Home › CCHA › Archive for St. Thomas Tommies

Category: St. Thomas Tommies

St. Thomas Tommies category only shows posts related to St. Thomas hockey.

Posted on Posted in CCHA, Minnesota State Mavericks, St. Thomas Tommies
CHH Relevant Rewind Header

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.

Posted on Posted in CCHA, NCHC, On Location, St. Cloud State Huskies, St. Thomas Tommies

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.

Puck drop at the first St. Thomas home game on October 3, 2021
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
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.

NCHC team logos showing that the Xcel Energy Center is home of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff
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
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.

  • Hobey Baker Award area at the Xcel Energy Center
    Wing of the Xcel Energy Center dedicated to Hobey Baker Award.
  • Jerseys of past Hobey Baker Award winners on display at the Xcel Energy Center
    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.
    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.

St. Cloud State still pushing the puck in the final minutes of the St. Cloud State and St. Thomas game on October 3, 2021
Final minutes of the St. Cloud State and St. Thomas game on October 3, 2021.

Posted on Posted in CCHA, St. Thomas Tommies
CHH Featured Flashback Header

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.

Photo Credit: Minnesota Historical Society.