THIS WEEK
The start of the postseason is here as the #10 University of Mary hockey team hosts the Midwest College Hockey tournament. As the #2 seed in the tournament, the Marauders have an opening round bye and will play at 7 pm Saturday, February 17, against the winner of the #3 McKendree University/#6 Waldorf University quarterfinal match. The MCH championship game is set for 1 pm Sunday, February 18.
 
FIRST
After playing at the American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 2 level for five seasons and winning a pair of national titles, this is the Marauders first year competing at ACHA MD1 and in Midwest College Hockey.  
 
SECOND
The Marauders finished second in the MCH regular season standings. The University of Jamestown won the MCH regular season title and earned the #1 seed in the conference tournament with 50 points. UMary was second with 46 points, followed by McKendree University (36), Illinois State University (32), Midland University (31), Waldorf University (9) and Northern Illinois University (0).
 
LOCATION
All five games will be played at the Starion Sports Complex Schwann Cadillac Rink in Mandan, ND, home of the Marauders hockey team (111 Old Red Trail, Mandan, ND 58554)
 
FORMAT
The teams are seeded for the MCH tournament championship in the same position as they finished the MCH regular season. This is a single elimination tournament.
 
Qualifying Teams/Seeds
#1 University of Jamestown                       
#2 University of Mary
#3 McKendree University
#4 Illinois State University                           
#5 Midland University                                  
#6 Waldorf University
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 16, 2024                                    
Game 1 | 4:00 pm | #4 Illinois State University vs. #5 Midland University
Game 2 | 7:00 pm | #3 McKendree University vs. #6 Waldorf University
 
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024
Game 3 | 4:00 pm | #1 University of Jamestown  vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4 | 7:00 pm| #2 University of Mary vs. Winner of Game 2
 
Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024
Game 5 | 1:00 pm | Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
 
CHAMPIONSHIP REWARDS
The MCH tournament champion earns the Lindsay Cup and the MCH auto bid to the ACHA M1 Tournament March 7-13, 2024, at the Centene Community Ice Center, Maryland Heights, MO.
 
RULES OF NOTE
Designated home teams will wear white jerseys and visitors will wear dark jerseys for the entirety of tournament play... All games will be played under NCAA rules... Overtime rules will follow the NCAA playoff protocol using 20-minute periods, 5 v 5, "golden goal" format... The winner will advance to the next round.
 
RECORD
The #10 Marauders are 24-11-0-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOW-SOL) overall and finished 15-4-0-0-1 in MCH play (2^nd place 46 points).
 

2023-24 Midwest College Hockey FINAL Standings
Team Name	W	OTW/ SOW	L	OTL/ SOL	Points	GF	GA
UMary *	15	0	4	1	46	79	41
Jamestown *	16	1	3	0	50	107	22
McKendree *	12	0	8	0	36	73	67
Midland *	9	1	8	2	31	65	60
Illinois State *	10	1	7	0	32	73	71
Waldorf	2	1	14	1	9	26	84
Northern Illinois	0	0	20	0	0	44	122

* Earned playoff spot (top 6 teams qualify)
 
Tickets

• Tickets for the championship tournament are available online and at the gate
• Tickets purchased online at www.umarytickets.com are sold at a discounted rate and include fees
• Tournament passes are NOT available and fans must buy a ticket for each day
• Tickets purchased for Feb 16 are good for both games that day; Feb 17 are good for both games that day; and Feb 18 are good for the Championship game only.
• Tickets sold at the gate will be CASH ONLY (No credit card sales at the gate. An ATM is available on site.)

 
Ticket prices per day:

• 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

 
WEBSTREAM
Visit www.nsicnetwork.com/goumary or www.goumary.com/coverage for links to live webstreams of all five MCH tournament games.
 
RANKINGS – UMARY #10 IN 15TH ACHA MD1 POLL OF 2023-24
The Marauders rank 10th nationally in the 15th American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division 1 poll of the 2023-24 season.
 
UMARY WEEK BY WEEK ACHA MD1 RANKINGS
Preseason – 23rd | Poll 1 – 21st | Poll 2 – 20th | Poll 3 – 19th | Poll #4 – 4th | Poll 5 – 3rd | Poll 6 – 5th | Poll 7 – 5th | Poll 8 – 6th | Poll 9 – 7th | poll 10 - #10 | Poll 11 - #10 | Poll 12 - #10 | Poll 13 - #10 | Poll 14 - #9 | Poll 15 - #10
 
UMARY VS. TEAMS CURRENTLY NATIONALLY RANKED
•             1-4 vs. #1 Minot State
•             1-1 at #3 University of Central Oklahoma
•             1-3 vs #5 University of Jamestown
•             2-1-0-0-1 vs. #14 Illinois State
•             2-0 vs. #19 Missouri State
 

2023-2024 ACHA Men's Division I Ranking #15
Rank	School Name	M1 Record	Previous	Conference
1	Minot State	26-6-1	1	INDEP
2	Adrian	24-4-0	2	GLCHL
3	Central Oklahoma	24-5-2	3	WCHL
4	Nevada-Las Vegas	21-6-2	4	WCHL
5	Jamestown	22-8-0	6	MCH
6	Liberty	18-7-1	7	INDEP
7	Maryville	21-9-2	8	INDEP
8	Ohio	22-7-4	5	INDEP
9	Niagara	18-7-1	10	ESCHL
10	Mary	21-11-1	9	MCH
11	Purdue Northwest	24-5-1	11	GLCHL
12	Utah	14-10-2	14	WCHL
13	Calvin	20-7-2	12	GLCHL
14	Illinois State	22-10-1	13	MCH
15	Grand Valley State	20-7-2	15	GLCHL
16	Arizona	13-13-1	19	WCHL
17	Grand Canyon	17-13-1	21	WCHL
18	Indiana Tech	23-9-1	16	WHAC
19	Missouri State	13-14-2	18	WCHL
20	Pittsburgh	17-12-2	17	ESCHL
21	Delaware	14-8-4	20	ESCHL
22	Oklahoma	14-10-2	25	WCHL
23	Iowa State	10-8-0	22	INDEP
24	West Chester	22-4-2	23	ECHA
25	Colorado	12-10-2	NR	WCHL

 
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)
 
CUSHING ALL-TIME UMARY LEADER IN GOALS
Seth Cushing became the UMary career leader in goals on December 1, 2023, when he scored the 138th goal with the Marauders. Alex Flicek formerly held the record with 137. Cushing now has 145 goals in his UMary career… Additionally Cushing moved past Zach Garrett (237 points) on the career points list the next game on December 2, 2023. Cushing now has 247 points in his UMary career. Flicek is the all-time team record-holder in points with 292.
 
100 AND COUNTING
The University of Mary earned its 100^th win at home against Minot State University on January 24, 2024. The Marauders are 103-16-2-3-0-0 (W-L-OTL-T-SOW-SOL) all-time at home.
 
HUBER HITS 150
Andrew Huber became the 5^th UMary player to reach 150 career points with a 2-goal 2-assist game at Waldorf Jan. 27. The Bismarck, ND, native owns 96 goals and 59 assists in 205 games with the Marauders.
 
HEITKAMP POWERS UP
Defenseman Michael Heitkamp picked up a hat trick in a 6-1 UMary win over Colorado State. He earlier had a tremendous game in the Marauders 7-1 win over Illinois State. The defensemen had a goal and three assists for four points. In his first season at UMary Heitkamp owns seven goals and ten assists.
 
CUSHING CHARGING FORWARD
Seth Cushing is putting together another outstanding season. The Marauders all-time leader in goals has found the net a team-high 21 times this season. He also has 14 assists and is third on UMary with 35 points. Cushing leads the squad with seven game-winning goals.
 
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT
Isaiah Thomas has dished out a team-high 33 assists this season, including three in a game three times. He has eight games with multiple assists and has had either a goal or an assist in 24 games out of 34 overall. With six goals in addition to his 33 assists he has a team-leading 39 points on the season.
 
NAGURSKI FINDS HIS NICHE
Defenseman Cyril Nagurski, UMary's lone 6th year player and the only skater besides Andrew Huber who played in the Marauders inaugural season, has scored a career-high nine goals this season and added a career-best 15 assists. He is 3rd on the team in goals and 5th in points (24). His previous high for goals was seven last year. Nagurski leads the team with six power play goals.
 
ESKRO ROLLING
Tanner Eskro has scored 14 goals to trail only Seth Cushing (21) 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 second on the team in points with 37.
 
ROCKET START
Johnny Witzke having another great season, despite missing 12 games to injury. The Marauders All-American defender has nine goals and 19 assists in 22 games. Witzke had the game-winning goal in the Marauders 5-3 win over #1 Minot State and two goals in a 6-1 win over Colorado State. He is 4th on the team in points with 28. Five of his goals have come on the power play.
  
MINDING THE NET
Conan Hayton and Kyle Hayden have been tremendous between the pipes for the Marauders this season. Hayton owns ten wins – including a shutout – with a 2.40 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. All-American Kyle Hayden has nine wins and two shutouts with a 2.20 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 18 games. Including two shutouts by Cameron Milewski, the Marauders goalies allow 2.17 goals/game with a .929 save percentage.
 
TESTED TOUGH
The Marauders return 19 skaters from last season… Playing his 6th season is D Cyril Nagurski… Playing in their 5th seasons are D Johnny Witzke, F Seth Cushing, G Kyle Hayden and F Andy Huber, Players in their 4th 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.
 
MARAUDERS TIED FOR 2ND 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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