University of St. Thomas Athletics

Friday, February 20
St. Paul, Minn. / Lee & Penny Anderson Arena
7:07 p.m. CST

vs

Augustana

Blasi
Photo by: Nick Wosika

Huge home matchup against #18 Augustana

2/19/2026 4:38:00 PM | Men's Hockey

The Tommies are one point behind Michigan Tech in the CCHA standings

ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Thomas Men's Hockey (18-9-3, 15-5-2) enters the weekend with large playoff and championship implications on the line. The Tommies are currently one point behind Michigan Tech and two points ahead of Augustana with two games in hand on both opponents. Both games against the Vikings this weekend are scheduled for 7:07 pm at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena.
 
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 home games 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.
 
LUCAS WAHLIN – CCHA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) recognizes outstanding achievement both on and off the ice through its annual Student-Athlete of the Year Award. Lucas Wahlin is the latest recipient of this prestigious honor for the 2025-26 season.

A business administrative major with a minor in sports management, Wahlin carries an impressive 3.85 cumulative grade point average. He has earned Dean's List recognition every semester and exemplifies academic excellence while balancing the demands of DI hockey. His dedication in the classroom mirrors his discipline on the ice, consistently demonstrating leadership, engagement, and respect.

A third-year captain for St. Thomas, Wahlin has led the Tommies through a critical period of growth. His leadership helped establish the cultural foundation of Tommie hockey, one built on brotherhood and relentless compete.
Head coach, Rico Blasi had this to say about Wahlin, "Lucas embodies our culture on and off the ice. His ability to navigate his rigorous coursework while continuing to lead our team is impressive."
In the community, Wahlin is equally impactful. He volunteers with a local hockey club during J-terms and summers, introducing young athletes to the sport. He organizes and runs summer shooting clinics for youth players and recently spoke at the Minnesota Wild Leadership Summit, sharing insights with aspiring student-athletes about leadership and balancing athletics with academics. Wahlin also mobilized his teammates to serve as volunteer readers at JFK Elementary, supporting students working to improve their literacy skills.

On the ice, Wahlin's accomplishments are second-to-none. He is the St. Thomas DI program's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points. He became the first Tommie to reach both 100 points and 50 career goals at the DI level. This season he leads the CCHA with 18 goals and is the conference's all-time leader in points. He recently reached 30 points in a season for the third time in his career, a program best.

A two-time CCHA Forward of the Month and four-time Forward of the Week honoree, Wahlin has consistently been recognized for his excellence. His sustained performance, leadership, and sportsmanship embody the standards the CCHA Student-Athlete of the Year Award was created to honor.

Lucas Wahlin exemplifies the highest ideals of a CCHA student-athlete, excelling academically, leading competitively, serving selflessly, and fostering a culture of excellence both on and off the ice.
 
NATHAN PILLING ROTW…AGAIN
St. Thomas men's hockey split their weekend series with Bowling Green in a hostile environment to hold on to first place in the CCHA. Nathan Pilling propelled the Tommies to victory with two goals in game one and has been named CCHA Rookie of the Week.
Pilling scored both goals in regulation for the Purple in their 3-2 OT win over the Falcons. Each tally came on the power play as the freshman extended his point streak to 11 games entering Saturday. He was the first Tommie to score multiple PPG in a game since Liam Malmquist on 1/10/25 against Ferris State.

The Alberta native is currently T-3rd on the Tommies with 14 goals and 4th with 27 points. He is top five in goals and top 10 in points among all CCHA skaters. He leads the conference this season with 119 shots on goal. His five power play goals this season are tied with three of his teammates for fifth in the conference.

This is Pilling's third Rookie of the Week this season and ties a program record held by his linemate, Lucas Van Vliet. Pilling last won the award on 1/26/25 and first won it on 12/8/25. This week's honor is the 14th weekly honor of the season for the Tommies.
 
WAHLIN FOR HOBEY
Lucas Wahlin is one of the best players in the nation and has been for a couple of seasons now. The third-year captain is in his final year with the Tommies and is the sole nominee for the Hobey Baker Award from St. Thomas. Wahlin has been the foundation for the Tommies during their rise to becoming one of the best programs in the country with production on the ice and an unwavering ability to lead off the ice. The former NA3HL forward has improved relentlessly across his four seasons of college hockey. This season he became the first Tommie in DI program history to surpass 100 points (123 now) and 50 goals (53 now). He is the all-time leader in the "new" CCHA in goals and points. Nationally he ranks fifth with .69 goals per game and 18 total goals and 18th in points per game (1.19).
 
ELITE COMPANY
Lucas Wahlin is one of only five active players in the country with at least three 30-point seasons to his name. Michigan's T.J. Hughes has done it in each of his four years, while Northeastern's Dylan Hryckowian, Arizona State's Cruz Lucius, and Quinnipiac's Jeremy Wilmer have done it three times. –  courtesy of College Hockey Inc.'s Weekly Notebook  
 
GRAY JERSEY SUCCESS
The Tommies debuted their alternate gray uniforms on October 12th in a 5-2 loss against then #10 North Dakota. They have not been defeated since with a 4-0-0 record. Stats in their four games since the debut: 5.5 goals per game, 2.5 goals allowed per game, 31 PP%, 81 PK%, +1 in first period, +6 in second, +5 in third. Alex Gaffney and Lucas Wahlin lead with nine points and a +8 rating in gray. Both Will Ingemann and Carsen Musser are 2-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA.
 
THEY ALL SCORE GOALS
The Tommies have gotten goals from 18 different players this season. Lucas Wahlin's 18 goals lead the way. Gaffney, Braccini, Pilling, and Van Vliet are tied for the team lead with five power play goals.  Four players have tallied shorthanded goals, while Gaffney and Pilling lead the team with three. Van Vliet and Wahlin also lead with three game-winners. Gaffney, Pilling, and Hayes Hundley have two game-winning tallies.
 
POINTS PARITY
-The Tommies have had a different player lead them in points each of their first five seasons of DI play.
  • Christiano Versich in 2021-22 (15 points)
  • Mack Byers in 2022-23 (26 points)
  • Lucas Wahlin in 2023-24 (30 points)
  • Liam Malmquist in 2024-25 (45 points)
  • Alex Gaffney through 26 games in 2025-26 (34 points)
 
464 FOR BLASI
-Head coach, Rico Blasi, won his 450th game on Tuesday, November 11 against St. Cloud State. The now 25-year head coach currently sits 22nd all-time and fourth among active head coaches. His 464 career wins are 21st all-time, four from Joe Marsh in 20th, and eight from Don Vaughan in 19th. Blasi is the fourth winningest among active head coaches.
 
100 FOR WAHLIN
-Lucas Wahlin became the first Tommie to score 100 career points after his three-point burst against the St. Cloud State Huskies on Tuesday, November 11. The Tommie captain did so in 109 games at a 0.92 points per game pace.
-25 different players either assisted on a Wahlin goal or scored a goal off a Wahlin assist over the course of the last four seasons.
-Liam Malmquist led each category with 12 assists on Wahlin goals and 15 goals off Wahlin assists.
-At the present day, he has recorded 115 points, 34 more than the next closest Tommie.
 
CURRENT TOMMIES AGAINST BOWLING GREEN
-Ryan O'Neill – 1G-2A-3P
-Quinton Pepper – 1G-2A-3P
-Lucas Wahlin – 1G-1A-2P
-Lucas Van Vliet – 0G-2A-2P
-Nick Williams – 2G-0A-0P
-Jake Braccini – 1G-0A-1P
-Casy Laylin – 1G-0A-1P
-Caige Sterzer – 0G-1A-1P
-Josh Giuliani – 0G-1A-1P
-Carson Peters – 0G-1A-1P
-Cole Miller – 0G-1A-1P
-Chase Cheslock – 0G-1A-1P
-Aaron Trotter – 1-2-0, 69 saves, 69 GA, 1.66 GAA, .932 SV%
-Will Ingemann – 0-0-1, 27 saves, 4 GA, 65 min, 3.69 GAA, .871 SV%
 
MILESTONE WATCH
-Career Points -Career Games Played  
2025-26 CCHA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
-Nathan Pilling Rookie of the Week (2/9/26)
-Aaron Trotter Goaltender of the Week (1/27/26)
-Nathan Pilling Rookie of the Week (1/27/26)
-Lucas Van Vliet Rookie of the Week (1/20/26)
-Lucas Wahlin Forward of the Week (1/20/26)
-Hayes Hundley Rookie of the Week (1/4/26)
-Lucas Wahlin Forward of the Week (12/15/25)
-Nathan Pilling Rookie of the Week (12/8/25)
-Carsen Musser Goaltender of the Week (12/8/25)
-Lucas Van Vliet Rookie of the Week (12/1/25)
-Nick Williams Defenseman of the Week (12/1/25)
-Lucas Van Vliet Rookie of the Week (11/23/25)
-Alex Gaffney Forward of the Week (10/20/25)
-Chase Cheslock Defenseman of the Week (10/6/25)
 
2025-26 CCHA PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
-Lucas Wahlin Forward of the Month (2/2/26)
-Lucas Van Vliet Rookie of the Month (2/2/26)
-Carsen Musser Goaltender of the Month (1/5/26)
-Chase Cheslock Defenseman of the Month (1/5/26)
-Alex Gaffney Forward of the Month (11/3/25)
 
FEBRUARY RECAP
-1-1-0, -2 goal differential
-Took two of six points from Bowling Green with a 3-2 OT win and 3-1 regulation loss
-Nathan Pilling leads the Tommies with two goals
-Pilling, Nick Williams, and Lucas Wahlin each lead the team with two points
-Aaron Trotter was 0-1-0 with a 3.23 GAA and .870 SV%
-Carsen Musser was 1-0-0 with a 1.92 GAA and .926 SV%
-The Toms are 3-7 on the power play (42.9%) and 6-8 (75%) on the penalty kill.
 
JANUARY RECAP
-8-1-0, +22 goal differential
-Split with the national ranked Michigan Tech Huskies with a 4-2 win in game one and 4-3 loss in game two
-Swept Lake Superior State to win the season series, 3-1-0 with a 7-4 comeback win and a dominant 5-0 victory.
-Swept Bemidji State for the first time in program history with a 5-1 win on Friday and 3-2 win on Saturday.
-Completed the season series with a 4-2 win over Minnesota State on the road. The Tommies are now 2-0 in Mankato since the Mason Cup Final loss.
-Swept Ferris State in a pair of high scoring affairs (5-3 and 8-4)
-Jake Braccini led the Tommies with eight goals
-Lucas Van Vliet's 15 points paced the Purple
-Aaron Trotter was 5-1-0 with a 1.88 GAA and .923 SV%
-Carsen Musser was 2-0-0 with a 3.27 GAA and .848 SV%
-Will Ingemann was 1-0-0 with a 4.00 GAA and .789 SV%
-The Toms were 10-38 (26.3%) on the power play and 32-35 (91.4%) on the penalty kill.
 
DECEMBER RECAP
-3-1-0, +4 goal differential
-Swept the Northern Michigan Wildcats on the road, 2-0 and 4-3.
-Split with the Lake State Lakers on home ice. Took game two 4-1 after dropping the opener, 5-3.
-Lucas Wahlin owned December with five goals while Nathan Pilling and Chase Cheslock led the way with six points a piece.
-Carsen Musser was 3-0-0 with a 1.34 GAA and .945 SV%
-Aaron Trotter was 0-1-0 with a 5.20 GAA and .839 SV%
-The Toms were 3-15 (20%) on the power play and 8-11 (73%) on the penalty kill.
 
NOVEMBER RECAP
-4-1-2, +7 goal differential
-Took five of six points from the Michigan Tech Huskies with a 3-3 shootout win and 2-1 regulation win.
-Came back from down 2-0 to force overtime in game one against Bowling Green and then dominated in game two, 6-2.
-Came back from down 1-0, 3-1, and 4-3 to tie the Vikings, 4-4. The Tommies ultimately fell in the shootout to earn one conference point in hostile territory.
-Finished off their season series with St. Cloud State on Tuesday to sweep the Huskies, 4-3 and 3-1.
-Took down the 18th ranked Mavericks, 4-3 in overtime on the road. Nathan Pilling notched his second game winner of the season.
-Alex Gaffney's six goals and 10 points led the way.
-Will Ingemann was 2-0-1 with a 2.57 GAA and .914 SV%.
-Aaron Trotter was 1-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .922 SV%
-Carsen Musser is 1-0-1 with a 2.44 GAA and .922 SV%
-The Toms were 3-25 (12%) on the power play and 18-24 (75%) on the penalty kill.
 
OCTOBER RECAP
-2-5-1, -7 goal differential
-Won the first game of the season over St. Cloud State on the road, Nathan Pilling scored the game winning goal.
-Dropped a pair to North Dakota, 6-2 and 5-2.
-Split the road series with Air Force, with an 11-2 win in game one and a 6-2 loss in game two.
-Tied on night one at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena and then won the shootout against #15 Providence before dropping game two 7-4.
-Lost to open CCHA play against Mankato, 3-1 at home.
-Alex Gaffney led the Tommies with 11 points (5G-6A) in October.
-Carsen Musser was 1-4-0 with a 5.25 GAA and .831 SV%.
-Aaron Trotter was 1-0-1 with a 2.24 GAA and .929 SV% .
-Will Ingemann was 0-1-0 with a 2.64 GAA and .875 SV%.
-The Toms are 6-31 (19.4%) on the power play and 20-27 (74%) on the penalty kill.
 
DI SCORING RECORD HOLDERS
-Lucas Wahlin (53), Cooper Gay (35, 2022-25), and Jake Braccini (33) round out the top three in DI goals scored.
-Lucas Wahlin (125), Ryan O'Neill (90), and Liam Malmquist (72, 2023-25) make up the top three in career points.
 
NHL DEVELOPMENT CAMPS
-Bauer Berry (Edmonton Oilers)
-Chase Cheslock (New Jersey Devils)
-Carsen Musser (Utah Mammoth)
-Nathan Pilling (Ottawa Senators)
-Lucas Van Vliet (Vegas Golden Knights)
-Lucas Wahlin (Colorado Avalanche)
 
NHL DRAFT PICKS
-Bauer Berry was selected as the 218th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL draft by the Edmonton Oilers.
-Chase Cheslock was selected as the 154th overall pick of the 2023 NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils and was the first drafted Tommie to commit to the program out of high school.
-Carsen Musser was selected as the 166th overall pick of the 2023 NHL draft by the Utah Mammoth.
-Lucas Van Vliet was selected as the 197th overall pick of the 2024 NHL draft by the Vegas Golden Knights.
 
PRESEASON PUB
-The Tommies were picked to finish in first place in the CCHA coaches' poll for the second consecutive season earlier in September.
-They were also selected second in the media poll for the second year in a row.
-Lucas Wahlin was once again named Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches after his 17-24—41 point season last year. The now senior was selected as team captain for the third year running last week.
-Newcomer, Nathan Pilling, was named Preseason Rookie of the Year by the conference coaches. He skated in 218 total games across four seasons in the WHL for the Moose Jaw Warriors, Edmonton Oil Kings, and Seattle Thunderbirds… scored 70 career goals, added 56 career assists, and tallied 126 total points in the WHL… coming off a career-best season as assistant captain with the Thunderbirds with 37 goals, 30 assists, and 67 points in 67 games in 2024-25.
 
COACH BLASI
-Entering fifth season for St. Thomas
-During his 20-year tenure at Miami, 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 Alex Martinez, Jeff Zatkoff, Blake Coleman, and Riley Smith.
-His 464-405-87 record has him 21st all-time and 4th among active head coaches.
 
NICE TO MEET YA
St. Thomas returned just 13 players from its breakthrough 2024-25 squad. The Tommies welcome in 15 newcomers into the fold, 10 freshman and five transfers.
-Freshmen
  • Bauer Berry | 6-4 | Defenseman | Grand Forks, N.D. | Muskegon (USHL)
  • Josh Giuliani | 6-1 | Forward | Plymouth, Minn. | Dubuque (USHL)
  • Hayes Hundley | 6-3 | Defenseman | Upper Arlington, Ohio | Fargo (USHL)
  • Will Ingemann | 5-11 | Goaltender | Plymouth, Minn. | Penticton (BCHL)
  • Colton Jamieson | 6-0 | Defenseman | Hudson, Wis. | Madison (USHL)
  • Attila Lippai | 5-9 | Forward | St. Paul, Minn. | Tri-City (USHL)
  • Nathan Pilling | 6-4 | Forward | Calgary, Alta. | Seattle (WHL)
  • Sam Ranallo | 5-10 | Forward | Rogers, Minn. | Cranbrook (BCHL)
  • Luke Schelter | 6-2 | Forward | Centennial, Colo. | Fargo (USHL)
  • Lucas Van Vliet | 6-2 | Forward | Livonia, Mich. | Dubuque (USHL)
-Transfers
  • Alex Gaffney | 5-9 | Forward | West Orange, N.J. | Harvard (NCAA)
  • Dylan Godbout | 5-11 | Forward | Woodbury, Minn. | Ohio State (NCAA)
  • Carsen Musser | 6-4 | Goaltender | Fairmont, Minn. | Colorado (NCAA)
  • Charlie Schoen | 5-10 | Forward | Andover, Minn. | Arizona State (NCAA)
  • Nick Williams | 5-9 | Defenseman | Edina, Minn, | Michigan Tech (NCAA)

Next Event

Augustana

Feb 20 (Fri)

7:07 p.m. CST
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Tommie Men's Hockey 2025 Intro Video
Wednesday, November 12
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