THIS WEEK
After opening up the 2022-23 season at home, the University of Mary hockey team takes to the road for the first time this weekend when the Marauders play three games at the University of Minnesota Showcase at Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, MN. On Friday, September 30, the Marauders face Marion University in a neutral site game starting at 5:30 pm. UMary takes on Showcase host Minnesota on Saturday October 1, at 8 pm. The three-game set wraps up Sunday, October 2 when the Marauders meet Liberty University at 12 noon.
 
LAST WEEK
The 2-time defending ACHA M2 national champion Marauders opened their title defense at home with a look to the future. UMary is moving up the ranks to ACHA M1 next year and is joining Midwest College Hockey, home to weekend opponent Waldorf University. UMary opened with a 6-1 win on the night the program's 2022 national championship banner was unveiled. Tucker Kruse tallied twice in his Marauders debut and Garrett Freeman also added two goals. The weekend concluded with an 8-2 Marauders win over the Warriors. Liam Massie scored twice and Kruse found the net once again.
 
22   
The Marauders have won 22 straight games… only one of the wins during the 22-game run was decided by a single goal – the Marauders epic 3-2 triple overtime victory over Florida Gulf Coast in the 2022 ACHA M2 championship game. Only three games were decided by two or fewer goals.
 
IRON
Drew Lenertz has played all 193 games in school history, a team record… Opening weekend of the 2022-23 season was the first time Lenertz hadn't played with his defensive partner Marshall Tschida. The duo had played along side each other the first 191 games in program history.
 
DAZZLING DEBUTS
The Marauders had several skaters make impressive debuts last weekend… Caleb Petrie delivered four assists in his first game and had a goal in the second. He leads UMary in scoring with five points… Tucker Kruse scored two goals in the first game and one in the second for a team-best three goals... Liam Massie posted a pair of goals in Sunday's 8-2 win… Jack Dapron had a goal and an assist… Lucas Medeiros delivered two helpers… Jacob Murray and Zach White also made their debuts in the UMary sweep of Waldorf.
 
SHARING THE LOAD
Ten different Marauders scored goals last weekend as UMary totaled 14 against Waldorf… Additionally 14 skaters had either a goal or an assist on the weekend.
 
FREEWHEELING
Garrett Freeman, one of the Marauders leading goal scorers last year with 26, got off to a fast start. Freeman scored twice in the opener and also added two assists for four total points.  
 
LENERTZ-WITZKE PAIRING MEANS POINTS
Playing as a defensive pairing for the first time, UMary's all-time leader in games played Drew Lenertz and All-American Johnny Witzke both had big opening weekends. Both had one goal and two assists in the two games. Both of their goals came on power play opportunities.
 
ALL-TIME
The all-time Marauders record is 156-22-5-10 under the direction of 2-time ACHA M2 Coach of the Year Dan Huntley (2020, 2021)… UMary is 10-0 at national tournaments while winning titles in 2021 and 2022 (ineligible for the national tournament in 2019 and 2020 cancelled due to the pandemic).
 
VETERANS
Headlined by All-Americans Kyle Hayden and Johnny Witzke the Marauders bring back 16 players from their 2022 ACHA M2 championship team… Hayden, Witzke, Drew Lenertz, Riley Scanlon, Seth Cushing, Tanner Eskro, Alex Flicek, Braeden Zaste, Cyril Nagurski, Derek Dropik, Jaren Hugelen and Conan Hayton have played on both the 2021 and 2022 championship teams.
 
DAY 1
Drew Lenertz, Alex Flicek and Cyril Nagurski are starting their 5^th seasons with Marauders hockey and have been with the program from season 1 in 2018-19.
 
WELCOME BACK
A Marauders hockey original, Andy Huber returns to the UMary program after a year away. The Bismarck, ND, native earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2020 and helped lead the Marauders to the 2021 ACHA M2 title, producing a hat trick in the semifinal win. He spent the 2021-22 season in Washington, D.C., while serving in the Unites States National Guard's 816^th military police unit. Huber is now pursuing a graduate degree in Business Administration.  
 
FUTURE VISION
UMary opened the 2022-23 season against ACHA M1 Waldorf University.  Next season the two teams will be conference foes. The Marauders will be moving up to ACHA Division 1 in 2023-24 and will join the Midwest College Hockey conference. In addition to Waldorf, the MCH is also home to Illinois State University (Normal, IL), Jamestown University (Jamestown, ND), McKendree University (Lebanon, IL), Midland University (Fremont, NE), Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL), and Waldorf University (Forest City, IA).
 
All MCH teams are expected to play a 20-game regular season conference schedule and the MCH Regular Season Champion will be determined on a points basis. The MCH Playoff Tournament is held at the conclusion of the MCH regular season in late February/early March. The MCH Playoff Tournament format will see two games on Day 1 (3 vs 6, 4 vs 5), two games on Day 2 (1 vs lowest seeded Day 1 winner, 2 vs highest seeded Day 1 winner) and a Championship game on Day 3. Starting with the 2022-2023 season, the winner of the MCH Playoff Tournament will be awarded the MCH's autobid to the ACHA Men's Division 1 National Championships.
 
2021-22 SLAP SHOT REVIEW

• Marauders won their 2^nd straight ACHA M2 championship
• Defeated Florida Gulf Coast University 3-2 in triple-overtime championship game on a goal by Seth Cushing
• Zach Garett (1^st team), Seth Cushing (1^st), Johnny Witzke (1^st), Kyle Hayden (2^nd) and Marshall Tschida (2^nd) named to ACHA M2 All-Tournament team
• UMary finished 2021-22 season 38-4-1-2 overall
• Kyle Haden was named the ACHA M2 Player of the Year
• Kyle Hayden and Zach Garrett (1^st team) and Johnny Witzke (2^nd) earned ACHA M2 All-American honors
• The NDAPSSA named Kyle Hayden the non-school male athlete of the year and the Marauders were the 2022 non-school team of the year for a 2^nd straight year
• The Marauders were 14-2 at home

 
NEXT UP
The Marauders host the University of Minnesota on Oct. 8-9.  
 
TICKETS
Game tickets for Marauders athletics are available online at www.UMaryTickets.com and at the gate for all UMary athletics. Adult tickets for hockey are $10 + fees while senior citizen and youth tickets (13-18 years old) are $5 + fees when purchased online at www.umarytickets.com. Tickets purchased at the gate are $15 (cash only) for adults and $10 for seniors and youth 13-18.
 
UMary students and faculty and staff with their MCard and youth 12 and younger are admitted free.
 
Please note that ticket sales at the gate are CASH ONLY purchases. If needed, ATMs are located by the ticket gate at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink.
 
Fans receive a discounted rate on tickets when purchased online at www.umarytickets.com than at the gate. Fans are also able to purchase tickets using credit and debit cards when ordering online while sales at the ticket booth are cash only.
 
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