THIS WEEK
Two of the nation's top teams collide in a home-and-home series between #5 University of Mary and #4 University of Jamestown. In the first series of the season between the two Midwest College Hockey members, game one will be hosted by the Jimmies in Jamestown, ND, at 7 pm on Friday, December 1. The 2-game series wraps up Saturday, December 2, when the Marauders host the Jimmies at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink. The puck drops at 7 pm in the 5^th annual Teddy Bear Toss game.
 
TEDDY BEAR TOSS, JERSEY AUCTION SET FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2
The Marauders host their 5^th Teddy Bear Toss game on Saturday, December 2, when the University of Mary faces the University of Jamestown. Fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears and other stuffed animals to the game as a donation to benefit local children. When the Marauders score their first goal of the contest, fans will immediately throw their teddy bears onto the ice. All stuffed animals will then be collected and donated to local children just in time for the holidays as a part of the Community Action Program's Backpack for Kids. 
 
Additionally fans can purchase the specially-designed Teddy Bear game-worn jersey the Marauders will wear during Saturday's game. All proceeds will support the BFKP program. You can make a bid during Saturday's game (minimum $120) or call the hockey office at 701-355-8337 to auto-buy your jersey for $200.
 
Backpack for Kids was developed to address the need for food for children identified as being homeless or at risk in the Bismarck/Mandan area. "Kid-friendly" foods such as cereal, granola/yogurt bars, fruit cups, applesauce, pudding, canned dinners, peanut butter, jelly, and bread are given to the kids. The food packs are delivered to the schools every other week. The school distributes them to children in need. Community Action works together with the schools to determine who is in need.
 
FINAL HOME APPEARANCE OF 2023
The Marauders-Jimmies game on December2 is the final chance to watch the University of Mary play at home in 2023. UMary next plays at the Starion January 13.
 
RANKED
For the second straight week the University of Mary occupies the 5^th slot in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 1 rankings. In the 7^th ranking released just prior to Thanksgiving, the Marauders were the only program to maintain the same exact ranking in the Top 25 as in the 6^th poll 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 #18
• Illinois State – the Marauders opening weekend foe - is #15
• Minot State, the defending national champion and the Marauders opponent in two games, dropped to #2 in the poll
• #3 University of Central Oklahoma split two games with the Marauders

 

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

 
RECORDS
The Marauders are 11-3-0-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOW-SOL) overall and 7-0-0-0-1 in MCH play… The Jimmies are 12-3-0-1-0 overall and 10-1-0-1-0 in MCH action.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In their final game before Thanksgiving, the Marauders rolled past Dakota College 6-0. Seth Cushing scored two goals and Isaiah Thomas dished three assists. Cameron Milewski made 19 shots to earn a shutout in his first collegiate start.   
 
200
The Marauders program reached 200 wins on November 11, 2023, in a 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)

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 a career-high eight goals this season and added six assists. He is 2^nd on the team in goals and 5^th in points (14). His previous high for goals was seven last year. Nagurski is tied for the team lead in power play goals with four.
 
ESKRO ROLLING
Tanner Eskro has scored eight goals to trail only Seth Cushing (13) 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.
 
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 11 assists in 13 games. He is third on the team in points with 15.  
 
TOPS
With a spurt of 11 goals over seven games – including 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 13 goals and 10 assists for a team-best 23 points.
 
DEALING
Isaiah Thomas has dished out a team-high 17 assists this season, including three in  game against Waldorf. He has six games with multiple assists and has had either a goal or an assist in seven straight games and 11 games out of 15 overall. With two goals in addition to his 17 assists he has 19 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 seven wins – including a shutout – with a 2.22 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. All-American Kyle Hayden has three wins and two shutouts with a 1.98 GAA and a .938 save percentage in six games. Including a shutout start by Cameron Milewski, the Marauders goalies allow 1.92 goals/game with a .934 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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