The College of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, announced in 1920 that a new varsity sport was going to debut that winter: ice hockey. The sport itself wasn’t new to the school. In fact, elevating the sport to varsity status was a long time coming as players from the school had originally donned the purple and gray for games on Lake Mennith sixteen years prior in 1904. The swampy lake was on campus until 1909 when the city built a sewer line for Summit Avenue that eventually drained the water. It officially dried up in 1911.
The first varsity captain for St. Thomas was George Conroy, a left wing who previously played hockey as a junior member of the Saint Paul Athletic Club. Bill Houle was the leading scorer, having netted 34 goals by season’s end for St. Thomas. The Cadets, as they were known as at the time, played an 11-game schedule in the inaugural season. The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) was in its infancy after forming earlier that year in 1920. St. Thomas was one of three teams from the conference to offer varsity hockey during the 1920-21 season, along with Macalester and Hamline. St. Thomas stated at the time that the MIAC teams wouldn’t have had a three-team hockey conference that first year if it wasn’t for Howard Dudley. The school said it was his initiative that drove the formation of the league. He was asked to become manager of the Cadets in that first season. He was a current student at the college and was the team captain of both the St. Thomas football and baseball teams.
The Cadets played an initial three-game conference schedule with the remaining games counting as practice, non-conference, or exhibition depending on the terminology used in the description of the games. The team was undefeated in league play after taking down Macalester 9-1 and then Hamline twice by scores of 3-1 and 5-1. The conference games were played at Lexington Rink in Saint Paul as all three teams were located within that city. The conference was often referred to as the Triangular League – not to be confused with the East Coast’s version of a league of the same name.
The most lopsided victory during the season was a 21-1 drubbing of the Fort Snelling team. The Cadets only allowed eight goals throughout the entire 11-game season. The team would go on to finish with an 10-1 overall record that included an undefeated 3-0 conference season. St. Thomas claimed the first hockey title of the MIAC teams. An interesting aspect of that first season was the last game’s opponent. A team from the University of Minnesota represented the Gophers but hockey had yet to be recognized as a varsity sport at the school – something that would happen the following season. Because of this and the fact that the game occurred after the conference championship was secured, St. Thomas referred to it as an exhibition game. The Gophers won 3-1. While the Cadets admitted the Gophers fielded a strong team, they also pointed out that the outdoor rink conditions were very poor. Due to all of the above, St. Thomas crowned themselves the college hockey champions of the state of Minnesota in 1921. Within the featured photo, the hockey stick in the foreground reads “Champions 1921” in white lettering on the black tape.
Predictably, the St. Thomas hockey program has evolved throughout the years. Outside of hockey, the school changed its name from a college to a university and adopted the Tommies nickname in the late 1920s. The team was a member of the MIAC until the university elevated all of its sports to Division I in 2021. The school launched a women’s varsity hockey team in 1998. And most recently, the Tommies are set to open a brand new on-campus rink on Friday, October 24, 2025. The women’s team will play the first game at the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena when they host Providence. The men will play the same school later that evening. This will mark the first-ever hockey games between St. Thomas and Providence. St. Thomas hockey, and the sport itself, has evolved a lot since the early 1900s. But one thing has come full circle: hockey is returning to campus, and the new rink will be only 2,000 feet away from the very first puck drop that took place on Lake Mennith 121 years ago.
Photo Credit: 1920-21 St. Thomas hockey team photo from the 1921 St. Thomas Kaydet Yearbook.
The four-year streak of a new NCAA men’s hockey team joining Division I was snapped this year. However, one conference expanded. Arizona State found a home in the NCHC during the 2024-25 season after spending nine seasons as a DI independent. The program won its first Division I conference game when the Sun Devils beat Omaha at home 3-2 on November 16, 2024. Later that month, the Sun Devils defeated Denver 3-2 to earn its first win over a top-ranked team in the nation. This win snapped Denver’s 21-game unbeaten streak in the process. Arizona State would later win its first conference playoff game and series after sweeping UMD in the opening round at home. The Sun Devils participated in the Frozen Faceoff and were defeated by Denver 4-2. The Pioneers, in turn, lost the following night when Western Michigan took down Denver in double overtime. Western Michigan won its first Frozen Faceoff title in the final NCHC championship game to take place in Saint Paul. Beginning next season, the entire NCHC playoffs will be played on campus.
The NCHC announced in the off-season that it would add another new member in St. Thomas in 2026-27. With the news of the Tommies’ future exit from its current conference, the CCHA, in turn, announced Augustana would become a full member in 2024-25; a year earlier than scheduled. Due to an unbalanced conference schedule for Augustana compared to the rest of the CCHA, the conference switched to points percentage this season to determine the standings. The Vikings finished second to Minnesota State in the standings. A unique situation occurred during the 2025 CCHA Mason Cup playoffs. When St. Thomas defeated Bowling Green in the semifinals, it ensured that the winner of the other semifinal between Minnesota State and Bemidji State would receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. This was because St. Thomas was not eligible for the tournament due to a mandatory four-year waiting period after transitioning from Division III to Division I. In a semifinal with unexpectedly high postseason ramifications, the Mavericks downed the Beavers 4-0 to earn the bid. The Mavericks put an exclamation point on the tournament the following week with a 4-2 win in the championship game, thus regaining the Mason Cup for the third time in four years.
The Lindenwood men’s hockey team defeated the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison October 11, 2024. It was the first program win over a top ten ranked opponent as well as its first win over a Big Ten team. Two weeks later in Indiana, LIU defeated Notre Dame for the program’s first road win over a ranked opponent. LIU finished the season with a record of 20-12-2; the first time the program hit the 20-win plateau in a season.
Denver hosted UNLV for a holiday-season exhibition game on December 28, 2024. UNLV, an ACHA Division I hockey program, shocked the hockey world by defeating the Pioneers in a shootout 7-6. Granted, Denver was without head coach, David Carle, and star defenseman, Zeev Buium, but this was historic. It’s safe to say this was the first time an ACHA (club) team defeated the defending Division I men’s hockey team who also owns the record for most NCAA Division I hockey titles. In April, the Skatin’ Rebels capped its historic season with the school’s first-ever ACHA Division I national hockey championship.
Two Division I men’s conference championship games went to double overtime. This was just the second time this ever happened in the same season; the only other occurrence took place in 2017. In addition to the aforementioned NCHC title game when Western Michigan outlasted Denver, the Michigan State Spartans defeated Ohio State in double overtime by a score of 4-3 to earn its second Big Ten tournament title in a row. Elsewhere, Bentley won the Atlantic Hockey America tournament. The Falcons hoisted the Riley Trophy for the first time, granting the program its first-ever berth in the NCAA hockey tournament. Within Hockey East, Maine won its first Hockey East tournament since 2004 after defeating UConn in the title game. UConn, however, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament; its first time ever participating in the national tournament. Within the ECAC, Quinnipiac won the regular season title for the fifth season in a row. However, the Bobcats lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Quinnipiac has not won any of the five conference tournaments throughout this five-peat run.
During the 2025 NCAA Division I men’s tournament, Denver and Boston College met in the Manchester Regional Final for a rematch of the 2024 title game. Since 1949, there have been seven instances of a title game rematch happening in the following season’s tournament. In all seven instances, the runner up from the season before avenged the loss. History did not repeat itself in 2025 as Denver beat Boston College 3-1 to earn a trip back to the Frozen Four.
The men’s Frozen Four took place in St. Louis for the first time since 2007. Of the four teams that made it, two are considered college hockey blue bloods in Denver and Boston University and two are first-time participants in Western Michigan and Penn State. Western Michigan defeated Denver in double overtime in the early semifinal. It was the second time the Broncos defeated the Pioneers in double overtime in 21 days. Also, the only other time these two teams met in the NCAA tournament, that too ended in double overtime. But Denver was on the winning side of that 2011 first round contest. The late semifinal game saw Boston University defeat Penn State; thus, ending the Cinderella run for the 13th overall seed. Western Michigan defeated Boston University two days later and claimed the program’s first NCAA hockey title. It was the third time in five years that a first-time winner was crowned for the Division I men. The Broncos are also the first champion to win two double overtime games in the NCAA tournament en route to a title. Western Michigan is the first men’s team to pull off the trophy trifecta (conference regular season title, conference tournament title, NCAA title) since Union in 2014. A Michigan-based team has won all three Frozen Fours hosted in the city of St. Louis (Western Michigan in 2025, Michigan State in 2007, and Michigan Tech in 1975).
The women’s Frozen Four was held at Ridder Arena. It was the seventh time it took place on the University of Minnesota campus. Two WCHA powerhouses met in the championship game yet again. In fact, it was the third year in a row that Ohio State and Wisconsin faced off for the championship trophy; the first time that has ever happened in the NC women’s hockey tournament. Wisconsin won two years ago, and Ohio State won the previous season. The two previous title games were decided by one goal and this year wasn’t any different. Wisconsin tied the game on a Kirsten Simms penalty shot with just 19 seconds left in regulation. The Badgers then won the game 4-3 in overtime on another goal by Simms. It was the fourth championship trophy for the Badgers in six seasons. Wisconsin has now won the hockey championship in the last four odd-numbered years. The Badgers increased their lead in the overall title count by adding this eighth trophy. This was also the 22nd women’s hockey championship for the WCHA.
In Division III men’s hockey, Hobart completed a three-peat after defeating Utica 2-1 in overtime during the championship game of the 40th NCAA hockey tournament for Division III. The Statesmen have defeated three different teams in the three consecutive championship games. The last time there was a three-peat in Division III men’s hockey, Middlebury (Vermont) won three in a row from 2004 to 2006.
The longest women’s hockey game in Division III history took place during the MIAC tournament. Augsburg (Minnesota) defeated Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota by a score of 3-2 when Aunna Schulte scored eight minutes and six seconds into the fourth overtime. The field for the NCAA Division III women’s tournament was expanded from 11 to 12 teams this year. For the second year in a row the semifinals and title game were held in River Falls, Wisconsin. It was held there in 2024 because Wisconsin-River Falls was the highest remaining seed. However, it was chosen as a predetermined site prior to this 2024-25 season. But as luck would have it, Wisconsin-River Falls made another tournament run and ended up back in the championship game at home. The Falcons defeated Amherst 3-1 to claim back-to-back titles.
For more than five decades, if a hockey prospect played in one of the Major Junior leagues in Canada or even signed a contract with one of the teams, it rendered a player automatically ineligible from NCAA hockey. In fact, NCAA hockey did not accept players who had even played in a game against a professional player. However, this changed November 7, 2024, when a vote was passed that allowed NCAA Division I teams to recruit prospects who participated in Major Junior hockey or professional teams. The caveat was that the players must never have received payments more than the actual and necessary expenses as part of their participation on the team. Players who accepted additional expenses or gifts, or signed NHL contracts are still deemed ineligible in the eyes of the NCAA. It was determined that eligible players would be able to begin play within the 2025-26 season. Division III was excluded from this ruling. Braxton Whitehead was the first Canadian Hockey League player to commit to an NCAA team. Whitehead, an alternate captain for the Regina Pats of the WHL, verbally committed to Arizona State on September 13, 2024. He did so due to a class action suit filed against the NCAA to allow CHL players to be deemed eligible. The NCAA voted less than two months later to allow it. The fact that NCAA players currently earn scholarships and money from name, image, and likeness (NIL) helped fuel this change.
This is the next installment in our On Location series where we live tweet a college game (or games) that we attend in person and then later post an article here on the site. This is a special instance in that it’s in essence a combination of our On Location and Relevant Rewind series because the game took place November 19, 2022, and we’re just pulling it out of the vault and posting it now.
The St. Thomas men’s hockey program hosted Michigan Tech for a weekend CCHA series in November 2022. Heading into the weekend, the Tommies held an overall record of 2-10 while the Huskies were sitting at 6-3-2. At the time, Michigan Tech led the all-time series 12-4-2; one that dated back to 1922. The majority of these games took place before St. Thomas joined Division I prior to the 2021-22 season.
The St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, is the current home to both the men’s and women’s hockey teams at St. Thomas. It’s also home ice for St. Thomas Academy boys hockey. The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena will open on the St. Thomas campus in St. Paul next season and will be the new home of the Tommies’ hockey and basketball programs. The new arena is expected to seat 4,000 hockey fans; more than quadruple the number of fans that the current rink can accommodate.
The inside lobby of the arena includes a lot of history. There are three large photos over the main entrance showcasing teams from the past, including an action shot of an outdoor game from many decades ago. There are also banners hanging throughout the lobby of St. Thomas Academy alumni who went on to play Division I hockey.
The visiting Huskies defeated the Tommies in the Friday night game after a big third period. We attended the second game on Saturday night. The St. Thomas faithful were on hand but there was also a good amount of Michigan Tech fans in attendance. Michigan Tech looked to put the Tommies away early to earn a sweep. The Huskies scored six minutes into the game and then again just over a minute later to make it 2-0. They would add a third goal less than three minutes after that. But the Tommies responded. The home team took advantage of a five-minute power play and scored with just under five minutes to play in the opening frame. And then again just 13 seconds later. The high-scoring first period ended with Michigan Tech up 3-2.
After a five-goal first period, no teams scored throughout the second period. That carried over to the first seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds of the final period until Tim Piechowski scored for St. Thomas to tie the game. He picked a great time to score his first goal of the season. At the end, the Tommies found themselves with a power play in the final three minutes of regulation. But Ryland Mosley of Michigan Tech flipped the script and scored a shorthanded goal to take a late lead. The Tommies closed out regulation on a power play and pulled the goalie but came up short with the two-man advantage.
The Huskies won the game 4-3 to sweep the weekend series. Michigan Tech led in the number of shots as well 29-18. This win put Michigan Tech at 5-0-1 over St. Thomas since the Tommies arrived in Division I. This was already the eighth time St. Thomas lost by just one goal in the young season. The Tommies would end the 2022-23 season with a record of 11-23-2. Michigan Tech would make it to the semifinals of the CCHA tournament and then receive an at-large bid to the NCAA national tournament to face off against Penn State. It ended up being a tough one for Michigan Tech as the Nittany Lions won 8-0 as part of the group of big ten teams that rained fire in the opening round that season.
St. Thomas and Michigan Tech shake hands after a 4-3 Huskies win in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.
Michigan Tech will visit Mendota Heights this weekend in the final CCHA regular season series. It’s a pivotal set of games that will decide home ice between teams that are separated by just two conference points (or 0.028 percentage points). Saturday’s game will be the final regular season hockey game played at St. Thomas Arena for the Tommies. They’re just trying to ensure it won’t be the last one they play there.
The team we all know as the Minnesota State Mavericks went by a different name in 1995. Mankato State University transferred to the newly created Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system in 1995. However, the school didn’t change its name until 1998. The Mankato State Mavericks hosted a team from the Twin Cities January 27, 1995. The St. Thomas Tommies made their way to southern Minnesota that Friday to take on the Mavericks in the first game of a home-and-home series that weekend. While both programs are currently playing Division I hockey, the Mavericks were Division II and the Tommies were Division III during the 1994-95 season.
The Mavericks had a 16-5 record going into the Friday night game. The Tommies held a lead going into the third period that night thanks to stellar play by goalie Brian Volp. Mark Zacharias scored 8:50 into the period to tie it for the home team. Then with 24 seconds remaining, Brian Amundson scored the power play game winner for the Mavericks. The two teams would play the next night in St. Paul where the Mavericks won again by a one-goal margin. This time in a higher-scoring affair: 6-5.
This January 27, 1995, game is historic for Minnesota State in that it was the last men’s hockey game played at All Seasons Arena in Mankato. The men’s team played the first game at the new Mankato Civic Center (now known as the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center) the following weekend. The Mavericks defeated Alabama-Huntsville 6-3 February 3, 1995, to christen the new arena. The Minnesota State men’s team still practices at All Seasons Arena and the women’s hockey team plays home games there.
The same two teams will meet for a best-of-three series this weekend in Mankato at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center during the opening weekend of the playoffs for the revived CCHA. Minnesota State is the top-seed in the conference. These two teams – along with all other CCHA teams – are looking to win the famed Mason Cup in this first season of the reforged CCHA. This is also the first season St. Thomas is participating in Division I hockey.
In the featured image, Aaron Broten of Mankato State takes a shot against St. Thomas goalie Brian Volp at All Seasons Arena.
Photo Credit: Mankato State Reporter, Vol. 66, No. 41, January 31, 1995.
This is the first article in our new On Location series where we will live tweet a college game that we attend in person and then later post an article here on the site.
Teams: St. Cloud State Huskies at St. Thomas Tommies
Where: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota
When: October 3, 2021 at 5:07 p.m.
Opening puck drop at the first St. Thomas home game on October 3, 2021.
This was the second game of a home-and-home series to begin the 2021-22 season for these two teams. St. Cloud State hosted the first game on Saturday night and showed the new Division I team why they are ranked #2/3 in the preseason polls. The Huskies impressively won 12-2. The same two teams met on Sunday evening on October 3, 2021, in St. Paul. It’s credited as the first Division I home game for St. Thomas despite it being at the Xcel Energy Center instead of the team’s St. Thomas Ice Arena. 4,261 fans were in attendance.
St. Cloud State jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a power play goal from Zach Okabe in the first period. Jami Krannila and Spencer Meier assisted on the play. Shots on goal in the first period were 12-4 in favor of the Huskies.
St. Cloud State celebrates a first period goal to put the Huskies up 1-0.
The Xcel Energy Center is home to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. This weekend of hockey played every March includes the final four teams left in the conference tournament with the winner of the title game hoisting the Frozen Faceoff trophy and earning an automatic bid to the national tournament. The NCHC conference tournament took place in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 2021 but the Frozen Faceoff will return to St. Paul in 2022. This game against St. Thomas is the first time St. Cloud State has played at the Xcel Energy Center since March 23, 2019, when the Huskies lost 3-2 in 2OT to UMD in the 2019 NCHC Frozen Faceoff title game.
The Xcel Energy Center is home to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
In the second period, the Huskies scored again to make it 2-0 heading into the third period. This time the goal was from Micah Miller with the assist from Kevin Fitzgerald. The Tommies had several chances but came up short. Shots in the second frame were 7-6 in favor of St. Cloud State.
St. Thomas gets a shot off in the second period of the October 3, 2021 game against St. Cloud State.
There’s an area in the Xcel Energy Center that is devoted to the Hobey Baker and Patty Kazmaier Memorial Awards. It includes a list of past winners, replica Hobey Baker Award, and jerseys of a handful of past recipients. There are also summaries of the awards and what they mean to the hockey community.
Wing of the Xcel Energy Center dedicated to Hobey Baker Award.
Jerseys of past Hobey Baker Award winners showcased at the Xcel Energy Center.
Wing of the Xcel Energy Center dedicated to Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
There was no scoring in the third period. St. Thomas pulled the goalie but no goals were scored for either team before time expired. St. Cloud State outshot the Tommies 29-14. David Hrenak recorded his first shutout of the season as the Huskies opened the season with two wins. The Tommies put up a good fight but are still looking for the program’s first Division I win.
Final minutes of the St. Cloud State and St. Thomas game on October 3, 2021.
The St. Thomas Tommies will begin a new chapter this Saturday, October 2. When the puck drops in St. Cloud against the Huskies, St. Thomas will have officially made the jump to Division I. The Tommies will be the second team in as many years to join the ranks of the top men’s division of college hockey. But unlike Long Island, who created a program from scratch prior to the 2020-21 season, St. Thomas has a long and storied history of hockey. This is a program that began play in 1920. Prior to this season, the Tommies had only been a part of one conference: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). With a new division comes new scenery. The Tommies will immediately participate in the revamped CCHA. However, the team must first play the national runner-up and NCHC powerhouse, St. Cloud State to begin the season. The home-and-home series will occur on Saturday and Sunday with the Tommies first home game taking place at the Xcel Energy Center; home of the Minnesota Wild.
In the featured photo, the St. Thomas hockey team is shown participating in an intrasquad scrimmage in 1924. The location is presumably on campus. The Tommies went 8-2 during the 1923-24 season. The program holds the record for most wins among all Division III hockey schools. As the sixth Division I hockey program in Minnesota, the program will have its hands full on the ice in the CCHA as well as the recruitment trail. But if past accomplishments are any indication and early trends continue for this new-look program, Rico Blasi’s team will not only fit right in, it will excel within the State of Hockey.
