Bismarck, ND – A dominant force for five seasons at the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2 level, there was little chance two-time national champion University of Mary would make a move up to ACHA Division I unnoticed.
In a pair of preseason polls, the Marauders new competition expects UMary to be in conversations regarding the top teams nationally and in their new conference. The Marauders are projected to finish 2nd in Midwest Collegiate Hockey and are ranked 23rd in the ACHA M2 national poll, the only squad moving up a level to receive votes.
Defending Midwest College Hockey regular-season and conference playoff champion University of Jamestown is the 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).
The teams finishing in the top six spots during the MCH 2023-2024 regular season will compete in the MCH Conference Playoffs, to be hosted by UMary at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink in Mandan, ND, on February 16-18, 2024. The winner of the MCH Conference Playoffs will 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. This is the first year of a 24-team format.
UMary went 6-0-1-0 against MCH teams last season after splitting two games with Jamestown, taking all four contests from Waldorf and skating past Midland 6-2 in the only meeting between the Marauders and the Warriors.
Overall the Marauders posted a record of 9-2-2-0 in meetings with ACHA M1 teams. In addition to a 6-0-1-0 mark against MCH teams, UMary was 1-2-1-0 in four meetings with defending national champion Minot State University. The Marauders were one of only three teams to beat the Beavers last season. Additionally UMary had a 4-1 win over Maryville University and a 3-0 win over Oregon.
The 2023-24 ACHA Men's Division I preseason rankings place Minot State atop the list with 23 out of 28 first pace votes. National runner-up Adrian is picked second, followed by Ohio University, Liberty University and University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Ranked 23rd, the Marauders are the only program in the ACHA M1 Top 25 poll that was not in the 2022-23 final poll. The Marauders are slated to play 22 games against teams in the ACHA M1 Top 25 poll or receiving votes during their inaugural ACHA M1 season.
UMary went 3-2-2-0 last season against teams ranked in the 2023-24 ACHA M1 national rankings, finishing 1-2-1-0 against #1 Minot State, 1-0-1-0 against #7 Jamestown and 1-0-0-0 against #9 Maryville.
2023-24 ACHA Men's Division I Preseason Rankings
1 - Minot State (597 points)
2 - Adrian (571)
3 - Ohio (546)
4 - Liberty (529)
5 - Nevada-Las Vegas (509)
6 - Central Oklahoma (459)
7 - Jamestown (449)
8 - Indiana Tech (425)
9 - Maryville (415)
10 - Niagara (370)
11 - Arizona (353)
12 - Pittsburgh (313)
13 - Grand Valley State (303)
14 - Calvin 23-8-3 (284) 14 GLCHL
15 - Illinois State (266)
16 - Michigan-Dearborn (208)
17 - Lawrence Tech (199)
18 - Utah (174)
19 - Stony Brook (171)
20 - Purdue Northwest (121)
21 - Arizona State (110)
22 - Missouri State (102)
23 - UMary (76)
24 - Grand Canyon (60)
25 - Rhode Island (56)
Others receiving votes: Indiana Pennsylvania, Colorado State, and Delaware.
Under the direction of Head Coach Dan Huntley, the Marauders completed their final season in ACHA M2 with a record of 38-6-3-1 38-6-3-1 (W-L-OTL-T), including a mark of 29-4-1-1 against ACHA M2 squads.
UMary finished its ACHA M2 membership with two national titles (2021, 2022), four national tournament qualifications, a record of 12-0-1-0 in ACHA M2 tournament games, and a five-year overall record of 192-28-8-11.
The new ACHA M1 era of Marauders hockey commences September 29 when UMary opens a two-game set at Illinois State University in Normal, IL. The Marauders home schedule begins October 7 when Minot State University visits.
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