University of St. Thomas Athletics

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski
Men’s Hockey drops game two to Fighting Hawks
10/12/2025 9:09:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Ryan O’Neill and Lucas Wahlin each scored in the Toms’ second loss
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Tommie Men's Hockey (1-2-0) came up short in its comeback bid against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (2-0-0) on Sunday at Grand Casino Arena and fell by a score of 5-2. Lucas Wahlin and Ryan O'Neill each scored for the Toms.
Period Summary
First Period
-Similarly to the first contest between the two sides, the Fighting Hawks scored the game's first goal at 6:49.
-Shortly after, the Tommies earned their first of four power play opportunities at 7:44 but came up empty with just one shot on goal.
-They got another man-advantage at 14:40 but failed to put a shot on net.
Second Period
-The third time was the charm for the Toms' power play, when Lucas Wahlin scored his third goal in as many games at 4:30 to tie the score. His linemates, Lucas Van Vliet and Alex Gaffney, each recorded assists on the Tommie tally.
-North Dakota answered right back at 7:17 to regain the lead and finish the scoring in the second period.
-The Toms outshot the Hawks 12-5 during the middle stanza and possessed the puck for much of the period.
Third Period
-After weathering the Tommies' strong second period surge, UND took advantage on their first power play with a goal at 4:12 to double its lead.
-Ryan O'Neill recorded his first goal of the season in his first game of the season at 6:29 from Jake Braccini.
-Before the crowd even got seated, the Fighting Hawks answered at 6:50 and then again on the power play at 12:36.
Quick Hits
-St. Thomas outshot North Dakota, 27-23.
-Both teams were dead even on the faceoff dot, with 32 wins apiece.
-The Toms took a pair of penalties and allowed goals on both UND power plays. The Fighting Hawks took four penalties and killed three of the four but for the Wahlin goal.
-Alex Gaffney and Hayes Hundley each sat for minor penalties, Gaffney for kneeing and Hundley for holding.
-Lucas Wahlin muscled his way to five shots on goal to lead the Purple.
-Carsen Musser made 18 stops on 23 shots with five goals allowed.
-Nathan Pilling owned the competition while at the dot with 14 wins in 18 tries, Jake Braccini won 10 of his 18 draws.
Tommie Tidbits
-This is the first time the Tommies have lost consecutive games since February 7th after dropping games against Mankato and Bowling Green, 3-2 OT and 4-1, respectively.
-Lucas Wahlin stretched his point streak up to 12 games with his second period goal. He has 10 goals and eight assists during that span when looking back to last season.
Up Next
The Tommies hit the road and head to Air Force for their first ever matchup with the Falcons on Friday, October 17th at 8:05 p.m. central and Saturday, October 18th at 9:05 p.m. central. Air Force will be looking for its first win heading into the weekend with an 0-1-1 record.
Follow Along
For any and all information pertaining to the University of St. Thomas Men's Hockey team, follow along on Instagram and Twitter at @TommieMHockey. Follow the fun @tommiesports on TikTok.
Period Summary
First Period
-Similarly to the first contest between the two sides, the Fighting Hawks scored the game's first goal at 6:49.
-Shortly after, the Tommies earned their first of four power play opportunities at 7:44 but came up empty with just one shot on goal.
-They got another man-advantage at 14:40 but failed to put a shot on net.
Second Period
-The third time was the charm for the Toms' power play, when Lucas Wahlin scored his third goal in as many games at 4:30 to tie the score. His linemates, Lucas Van Vliet and Alex Gaffney, each recorded assists on the Tommie tally.
-North Dakota answered right back at 7:17 to regain the lead and finish the scoring in the second period.
-The Toms outshot the Hawks 12-5 during the middle stanza and possessed the puck for much of the period.
Third Period
-After weathering the Tommies' strong second period surge, UND took advantage on their first power play with a goal at 4:12 to double its lead.
-Ryan O'Neill recorded his first goal of the season in his first game of the season at 6:29 from Jake Braccini.
-Before the crowd even got seated, the Fighting Hawks answered at 6:50 and then again on the power play at 12:36.
Quick Hits
-St. Thomas outshot North Dakota, 27-23.
-Both teams were dead even on the faceoff dot, with 32 wins apiece.
-The Toms took a pair of penalties and allowed goals on both UND power plays. The Fighting Hawks took four penalties and killed three of the four but for the Wahlin goal.
-Alex Gaffney and Hayes Hundley each sat for minor penalties, Gaffney for kneeing and Hundley for holding.
-Lucas Wahlin muscled his way to five shots on goal to lead the Purple.
-Carsen Musser made 18 stops on 23 shots with five goals allowed.
-Nathan Pilling owned the competition while at the dot with 14 wins in 18 tries, Jake Braccini won 10 of his 18 draws.
Tommie Tidbits
-This is the first time the Tommies have lost consecutive games since February 7th after dropping games against Mankato and Bowling Green, 3-2 OT and 4-1, respectively.
-Lucas Wahlin stretched his point streak up to 12 games with his second period goal. He has 10 goals and eight assists during that span when looking back to last season.
Up Next
The Tommies hit the road and head to Air Force for their first ever matchup with the Falcons on Friday, October 17th at 8:05 p.m. central and Saturday, October 18th at 9:05 p.m. central. Air Force will be looking for its first win heading into the weekend with an 0-1-1 record.
Follow Along
For any and all information pertaining to the University of St. Thomas Men's Hockey team, follow along on Instagram and Twitter at @TommieMHockey. Follow the fun @tommiesports on TikTok.
Team Stats
UND
UST
Shots
23
27
PPG
2
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
4
2
Penalty Mins
8
4
Faceoffs Won
32
32
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Press Conference: Rico Blasi January 27th 2025
Monday, January 27
St. Thomas Men's Hockey 2023-24 Intro Video
Friday, October 27
Rico Blasi Pre-Season Press Conference, September 26th, 2022
Friday, October 21
Rico Blasi Press Conference October 3rd
Friday, October 21