The St. Thomas men and women’s hockey teams took steps forward during their second seasons in Division I. Both teams showed growth and resilience as the teams await the construction of the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena.

A young men’s team was a game away from a .500 winning percentage in the second half, going 6-7-1 in games during, and following, J-Term. The team’s second-half surge was highlighted by a 3-2 overtime win over eventual CCHA champion Minnesota-Mankato

The women’s team’s season was highlighted by a four-game win streak that saw the team sweep conference rival Bemidji State and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

The team outscored its opponents 16-4 during the streak. All games were won in front of a home crowd at St. Thomas Ice Arena.

Men’s hockey

St Thomas men’s hockey improved to seventh in the CCHA standings, finishing 11-23-2 overall and 10-14-2 in conference.

Moving into their second year in Division I with 17 new players, the program not only built a stronger culture of faith and brotherhood, but also created a ready-to-battle team when the season heated up.

“When you see what our team and programs are doing… where you’re trusting each other and you’re doing things for the big picture, for something bigger than yourself, and the development that our athletes are embarking on… it’s pretty, I don’t want to say remarkable, but it’s pretty amazing,” Coach Rico Blasi said.

Throughout the 2023-2024 season, first-year goaltender Aaron Trotter managed a total of 943 saves throughout 38 games.

Trotter’s debut on the team brought Tommie credibility to a new level, and he was integral to wins over Michigan Tech, Bowling Green, and Mankato State.

“That was a stretch of a moment that I remember, because it had never been done before,” Blasi said. “Whenever you’re doing things for the first time, it always means a little bit more.”

On top of Trotter’s success, junior forward Mack Beyers led the team with 18 goals in his first season as a Tommie. First-year forwards Josh Eernisse and Luc Laylin followed with 14 and 10 goals respectively.

“I think it’s important that we recognize where we are in the process of our transition, right,” Blasi said. “I’m really proud of our guys, and I’m proud of the way they handle themselves and I’m proud of the fact that they never make any excuses for where they’re at, and the process that we’re going through.”

Women’s hockey

St. Thomas women’s hockey finished seventh in the WCHA standings with an 8-27-1 overall record and 3-24-1 in conference during their 2022-2023 season.

Playing against top competitors in the division, the women’s team showed glimpses of the team to come.

One of the biggest games being against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Feb. 17th.

The Tommies took away the Gophers shutout streak as they challenged the Gophers in their defense. Neither team scored until the third period, playing tough to the final whistle in regulation. The teams went into overtime tied.

The Tommies lost in overtime, but managed to take a point from the No. 4 team in the country.

“We were able to compete with some of the best teams in the country. Taking University of Minnesota to overtime, and I felt that we had a chance to win that game. It was a game that they really needed,” Coach Joel Johnson said.

Sophomore goaltender Saskia Maurer made a total of 690 saves in 40 games of the season.

“This year was really rewarding for me, you know, little simple things,” Johnson said. “Being on the road and seeing personalities coming out, and seeing interactions with players, not only with me as a coach, but just with each other. Those are the things, the conversations you have with student athletes, the chance to be an influence in their life. That’s why you get into coaching.”

A new home

On Jan. 17, the university announced an immense donation of $75 million from Lee and Penny Anderson to be used on the construction of a new arena for basketball, hockey, programs and events.

An additional gift of $12 million was donated anonymously over break, bringing the total to $87 million raised toward the university’s $131 million goal.

Once construction is finished in 2025, both programs will call the Lee and Penny Ice Arena home as it brings more possibilities to not only the campus but the teams.

“You know, our culture doesn’t need an arena, the way we treat each other doesn’t need a locker room,” Johnson said. “But in terms of being able to recruit and compete in the conference that we do, and across the national landscape, there’s certainly going to be an attraction to being able to have an incredible game venue and practice facility.”

The arena will help St. Thomas’ image grow stronger as the community as a whole grows more each year in Division I.

“It will also give us an opportunity to develop our student athletes in ways that we can’t right now,” Blasi said, “We don’t have the amenities, we don’t have the areas that we need to really be at 100% capacity in terms of development.”

Annabelle Wiskus can be reached at wisk9881@stthomas.edu.
Sam Larson can be reached at lars4378@stthomas.edu.