trotter Goaltender of the Week (2/5/24)

CCHA GOALTENDERS OF THE MONTH

October – Jake Sibell
November – Aaron Trotter

DI SCORING RECORD HOLDERS

Mack Byers (31), Luke Manning (23), and Luc Laylin (18) round out the top three in DI goals scored
Lucas Wahlin (48), Mack Byers (47), and Ryan O'Neill (45) make up the top three in DI points

FEBRUARY RECAP

1-6-1 record, -7 goal differential
Secured first season series victory over Minnesota State in program history with a 4-3 overtime loss and 4-2 regulation win
Lost both of the program's first meetings with future full CCHA member Augustana 4-2 and 2-1 in overtime
Secured season series win over Bowling Green with 3-3 tie in game one and 3-1 loss in game two at home against the Falcons
Lost two very tight games to the Bemidji State Beavers 6-5 in overtime and 3-1
Jake Sibell made the SportsCenter Top Ten Plays for a scorpion kick save against Bowling Green
Ryan O'Neill led the team with eight points (all assists) and Cooper Gay and Mack Byers each finished with a team-leading four goals

JANUARY RECAP

3-1-0 record, +4 goal differential
First sweep of Michigan Tech in program history (4-3 and 3-1), first win on the road in program history at Northern Michigan (3-1)
Luc Laylin, Lucas Wahlin, Cooper Gay, and Ryan O'Neill each led the way with two goals
Liam Malmquist (1G 3A) and O'Neill (2G 2A) each finished the month with four points
Jake Sibell earned his second CCHA Goaltender of the Week (27 saves on 28 shots faced in win over Michigan Tech)
Exhibition win against Minnesota Duluth (3-1)

DECEMBER RECAP

2-4-0 record, -5 goal differential
Wins against Ferris State (7-1) and Minnesota State (2-1)
Mack Byers led with four goals (three in program-first hat trick vs Ferris State)
Lucas Wahlin and Ryan O'Neill led with seven points apiece
Ryan O'Neill CCHA Forward of the Week (one goal and five assists against Ferris State)

NOVEMBER RECAP

5-1-0 record, +11 goal differential
Longest win streak of DI era (five games, outscored foes 22-9)
Sweeps of Northern Michigan and Bowling Green, both firsts in program history
Split with Lake Superior State
Mack Byers, Liam Malmquist, Lucas Wahlin, and Cooper Gay led with three goals apiece
Quinton Pepper, Wahlin, and Malmquist led with seven points apiece
Lucas Wahlin CCHA Forward of the Week (three goals and an assist vs. Northern Michigan), Aaron Trotter CCHA Goaltender of the Week (42 saves, one goal allowed in win vs Bowling Green)
Aaron Trotter CCHA Goaltender of the Month (3-0-0 record, 90 saves, five goals allowed, .947 SV%, 1.67 GAA)

OCTOBER RECAP

2-5-1 record, -5 goal differential
Wins against #8 St. Cloud State (5-4 OT) and Lindenwood (3-1)
Luke Manning, Lucas Wahlin, and Cooper Gay led with three goals apiece
Wahlin led with seven points (3G 4A)
Luke Manning CCHA Forward of the Week (1G 2A against St. Cloud State), Liam Malmquist CCHA Forward of the Week (3A vs. Lindenwood, Jake Sibell CCHA Goaltender of the Week (1GA 15SV vs Lindenwood)
Jake Sibell CCHA Goaltender of the Month (1-2-0 record, 64 saves, four goals allowed, .941 SV%, 1.36 GAA)

COACH BLASI

Entering third 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.
426 career wins (23^rd all-time / seventh among active head coaches, 28 wins behind Scott Sandelin for sixth)

NON-CONFERENCE

The Toms were 2-7-1 outside of the CCHA this season. They split with #8 St. Cloud State to open the season in two one-goal games. Next came two losses against the #2 Golden Gophers (6-5 OT loss at Xcel Energy Center, 3-0 loss at Mariucci) and then a 3-1 win and 4-4 tie against Lindenwood. After 12 conference games the Toms returned to out of conference competition with two defeats in Vermont. They completed their non-con schedule with back-to-back defeats in Sioux Falls against the Augustana Vikings (4-2, 2-1 OT).
St. Thomas has a -12 goal differential in 10 non-con games.
The Tommies played four games against ranked non-con opponents, they were 1-3-0 with two one-goal losses.
1-1-1 home record, 1-5-0 away record, 0-1-0 neutral site record

NHL DEVELOPMENT CAMPS

Chase Cheslock (New Jersey Devils)
Ryder Donovan (Vegas Golden Knights)
Aaron Trotter (Washington Capitals)

THE CHASE IS ON
Chase Cheslock was called in from the USHL at the semester break. He notched his first collegiate point against Michigan Tech. The 6-3 defenseman out of Rogers, Minn. played 30 games across two seasons for the Omaha Lancers and added 13 points. He is the Toms' first NHL draftee after his selection by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. He was a two-year captain at Rogers High School and also wore the "C" in Omaha. Cheslock played one game for the U.S. National U18 Team (NTDP), the second Tommie to do so (Brady Simmons-Fischer also played one game).

NHL DRAFT PICKS

Ryder Donovan was selected as the 110^th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Chase Cheslock was selected as the 154^th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils and is the Tommies first "homegrown" draft pick.

CAPTAINS

Sophomore Lucas Wahlin wears the "C" for coach Rico Blasi's squad. Wahlin, a Woodbury, Minn. native, finished with 21 points in 26 games last season while battling injury. He played for three teams over three seasons in both the NAHL and USHL before finding a home in St. Paul.
Seniors Luke Manning and Mack Byers don the "A" this season. Both are one-time transfers, Manning from Air Force and Byers from Northern Michigan. Manning played nine games for the D-III Tommies and has 38 points in two-plus seasons for the D-I Toms. Byers led the team with 26 points in his first season with the Purple last year.
All three captains are from Minnesota.

TRANSFERS

James Marooney played at Ohio State for four seasons. The defenseman played 80 games for the Buckeyes in four seasons and added five points in 26 games last year for the third-place Big Ten team.
Matthew Gleason appeared in 70 games for Colorado College over two full seasons before joining the Tommies. He was a two-time member of the All-Academic team in the NCHC.
Jake Ratzlaff played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers before a brief stint with the Madison Capitols last year. He was a highly touted hockey recruit coming out of high school but opted to play on the gridiron.
Noah Prokop is a two-time transfer. He played two seasons in Omaha before making the change to play with Gleason at Colorado College. He is a four-time All-Academic team selection.
Liam Malmquist is also a transfer from Wisconsin, but he played two seasons of college hockey. He tallied 16 points in 68 games for the Badgers and was a selection to the Big Ten All-Academic team.
Ryder Donovan played with Malmquist in Madison. The Duluth, Minn. native was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. He played 89 games for the Badgers and took a break from hockey for the 2022-23 season before returning with the Tommies.
Jake Sibell transferred from the Purple Eagles of Niagara University. Over two seasons in New York he played in 13 games with a 2-7-1 record.
All but one of the Toms' seven transfers (Noah Prokop from Highlands Ranch, Colo.) is a native of Minnesota.

PRESEASON CCHA COACHES POLL
St. Thomas was picked fifth in the Preseason CCHA Coaches Poll. The Toms did receive one of the eight first place votes. Michigan Tech finished on top with Northern Michigan and Bowling Green rounding out the top-three. Bemidji State finished four votes in front of the Purple. Minnesota State finished with 45 votes, same as St. Thomas. Ferris State and Lake Superior State rounded out the poll. St. Thomas did not earn any individual player preseason coach awards.

PRESEASON CCHA MEDIA POLL
St. Thomas was picked sixth in the Preseason CCHA Media Poll. Michigan Tech was picked first with 11 of the 16 first place votes with Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Minnesota State behind all receiving at least one first place vote. Bemidji State finished one place in front of the Purple with Ferris State and Lake Superior State bringing up the rear. St. Thomas did not earn any individual player preseason media awards.

University of St. Thomas Athletics

Men's Hockey hosts first round of Mason Cup Playoffs

Players Mentioned

Mack Byers

Chase Cheslock

Grant Docter

Ryder Donovan

Ethan Gauer

Cooper Gay

Matthew Gleason

Matthew Jennings

Luc Laylin

Liam Malmquist

Luke Manning

James Marooney

Ryan O'Neill

Quinton Pepper

Noah Prokop

Jake Ratzlaff

Jake Sibell

Aaron Trotter

Lucas Wahlin

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