THIS WEEK
Back on the road for the first time in three weeks, #5 University of Mary visits McKendree University for a pair of games November 17-18 in O'Fallon, IL, at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex. This is the first-ever meeting between the two Midwest College Hockey members. Gametime Friday between the Marauders and the Bearcats is 7:45 pm. Game two is set for 12:30 pm on Saturday.
 
200
The Marauders program reached 200 wins in Saturday's 6-2 victory over Waldorf. Led by Head Coach Dan Huntley, the Marauders first took the ice in September 2018 and is in its sixth season (scroll down for year-by-year results)
 
MARAUDERS VS BEARCATS GAME NOTES

• This is the first meeting between UMary and McKenree
• As the newest member of Midwest College Hockey, this is the first time the Marauders face the Bearcats in an MCH game

 
RANKED
Despite a pair of wins last weekend, the University of Mary took a slight dip in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 1 rankings, moving down two places to #5 in the nation. The Marauders and Adrian flip-flopped spots in the 6^th ranking of the season.  

• Ranked #23 in the ACHA MD1 preseason poll, the Marauders moved up to #21 in the first regular season poll. In the 2^nd ACHA MD1 poll of the season the Marauders moved up one more spot to #20 before reaching #19. In the first computer rankings the Marauders jumped to #4 before checking in at #3 in the 5^th ACHA MD1 poll released Nov. 8.
• Missouri State, swept by the Marauders earlier this season in Mandan, is now #20
• Illinois State – the Marauders opening weekend foe - is #25
• Minot State, the defending national champion and the Marauders opponent in two games, remains #1 in the poll
• #2 University of Central Oklahoma split two games with the Marauders

 

2023-2024 ACHA Men's Division I Ranking #6
Rank	School Name	M1 Record	Previous	Conference
1	Minot State	11-1-0	1	INDEP
2	Central Oklahoma	13-1-0	2	WCHL
3	Adrian	12-2-0	5	GLCHL
4	Nevada-Las Vegas	11-1-0	4	WCHL
5	Mary	8-3-1	3	MCH
6	Niagara	10-4-0	7	ESCHL
7	Jamestown	10-3-0	6	MCH
8	Liberty	9-6-1	10	INDEP
9	Maryville	8-6-1	13	INDEP
10	Arizona	6-4-1	11	WCHL
11	Ohio	7-5-2	12	INDEP
12	Indiana Tech	11-3-1	9	WHAC
13	Purdue Northwest	10-5-0	20	GLCHL
14	Grand Valley State	8-3-2	8	GLCHL
15	Michigan-Dearborn	13-0-0	17	WHAC
16	Calvin	12-3-1	16	GLCHL
17	Arizona State	7-5-1	24	WCHL
18	Pittsburgh	11-5-1	25	ESCHL
19	Iowa State	4-1-0	14	INDEP
20	Missouri State	7-7-1	15	WCHL
21	Utah	6-6-1	21	WCHL
22	Davenport	11-3-0	18	GLCHL
23	Stony Brook	4-5-1	NR	ESCHL
24	West Chester	11-3-0	NR	ECHA
25	Illinois State	11-7-0	22	MCH

 
 
RECORDS
The Marauders are 8-3-0-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOW-SOL) overall and 5-0-0-0-1 in MCH play… McKendree is 6-7-0-0-0 overall and 5-3 in MCH action.
 
LAST WEEKEND
The Marauders swept a pair of home matches from Waldorf… Seth Cushing had a hat trick and added an assist, Garrett Freeman and Andrew Huber both had a goal and two assists and Isaiah Thomas added three assists in a 7-2 UMary win on Friday…. Johnny Witzke posted three goals and two assists as the Marauders defeated the Warriors 6-2 on Saturday for the 200^th win in UMary history. Tanner Eskro had one goal and three assists and Jaren Hugelen had two goals and assist. Five of the Marauders goals came on the power play.  
 
NAGURSKI FINDS HIS NICHE
Defenseman Cyril Nagurski, UMary's lone 6^th year player and the only skater besides Andrew Huber who played in the Marauders inaugural season, has scored six goals this season and added two assists. He is third on the team in goals and is fifth in points (8). His season-high for goals is seven last year. Nagurski is second on the team in power play goals with four.
 
ESKRO ROLLING
Tanner Eskro has scored seven goals and is one behind Seth Cushing for the team lead. He tallied in each of the first five UMary games this season, including two in the first game against Missouri State. He is third on the team in points with 14 and second in game-winning goals with two.
 
ROCKET START
Johnny Witzke is off to an incredible start. After blitzing Waldorf Saturday for three goals – all on the power play – and two assists the Marauders All-American defender has five goals and ten assists in 12 games. He is tied with Seth Cushing for points with 15.  
 
TOPS
With a spurt of six goals over three games - a pair of goals in the win over #3 Central Oklahoma, one against #1 Minot State and a hat trick in a win over Waldorf - Seth Cushing now tops the Marauders scoring chart. The forward has a team-leading eight goals and seven assists for 15 points. Cushing is tied with Johnny Witzke for the points lead with 15.
 
DEALING
Isaiah Thomas has dished out a team-high 11 assists this season, including three against Waldorf in Friday's win. He has four games with multiple assists and has had either a goal or an assist in four straight games and eight games out of 12 overall. With two goals in addition to his 11 assists he has 13 points on the season.
 
MINDING THE NET
Conan Hayton and Kyle Hayden have been tremendous between the pipes for the Marauders this season. Hayton owns five wins – including a shutout – with a 2.26 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. All-American Kyle Hayden has a shutout win with a 2.37 GAA and a .922 save percentage in three games. Combined the two are allowing just 2.23 goals/game with a .922 save percentage.
 
TESTED TOUGH
The Marauders return 19 skaters from last season… Playing his 6^th season is D Cyril Nagurski… Playing in their 5^th seasons are D Johnny Witzke, F Seth Cushing, G Kyle Hayden and F Andy Huber, Players in their 4^th season are F Derek Dropik, F Tanner Eskro, G Conan Hayton, F Jaren Hugelen, F Riley Scanlon and F Braden Zaste… Entering season 3 is F Garrett Freeman, D Teddy Lillico, F Isaiah Thomas and D Ryan Wolf… Returning for year 2 is F Tucker Kruse, F Liam Massie, D Lucas Medeiros and F Jake Murray.
 
NEW NEW NEW
The Marauders have five scholar-athletes in their first season with the program: F Nick Bradshaw, D Michael Heitkamp, G Cameron Milewski, D Lukas Robinson and F Luke Schleusner… Two players have played previously for ACHA programs. Heitkamp, a Bismarck, ND, native, played the last three seasons in ACHA M1 at Waldorf… Robinson joins UMary after two seasons playing ACHA M3 at Lawrence Tech University.
 
FAST FRIENDS
Despite this being the Marauders inaugural season in Midwest College Hockey, the University of Mary will host the 2023-24 MCH conference playoff at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink in Mandan, ND, on February 16-18, 2024. The top six teams in the regular season league standings qualify for the MCH Conference Playoffs and will compete for the chance to hoist the Lindsay Cup and receive the MCH's autobid to the 2024 ACHA Men's Division 1 National Championships presented by FloHockey, held March 7-12 at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, MO.
 
MARAUDERS TIED FOR 2^ND IN MCH PRESEASON POLL
Defending Midwest College Hockey regular-season and conference playoff champion University of Jamestown is the 2023-24 MCH Hockey coaches preseason favorite to win the conference in the upcoming 2023-24 season. While the Jimmies were the unanimous choice after earning all seven 1st place votes and 49 total points, the Marauders tied with Illinois State University for second in the MCH coaches' poll with both teams earning 37 points. Midland (26 points) is projected to place 4th, followed by McKendree (24), Waldorf (14) and Northern Illinois (9).
 
PROGRAM HISTORY LESSON
Under the direction of head coach Dan Huntley, a 2-time coach of the year, the University of Mary was a dominant force in ACHA M2 for all five years the program has existed. 
2018-19 | 39-5-1-2 (not eligible for postseason as 1st year program)
2019-20 | 39-9-2-0 (#1 West Region seed | MWCHL tourney runner-up | #2 nationally in final poll | ACHA M2 tourney cancelled for pandemic)
2020-21 | 38-4-1-6 (ACHA M2 national champion | Ranked #1 in final ACHA M2 poll | #1 seed at ACHA M2 championships)
2021-22 | 38-4-1-2 (ACHA M2 national champion | Ranked #1 in final ACHA M2 rating | #1 seed from West region)
2022-23 | 38-6-3-1 (Ranked #1 in final ACHA M2 rating | #1 seed from West region | was 2-0-1-0 at ACHA M2 championships)
TOTAL | 192-28-8-11 (W-L-OTL-T)
 
GOLDEN GOALTENDERS
The Marauders have featured an All-Athletic Team goaltender all five seasons UMary has had a hockey program. Aaron Nelson was a 1st team selection in 2018-19, the Marauders inaugural season, followed by Lance Knutson (2020) and Kyle Hayden (2021-2022-2023).
 
2022-23 HIGHLIGHTS

• ACHA M2 All-Athletic Team | Johnny Witzke and Kyle Hayden continue making program history for the University of Mary as the duo become the Marauders first 3-time American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 2 All-Athletic Team selections. Witzke earned 2022-23 1st team ACHA M2 All-Athletic Team honors while Hayden was voted to the second team. Witzke was previously named to the ACHA M2 All-Athletic Team in 2021 (1st team) and 2022 (2nd team). Hayden, the reigning ACHA M2 Player of the Year, earned 2nd team recognition in 2021 and 1st team honors in 2022.
• Witzke named ACHA M2 West Region Player of the Year | Johnny Witzke is the American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 2 West Region Player of the Year, the third straight Marauder to earn the honor. Witzke played a key role in the Marauders holding opponents to only 74 goals in 54 games. The Marauders team captain, Witzke joins Zach Garret (2020-21) and Kyle Hayden (2021-22) in earning West Region Player of the Year honors for UMary.
• Witzke, Hayden and Thomas named to 2023 ACHA M2 All-West Region Team | Kyle Hayden, Johnny Witzke and Isaiah Thomas are 2022-23 ACHA M2 All-West Region team selections. Hayden and Witzke are 1st team honorees with Thomas earning 2nd team recognition. This is the third time claiming regional honors for Hayden and Witzke while Thomas recognized for the first time.
• Witzke named 2022-23 NDAPSSSA Non-Schol Male Athlete of the Year
• 239 | Drew Lenertz played all 239 games in school history from game one in 2018 through the final game of 2022-23. 
• 28 | After winning their first eight games of the season, the Marauders set a program record with a 28 game win streak. UMary finished the 2021-22 season on a 20-game win streak. The winning streak was halted by a 2-2 draw at Liberty University on October 14. Originally declared a forfeit win after the Flames improperly used a skater during a shootout, the result was recently changed to a tie.
• 34 | Undefeated in their first 14 games of the season after closing the 2021-22 season with 20 straight wins, the Marauders set a program record with a 34 game undefeated streak.
• 15 | The Marauders posted a school-record 15 shutouts last season
• 291 | All-time UMary leading scorer finished his 5-year career with the Marauders with 291 points, 137 goals and 154 assists. 
• 13 | Kyle Hayden shattered the school record for shutouts in a single season with 13 in 2022-23.

 
MARAUDERS 2023-24 TICKETING FAQs

• Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online at www.umarytickets.com or via the HomeTown Fan App for iOS and Android mobile devices
• Save money by purchasing tickets online
• $5 discount (minus fees) on tickets purchased online vs. purchases at the gate
• Tickets purchased at the gate are CASH ONLY transactions
• ATMs are located near the main ticketing gates for Marauders home game
• Debit and credit card purchases are online only at www.umarytickets.com or via the HomeTown Fan App
• UMary students and faculty and staff with their MCard are admitted FREE
• Youth 12 and younger with an adult are admitted FREE
• Any youth 12 and under unaccompanied by an adult are charged a $5 admission fee at the gate (cash only)
• All ticket sales are FINAL at time of purchase, whether online or at the gate

 
MARAUDERS HOME GAME TICKET PRICES | Soccer, basketball, hockey, track & field, volleyball and wrestling tickets

• Adults | $10 + fees online and $15 (CASH ONLY) at the gate
• Seniors (65+) and youth 13-18 | $5 + fees online and $10 (CASH ONLY) at the gate
• Children 12 and under accompanied by an adult | Free
• Children 12 and under with no adult present| $5

 
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