BISMARCK, ND – Denied the opportunity to compete at the 2019 national tournament as a first-year program and prevented from playing in the 2020 tournament due to the pandemic, year three appears to be the charm for the University of Mary hockey team. The Marauders are now just two days away from making their first national appearance. And not only is UMary the nation's top seed, the Marauders are also the tournament host for the 2021 American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 2 national tournament.
 
Sixteen teams are descending on Bismarck/Mandan for the ACHA M2 tournament that runs April 15-20. The first three days consist of pool play with four games a day at both the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink in Mandan and Bismarck's Wachter Arena at Capital Ice Complex.
 
The top team from each of the four pools advance to the semifinals on Monday, April 19 (2:30 pm and 6 pm), with the championship game set for 6 pm on Tuesday, April 20. Both the semifinals and championship game will be played on the Marauders home ice at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink.
 
The Marauder will host Davenport University in the opening game on Thursday, April 15. On Friday, April 16, UMary faces the University of Providence. In the final game of pool play on Saturday, April 17, the Marauders take on North Carolina State University. All UMary games in pool play will start at 7 pm and will be played on the Schwan Cadillac Rink.
 
TICKETS
Tickets are now available online at www.umarytickets.com. Tickets prices for a daily session – good for both the Mandan and Bismarck sites – are $15 per person and $5 per youth ages 5 and under. A tournament pass good for all five game days is $50 per person and $20 per youth ages 5 and under.
 
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
For a complete breakdown of the ACHA M2 National Tournament, including pools and game times, visit www.achahockey.org/national-tournament/
 
SUNDAY COMMUNITY SERVICE AND BANQUET
Sunday, April 18, is reserved for community service projects by the teams and a banquet. Featured speakers at the banquet include legendary North Dakota football coach and UND and UMary athletic director Roger Thomas, a video message from Hall of Fame and NCAA championship coach Dean Blais, and Karl Goehring, assistant coach for the top-ranked University of North Dakota hockey team and the goaltender on UND's 2000 national championship team! Open to the public, tickets are $40. The banquet begins at 5:30 pm at the Ramkota Inn. Purchase your tickets at www.UMaryTickets.com.
 
FOLLOW THE MARAUDERS – BEK TV
All games at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink – including the Marauders games - will be televised on BEK-TV throughout North Dakota. The games will also be streamed live. Visit www.BEK.tv for times and channels. 
 
FOLLOW THE MARAUDERS – KFYR 550 AM
KFYR 550 AM will broadcast all Marauders games live throughout the national tournament. Voice of the Marauders Jesse Rostvedt and UMary hockey voice and goalies coach Nate Speidel will cover all the action.
 
FOLLOW ALL THE TOURNAMENT ACTION – HOCKEYTV.COM
All ACHA M2 national tournament games will be streamed online only at www.hockeytv.com. Fans must register and purchase a package from www.hockeytv.com to watch online. 
 
THE RECORD
The Marauders own a record of 33-4-6-1 (W-L-T-OTL) this season, including a mark of 31-2-4-0 against ACHA M2 opposition… The Marauders only two D2 losses came at #3 Iowa State (4-1) and at #9 University of Providence (2-1).  
 
ALL-TIME RECORD
In three seasons of play the Marauders have an all-time record of 111-18-4-8… against ACHA M2 opposition the Marauders are 106-7-1-5.
 
HOME RINK DOMINANCE
The Marauders are 52-1 all-time at Schwan Cadillac Rink against ACHA M2 opponents… Including games against M1 competition UMary is 52-8-1-3.
 
HUNTLEY REPEATS AS COACH OF THE YEAR
The architect of a program that has taken ACHA M2 by storm in just three seasons, Dan Huntley was selected as the 2020-21 ACHA Men's Division 2 Coach of the Year. Under his lead, the Marauders rolled to a record of 33-4-6-1. Despite an incredibly aggressive schedule facing the nation's top teams, the Marauders suffered only two losses to ACHA M2 opponents in 37 games… This is the second straight season Huntley earned Coach of the Year honors. He joins an exclusive group of two-time recipients, including Bob Brinkworth (Florida Gulf Coast University), Chris Consentino (New York University), Alex Piotrowski (Michigan State), Joe Augustine (University of Rhode Island) and Chris Van Timmeren (Hope College). Huntley, Augustine and Van Timmeran are the only ones to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
 
GARRETT NAMED 2021 ACHA M2 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Zach Garrett was selected as the 2020-2021 ACHA Men's Division 2 Player of the Year. The first Marauders player to earn Player of the Year recognition, Garett led all of Men's Division 2 with 56 points on 18 goals and 38 assists. He was seventh nationally in goals and first in assists. The 3-year team captain from Creighton, SK Canada, averaged 1.36 points per game this season. Garrett had three game-winning goals and finished the season at +29.
 
GARRETT, WITZKE, HAYDEN NAMED ACHA M2 ALL-AMERICANS
Zach Garrett also headlines a 2020-21 ACHA M2 All-American team featuring three Marauders. Joining Garrett on the first team is defenseman Johnny Witzke. Goaltender Kyle Hayden backstops the second team… Witzke makes an impact on the ice in all phases of the game. In addition to helping hold the opposition to less than two goals a game, the Bismarck, ND, is dangerous in the offensive zone. In his second season with the Marauders, Witzke produced 48 points in 41 games to rank third on the Marauders. He had 14 goals and 34 assists and finished the regular season at +39. In addition to three game-winning goals, Witzke scored eight goals and distributed 11 assists with the Marauders on the power play while scoring twice in shorthanded situations… Hayden is the third straight UMary goaltender to earn All-American honors, following in the footsteps of Aaron Nelson (2019 1st team) and Lance Knudson (2020 2nd team). The native of Albertville, MN, posted a record of 16-2-1-5 (W-L-OTL-T) on the season with a 1.98 goals again average and a save percentage of .929. He is the Marauders goaltender career leader in minutes played (2,935), saves (1,175) and shots faced (1,271). His four shutouts this season are one away from the school single-season record…In addition to Nelson and Knudson, Alex Flicek (2020 2nd team) is the Marauders other previous All-American.
 
MARAUDERS REMAIN ATOP THE FINAL 2021 ACHA M2 POLL
To no surprise, UMary owned the top slot for the fifth time in five polls. Right behind the Marauders in the top ten are Lindenwood University, Iowa State University, Liberty University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Marian University, Dakota College at Bottineau, North Carolina State University, University of Providence and Adrian College. The next ten include Williston Sate College, Trine, Aurora University, Concordia University, University of Jamestown, East Texas Basin University, Davenport University, Bowling Green, Brigham Young and the University of Minnesota Crookston.
 
RECORD VS THE RANKED
Against teams currently ranked in the national poll, UMary is a combined 30-2-4-0. The Marauders have faced Lindenwood (2-0-0-0), Liberty (2-0-2-0), Iowa State (4-1-1-0), Dakota College (5-0-0-0), Williston State (3-0-1-0), Jamestown (6-0-0-0), Providence (6-1-0-0) and Minnesota Crookston (2-0-0-0).
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW
.815 | The Marauders have a career winning percentage of .815 (111-18-4-8)
 
52-1 | The Marauders have lost just once at home to an ACHA M2 team in 53 games
 
141 | Marshall Tschida and Drew Lenertz have played in every Marauders game since the program took to the ice in September 2018, a streak of 141 straight games. The two have been paired together on defense for each game.  
 
95 | Alex Flicek owns the Marauders career record for goals with 95
 
101 | Marshall Tschida owns 101 career assists and is the second Marauders player to reach triple digits (Zach Garrett was the first)
 
98 | Johnny Witzke owns 98 career points. UMary has six players who have reached 100 points in their Marauders careers: Alex Flicek, Zach Garett, Marshall Tschida, Garrett Moore, Andrew Huber and Seth Cushing.
 
16 | The Marauders went a school-record 16 straight games without a loss, winning 15 games and tying one from Dec. 5 until Feb. 26. The Marauders also had a 13-game unbeaten streak to start the year.
 
PULLING THE PLUG
The Marauders penalty kill unit has overwhelmed the opposition this season. During one recent stretch UMary had skated off 23 straight shorthanded situations over the span of six games, all victories… For the year the Marauders have allowed the opposition to score on just 9.7% (15-for-155) of their power play opportunities… Conversely the Marauders have scored on 28.5% (43-of-151) of their power play opportunities.
 
SUCCESS
In just three short seasons as a program, Marauders head coach Dan Huntley has led the UMary to a record of 111-18-8-4 (W-L-T-OTL) overall. The Marauders finished 39-5-2-1 in their inaugural season of 2018-19 and 39-9-0-2 in 2019-20. UMary is 33-4-6-1 in 2020-21 (W-L-T-OTL).
 
GOAL SAVANT
In his second season with the Marauders, Seth Cushing continues to pile up the goals. Through 44 games he has a team-best 34 goals. Cushing also has 19 assists and 53 points. Six times he has posted the game-winning goal. Cushing is the fastest UMary player to reach 50 goals, needing just 61 games, ahead of Alex Flicek (68 games) and Andy Huber (89).
 
FLICEK FLYING
All-American Alex Flicek is off to an outstanding start. Through 41 games he is second on the team in goals (25), points (55) and assists (30). The Bismarck, ND, native earned 2019-20 ACHA D2 All-American honors after tallying 34 goals and posting 33 assists for a team-high 67 points. He scored nine game-winning goals, added two on power plays and one shorthanded.
 
RUSH TIME
Marshall Tschida is incredibly adept at both stopping the opponent's offensive rush and leading the Marauders charge towards the opposing goal. The defenseman owns 34 assists this season – including 11 on power play goals – and 10 goals. His play on both ends the rink has led UMary to outscore the opposition 661-253 in three seasons, including a 205-84 mark this year.
 
OLD FACES
The Marauders return 15 players from last season… Nine skaters are original members of the program entering their third season at UMary (Drew Lenertz, Alexander Horner, Marshall Tschida, Alex Flicek, Cyril Nagurski, Andrew Heckaman, Andrew Huber, Zach Garrett, Kyler Moore)… Six players are in their second year with the Marauders (Seth Cushing, David Ruiz, Cody Shepard, Noah Scordato, Johnny Witzke, Kyle Hayden)… The Marauders have nine players in their first season with UMary.
 
I WANT MOORE
Third-year player Kyler Moore has reached triple digits for career points at UMary. The native of Firestone, CO, owns 125 career points. This season he has produced 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points. Moore has four power play goals and owns four game-winners.
 
CAPTAIN
Team captain Zach Garrett entered the 2020-21 season second all-time in points at UMary with 116. Able to both find the net and teammates, Garrett had 23 goals and 36 assists for 59 points last season after contributing 54 points (19 goals and 35 assists) in 2018-19. This year he owns 18 goals and 38 assists for a team-best 56 points. He is sitting at 60 career goals and owns 169 points.
 
POWER PLAYER
Drew Lenertz directs a potent power play for the Marauders. The third-year defenseman has 83 career points in 141 games. Eight of his goals have come on the power play, along with a program-record 32 assists. He has six goals (three on a power play) and 16 assists (four on a power play) this season.
 
BRICK WALL
The Marauders net-minding duo of All-American Kyle Hayden and Conan Hayton have been spectacular and own incredibly similar numbers. In his second season at UMary, Hayden is 16-2-5-1 with a 1.98 goals against average and a .934 save percentage. His four shutouts is one shy of the school record of five, established by fellow All-Americans Aaron Nelson and Lance Knutson… Hayton, in his first season at UMary, is 17-2-1-0 with a 1.85 goals against average, a .934 save percentage and two shutouts.
 
A PLUS PLUS PLUS
All-American Johnny Witzke is +39 this season to rank third on the Marauders in +/- rankings. The dynamic skater has been on the ice for 39 more UMary goals than opponent's goals when teams are at even strength or while scoring a shorthanded goal. Individually the multi-dimensional Witzke has 14 goals and 34 assists for 48 points this season… Marshall Tschida leads the Marauders in +/- at 43, followed by Drew Lenertz (40), Alex Flicek (39), Witzka, and Kyler Moore (36).
 
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE | POOL/SEEDING INFORMATION
The Marauders headline Group A, which also included 8th seed North Carolina State University, #9 University of Providence and #16 Davenport University.
 
Group B includes #2 Lindenwood University, #7 Dakota College at Bottineau, #10 Adrian College and #15 East Texas Basin University.
 
Group C is comprised of #3 Iowa State University, #6 Marian University, #11 Williston State College and #14 University of Jamestown.
 
Group D consists of #4 Liberty University, #5 seed and two-time defending national champion Florida Gulf Coast University, #12 Aurora University and #13 Concordia University.
 
Pools A & D will play at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink. Pools B & C compete at the Capital Ice Complex Wachter Arena. 
 
The ACHA semifinals are set for 2:30 pm and 6 pm on Monday, April 19. The National Champion will be crowned on Tuesday, April 20. The puck drops at 6 pm.
 
Thursday, April 15
Starion Sports Complex Cadillac Rink
10 am | Aurora v FGCU
1 pm | Providence v NCSU
4 pm | CUW v Liberty
7 pm | Davenport v UMary
 
Capital Ice Complex Wachter Arena
10:30 am | Williston State v Marian
1:30 pm | Adrian v Dakota College
4:30 pm | Jamestown v ISU
7:30 pm | ETBU v Lindenwood
 
Friday, April 16
Starion Sports Complex Cadillac Rink
10 am | CUW v FGCU
1 pm | Davenport v NCSU
4 pm | Aurora v Liberty
7 pm | Providence v UMary
 
Capital Ice Complex Wachter Arena
10:30 am | Jamestown v Marian
1:30 pm | ETBU v Dakota College
4:30 pm | Williston State v ISU
7:30 pm | Adrian v Lindenwood
 
Saturday, April 17
Starion Sports Complex Cadillac Rink
10 am | CUW v Aurora
1 pm | Davenport v Providence
4 pm | FGCU v Liberty
7 pm | NCSU v UMary
 
Capital Ice Complex Wachter Arena
10:30 am | Jamestown v Williston State
1:30 pm | ETBU v Adrian
4:30 pm | Marian v ISU
7:30 pm | Dakota College v Lindenwood
 
Monday, April 19 | Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Arena
2:30 pm | Semifinal #1
6 pm | Semifinal #2
 
Tuesday, April 20 | Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Arena
6pm | Finals
 
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