THIS WEEKEND
The #14 University of Mary hockey team wraps up their season-opening 7-game home stand with a pair of games against the #21 Arizona State University Sun Devils. The 2-game series between the Marauders and the Sun Devils opens on Thursday, October 2. Following a day off for UMary as ASU plays at the University of Jamestown on Friday, the Marauders and Sun Devils wrap up the weekend with Game Two on Saturday, October 4. Both games are set for 7 pm at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink in Mandan, ND.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
All Marauders home games are streamed live online. Links to home webcasts and stats plus available road games can be found at www.GoUMary.com/coverage.
 
THE RECORDS
The Marauders enter the weekend 3-2-0-0-0-0 (W-L-OTL-T-SOW-SOL) overall and 2-2-0-0-0-0 against ACHA MD1 teams… This is the opening weekend of the season for the Sun Devils, who went 14-16-1-0-0-2 in 2024-25.
 
LAST WEEK REWIND
The Marauders earned their first two ACHA MD1 wins of the season, taking down #25 University of Colorado 4-2 and 8-4… In game one David Loahr and Joe Gonholz scored 1^st period goals to give UMary a 2-0 lead. Twice Colorado sliced the lead and each time UMary responded as Dain Sardelli scored in the second and Gronholz found the net again in the third. UMary outshot CU 52-25… After neither team scored in nine combined power play opportunities on Friday, the Marauders (3-of-6) and the Buffaloes (3-for-5) scored on 6-of-11 power plays. CU scored just 96 seconds into the game for a very short-lived lead. UMary scored the next six goals, including five in the first period. Eight different Marauders scored goals with Gronholz posting a goal and three assists and Loahr and Matt Scribner chalking up a goal and two assists each. UMary held a 57-26 shot advantage.
 
HERE COMES THE SUN (DEVILS)
For the first time, the University of Mary faces the Arizona State University ACHA MD1 program. The previous meeting between the Marauders and Sun Devils was an ACHA MD2 matchup with UMary coming out on top 4-0 in Logan, UT, on Nov. 11, 2019. Lance Knutson made 25 saves and Seth Cushing scored the winning goal.  
  
GRONHOLZ FAST START
F Joe Gromholz is off to an impressive start. The Midwest College Hockey Rookie of the Year last season and an all-conference selection, Gronholz has combined for eight points in four games. He has at least one point in each game and has totaled four goals and four assists.   
 
TIMING
First-year forward Dain Sardelli has had perfect timing, scoring the game-winning goal in two of the Marauders three victories (9-1 over Lake Region State, 4-2 over Colorado). In five games Sardelli has two goals and three assists for five points.
 
SHARE THE LOAD
A dozen Marauders have scored goals just five games into the season. Joe Gronholz leads the way with four goals while Alex Senf and David Loahr own three each. Matt Scribner, Hunter Mangan, Dain Sardelli, Amraj Gill and Palmer Sinclair each own two… Eight different Marauders scored in an 8-4 win over #25 Colorado.
 
NEW
On a veteran team with 21 returning players, four new skaters have taken to the ice this season for the Marauders: defensemen John Lang and Amraj Gill and forwards Dain Sardelli and Isaac Flatley.  
 
SPECIALTY UNITS
Last weekend saw both specialty units step forward. In Friday's win the Marauders killed off all six of the Buffaloes' power play opportunities while UMary was unable to score in three chances with a man advantage. In a reversal of roles, the Marauders went 3-for-6 on the power play in Saturday's 8-4 win over the Buffaloes while CU scored on 3-of-5 power play chances. For the season UMary is 4-for-21 on the power play and has allowed the opposition to score on just 4-of-19 power play chances.  
 
MARAUDERS PICKED 3^RD IN MCH PRESEASON POLL
Midwest College Hockey coaches project the University of Mary to finish third this season in the seven-team league.
 
Defending league champion Minot State University tops the 2025-26 MCH Preseason Coaches' Poll, released September 24. The University of Jamestown is picked second, followed by UMary, Midland University, McKendree, Waldorf University and Iowa State University.
 
All seven teams will compete in the MCH conference tournament February 20-22 in Albert Lea, MN. The MCH Playoff champion will hoist the Lindsay Cup and earn a berth in the 2026 American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 1 national championships set for March 12-17 in Maryland Heights, MO.
 
UMary opens its 12-game 2025-26 MCH schedule at Waldorf on Oct. 18-19 in Mason City, IA.
 
RANK AND FILE
In a schedule chock full of the top teams in the country, the Marauders play 27 games of their scheduled 38 contest against teams ranked in the Top 25 preseason poll. UMary faces #3 Minot State (5 games), #6 Jamestown (5), #9 Drury (2), #10 Utah (1), #11 Calvin (1), #15 Purdue-Northwestern (1), #18 Midland (4), #21 Arizona State (2), #21 Delaware (1), #23 Grand Valley State (1) and #25 Colorado (4).
 
2024-25 REWIND
The Marauders finished last season 23-15-0-0-0-0 overall and 22-15-0-0-0-0 against ACHA MD1 teams.
 
HISTORY LESSON
UMary, which won back-to-back ACHA Men's Division II national championships in 2020 and 2021, made the move up to MD1 for the 2022-23 season. Head Coach Dan Huntley has directed the incredibly successful UMary program since the Marauders first took to the ice in September 2018. Over the course of seven seasons UMary has fashioned a record of 239-56-9-11-2-1 (W-L-OTL-T-SOW-SOL), posting a winning season with 20 or more wins each year.
 
The Marauders made their second straight MD1 national tournament last spring and went 1-1, defeating the University of Pittsburgh 4-0 in the opening round before falling to #3 Ohio University 3-0. Throughout program history covering six national tournaments, the Marauders are 14-2-1-0-0-0 (W-L-OTL-T-SOW-SOL) in ACHA tournament games and has only two losses in regulation.  
 
HEITKAMP, GRONHOLZ, CUNNINGHAM LEAD VETERAN SQUAD
The Marauders return an experienced club as 21 of 25 players return from last season.
 
Michael Heitkamp leads the way for the Marauders returners. The two-way defenseman from Grand Rapids, MN, was a threat on both ends of the rink for UMary. In his second season with the Marauders and fourth overall in ACHA MD1, Heitkamp scored 15 goals and delivered 15 assists for 30 points to earn a spot on the 2024-25 ACHA MD1 All-Athletic 3^rd team. Heitkamp is the first UMary player to claim ACHA MD1 All-Athletic Status.
 
Heitkamp was also an All-Midwest College Hockey selection. Forward Joe Gronholz was the MCH Rookie of the Year and a 2^nd team All-MCH choice. Defenseman Dylan Cunningham and Gronholz were both named to the MCH All-Rookie team.
 
MARAUDERS HOCKEY TICKET INFORMATION
Single game and season tickets are available at www.UMaryTickets.com and via the HomeTown Fan App for iOS and Android mobile devices. Fans who purchase tickets online at www.UMaryTickets.com and on the HomeTown Fan App receive a discount over tickets purchased at the gate.
 
Hockey Ticket Prices – Online

• Adult tickets $10 plus fees
• Seniors and Youth (ages 13-18) $5 plus taxes
• Children 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by an adult. Unaccompanied children ticket prices are $5 plus fees

 
Hockey Ticket Prices – At the gate

• Adults tickets $15
• Seniors and Youth (aged 13-18) $8
• Children under the age of 13 are free when accompanied by an adult. Unaccompanied children ticket prices are $5.

Note

• Both cash and credit card payments will be accepted at the UMary ticket gate.
• UMary students and faculty and staff with their MCard are admitted FREE. Youth ages 12 and younger with an adult are admitted FREE. If youth 12 and under unaccompanied by an adult the admission fee is $5.

 
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