Liam Massie shakes hands on bench
Brian Larson

Hockey Brian Larson, Asst. Atheltics Director - Communications

#11 Marauders open MCH play with weekend series at Illinois State

THIS WEEK
After opening the 2024-25 season with a trio of home wins, the #11 University of Mary hockey team takes their first road trip of the season to Illinois State University to open Midwest College Hockey play. The Marauders and Redbirds open the weekend with a 7 pm game on Friday, September 27. Face off is 5 pm on Saturday, September 28. Both games will be played at the Bloomington Ice Center in Bloomington IL.   
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Links to live stats and video found at www.goumary.com/coverage
 
TICKETS FAQ
  • Fans who purchase tickets online receive a discount over tickets purchased at the gate. Single game adult hockey tickets are $10 plus fees when fans buy online at www.UMaryTickets.com or via the Hometown Fan app. Tickets for seniors (ages 65 and older) and youth (ages 13-18) are $5 plus fees.
  • Single game hockey tickets purchased at the gate are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and youth.
  • Children under the age of 13 are free when accompanied by an adult. Unaccompanied children ticket prices are $5.
  • Tickets purchased at the gate are CASH ONLY transactions. Debit and credit cards 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.
 
RECORDS
The Marauders are 3-0-0-0-0 overall and 2-0-0-0-0 in ACHA MD1 play… Illinois State is 0-2-0-0-0.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders gained a 9-1 win over Williston State College, holding a 90-7 edge in shots over the ACHA MD2 in-state opponent… Illinois State opened the season at home with 6-2 and 5-2 losses to #11 Maryville University.
 
MARAUDERS PICKED 3rD IN MCH NORTH PRESEASON POLL
The University of Mary is picked to finish third in the Midwest College Hockey North Division in the preseason coaches poll. A powerhouse division, the top three teams are all ranked nationally in the  ACHA Men's Division I poll. Preseason favorite and MCH newcomer Minot State is ranked 3rd in the country. Jamestown, the defending MCH regular season and tournament champion, is #8. The Marauders, the regular season and post-season runner-up in their first season in the MCH, is #11 in the nation.
    
MCH NORTH DIVISION
Rank, Team Points
1. Minot State (8) 96
2. Jamestown (1) 78
3. UMary (1) 62
4. Midland 40
5. Waldorf 24
(First Place votes in parentheses)
 
MCH SOUTH DIVISION
Rank, Team Points
1. Illinois State (9) 98
2. McKendree (1) 64
3. Iowa State 62
4. Illinois 54
5. Northern Illinois 22
(First Place votes in parentheses)
 
MCH NOTES
Teams in MCH plays each program in their own division each season and will play teams in the opposite division every other season. The Marauders will play North Division teams Minot State, Jamestown, Midland and Waldorf and South Division foes Illinois State and Northern Illinois. UMary will face Iowa State three times – all non-conference – and will not play McKendree and Illinois.
 
FAST START
Joe Gronholz is off to an incredible start to his Marauders career. The forward from Alexandria MN, leads the team in assists (6) and points (9) after three games. He is second in goals with three… Alex Senf leads the Marauders in goals with four in his first season at UMary. He also has two assists for six points. All four of his goals have come on the power play… Another newcomer, Crae Dawson, also has six points with three goals and thee assists. Dawson tops the Marauders in plus/minus at +7… Derek Dropik, in his 4th season at UMary, also has six points with one goal and five assists.
 
WE'RE BACK
The University of Mary returns nine players from last season: Michael Heitkamp, Liam Massie, Lucas Medeiros, Luke Schleusner, Jake Murray, Derek Dropik, Nick Bradshaw, Tucker Kruse and Brandon Kelly. Dropik is the most experienced returner as the forward is back for his fourth season. Massie, Medeiros and Kruse are back for their third seasons.
 
YEAR 2 IN ACHA MD1
2024-25 is year two for UMary competing in American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division I. The Marauders spent their first five seasons at ACHA MD2, twice winning a national title (2021, 2022) and finishing with an all-time record of 13-1 at the national tournament.
 
YEAR 2 IN MIDWEST COLLEGE HOCKEY
The Marauders joined Midwest College Hockey in 2023-24, finishing the season second both the regular season (46 points with a record of 15-4-0-0-1) and the MCH tournament, which was hosted by UMary.
 
CENTURY CODE
The Marauders are 107-17-2-3-0-0 (W-L-OTL-T-SOW-SOL through Sept. 27, 2024) all-time at home. UMary earned its 100th win at home against Minot State University on January 24, 2024.
 
NEW
UMary has 16 newcomers. One recognizable name is Ben Tschida, whose older brother Marshall was an award-winning defenseman on both UMary national championship teams.
 
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
  • 2023-24 | 26-14-0-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOW-SOL) | #10 seed at ACHA MD1 tournament | 1-1 at nationals | 23-14-0-0-1 v ACHA MD1 foes | 15-4-0-0-1 in Midwest College Hockey (2nd place with 46 points) | 1-1 at MCH tournament (2nd place) | #11 in final rankings | ranked as high as #4 in regular season
TOTAL THROUGH 2023-24 SEASON | 218-42-8-11-0-1 (W-L-OTL-T-SOW-SOL)
 
NATIONALS
The Marauders are 13-2 all-time at ACHA nation tournaments (12-1 in three MD2 tournaments, 1-1 in MD1).
 
#marauders#
 
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Players Mentioned

Nick Bradshaw

#22 Nick Bradshaw

F
6' 2"
Sophomore
2
Derek Dropik

#17 Derek Dropik

F
6' 1"
Senior
5
Michael Heitkamp

#4 Michael Heitkamp

D
5' 11"
Graduate Student
5
Brandon Kelly

#28 Brandon Kelly

D/F
5' 8"
Sophomore
2
Tucker Kruse

#23 Tucker Kruse

F
5' 3"
Senior
5
Liam Massie

#9 Liam Massie

F
6' 4"
Junior
3
Lucas Medeiros

#10 Lucas Medeiros

D
6' 1"
Junior
3
Jake Murray

#15 Jake Murray

F
6' 4"
Junior
3
Luke Schleusner

#11 Luke Schleusner

F
6' 2"
Sophomore
2
Alex Senf

#7 Alex Senf

F
5' 9"
Freshman
1
Joe  Gronholz

#8 Joe Gronholz

F
6' 0"
Freshman
1
Ben  Tschida

#21 Ben Tschida

D/F
5' 11"
Sophomore
2

Players Mentioned

Nick Bradshaw

#22 Nick Bradshaw

6' 2"
Sophomore
2
F
Derek Dropik

#17 Derek Dropik

6' 1"
Senior
5
F
Michael Heitkamp

#4 Michael Heitkamp

5' 11"
Graduate Student
5
D
Brandon Kelly

#28 Brandon Kelly

5' 8"
Sophomore
2
D/F
Tucker Kruse

#23 Tucker Kruse

5' 3"
Senior
5
F
Liam Massie

#9 Liam Massie

6' 4"
Junior
3
F
Lucas Medeiros

#10 Lucas Medeiros

6' 1"
Junior
3
D
Jake Murray

#15 Jake Murray

6' 4"
Junior
3
F
Luke Schleusner

#11 Luke Schleusner

6' 2"
Sophomore
2
F
Alex Senf

#7 Alex Senf

5' 9"
Freshman
1
F
Joe  Gronholz

#8 Joe Gronholz

6' 0"
Freshman
1
F
Ben  Tschida

#21 Ben Tschida

5' 11"
Sophomore
2
D/F