St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's ice hockey

The St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's ice hockey team represents the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) in NCAA Division I ice hockey.

St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's ice hockey
Current season
St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies athletic logo
UniversityUniversity of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
ConferenceCCHA
First season1920–21
Head coachEnrico Blasi
4th season, 29–75–5 (.289)
Assistant coaches
ArenaSt. Thomas Ice Arena
Saint Paul, Minnesota
ColorsPurple and gray[1]
   
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
DIII: 2000, 2005
NCAA Tournament appearances
DIII: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2020
Conference Tournament championships
MIAC: 1986, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2020
Conference regular season championships
MIAC: 1923, 1934, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018

History edit

St. Thomas is one of the oldest ice hockey programs in the nation, predating even Minnesota, having played their first varsity game in the 1920–21 season. That year St. Thomas, along with six other small Minnesota colleges, formed the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and began playing one another in many sports. Over the course of the first sixty five years, St. Thomas was one of the better teams in the conference but it became the leading program once Terry Skrypek arrived in 1987. In his 23 years with the program, Skrypek won 13 conference championships, 9 conference tournament titles and reached the NCAA Division III championship game twice.[2]

In 2019 the MIAC took the unprecedented step of removing St. Thomas from its membership because of concerns about “athletic competitive parity.”[3] Because the removal affected all sports and was effective at the end of the 2020–21 season, St. Thomas had time to decide what it would do next. The men's ice hockey program was given the green light to jump directly to the Division I level in July 2020.[4] Before the end of the month, the seven teams who had previously announced their intention to restart the CCHA with the 2021–22 season voted unanimously to accept the Tommies as the eighth member of the conference.[5]

In 2023, St. Thomas announced plans for the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, with the team planned to begin playing its home games there in the fall of 2025.[6]

Season-by-season results edit

Source:[2]

Head coaches edit

As of completion of the 2023–24 season

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1920–1921 Harold Dudley 1 6–1–0 .857
1921–1923, 1925–1926 Joe Brandy 3 19–9–0 .679
1923–1924 Dave Hayes 1 8–2–0 .800
1924–1925 Bill Houle 1 1–0–1 .750
1926–1927 Willard Faulk 1 5–9–0 .357
1927–1928 John O'Halloran 1 4–5–3 .458
1928–1930 Matt Coogan 2 15–13–0 .536
1930–1932 Frank Penas 2 7–7–4 .500
1932–1933 Joe Boland 1 7–3–0 .700
1933–1935 Frank Halder 2 6–6–1 .500
1935–1937 Frank Klingberg 2 12–10–3 .540
1937–1939 Leo McGuire 2 13–7–2 .636
1939–1942 Wee Walsh 3 18–3–3 .813
1946–1948 Tom Cunningham 2 20–9–0 .690
1948–1951, 1952–1955 Bill Funk 6 66–19–11 .745
1951–1952 Norm Robertson 1 7–3–0 .700
1955–1959 Ken Staples 4 38–19–0 .667
1959–1962 Don Saatzer 3 19–14–0 .576
1962–1963 Tom Martinson 1 11–4–1 .719
1963–1970 Joe Flood 7 57–53–4 .518
1970–1982 Gus Schwartz 12 150–150–5 .500
1982–1987 Terry Abram 5 105–45–2 .697
1987–2010 Terry Skrypek 23 415–194–45 .669
2010–2021 Jeff Boeser 11 160–81–33 .644
2021–Present Enrico Blasi 3 29–75–5 .289
Totals 26 coaches 100 Seasons 1198–741–123 .611

Current roster edit

As of September 18, 2023.[7]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2   James Marooney Graduate D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-08-16 Chaska, Minnesota Ohio State (Big Ten)
3   Lucas Wahlin Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2001-05-03 Woodbury, Minnesota Lincoln (NAHL)
4   Cole Miller Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-08-27 Littleton, Colorado Sioux Falls (USHL)
5   Matthew Gleason Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-09-20 Saint Paul, Minnesota Colorado College (NCHC)
6   Jake Ratzlaff Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2001-12-31 Rosemount, Minnesota Madison (USHL)
8   Cameron Recchi Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2001-05-24 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Salmon Arm (BCHL)
10   Mason Poolman Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1998-01-28 East Grand Forks, Minnesota Penticton (BCHL)
11   Ryan O'Neill Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-02-25 Roseville, Minnesota St. Cloud (NAHL)
12   Tim Piechowski Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-12-08 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Bismarck (NAHL)
13   Noah Prokop Graduate F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 2000-01-15 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Colorado College (NCHC)
14   Jase Sofo Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-06-25 Sylvania, Ohio Amarillo (NAHL)
15   Quinton Pepper Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2002-01-31 London, Ontario Steinbach (MJHL)
16   Luke Manning Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-04-13 Stillwater, Minnesota Air Force (AHA)
17   Jake Braccini Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2001-07-02 Hanover, Minnesota Muskegon (USHL)
18   Ethan Gauer Senior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-12-23 Farmington, Minnesota Bemidji State (WCHA)
19   Luc Laylin Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-12-30 St. Michael, Minnesota Prince George (BCHL)
20   Cooper Gay Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-03-15 Edina, Minnesota Fargo (USHL)
21   Carson Peters Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-10-28 Medina, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL)
22   Mack Byers Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-02-08 Long Lake, Minnesota Northern Michigan (CCHA)
24   Grant Docter Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2000-12-06 Golden Valley, Minnesota Michigan Tech (CCHA)
25   Liam Malmquist Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-10-08 Edina, Minnesota Wisconsin (Big Ten)
27   Ryder Donovan Graduate F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 2000-10-04 Duluth, Minnesota Wisconsin (Big Ten) VGK, 110th overall 2019
28   Braidan Simmons-Fischer Sophomore D 6' 7" (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2002-01-26 Detroit, Michigan Austin (NAHL)
29   J. D. Metz Freshman F/D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-10-24 Mahtomedi, Minnesota New Mexico (NAHL)
30   Jake Sibell Junior G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-01-03 Isanti, Minnesota Niagara (AHA)
31   Aaron Trotter Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-04-07 Victoria, British Columbia Prince George (BCHL)
39   Maximilian Prazma Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-01-12 Calgary, Alberta Calgary (AJHL)
42   Tobias Abrahamsson Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 2003-08-30 Jönköping, Sweden HV71 J20 (J20 Nationell)

Awards and honors edit

CCHA edit

Individual awards edit

All-conference teams edit

Second Team All-CCHA

References edit

  1. ^ "Athletic Brand Standards – The University of St. Thomas". March 3, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "St. Thomas Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "D-III Powerhouse St. Thomas Is Getting Kicked Out of Its Conference Because It's Too Good at Sports". Sports Illustrated. May 22, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "At the rink, it's 'Tommie Time,' as St. Thomas moves hockey programs to Division I". Duluth News Tribune. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "St. Thomas men's team moves to Division I, will join new CCHA for 2021-22 season". USCHO.com. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Wald, Jeff (17 January 2023). "St. Thomas announces plans for hockey, basketball arena starting in 2025". FOX 9. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  7. ^ "2023-24 Men's Hockey Roster". St. Thomas Tommies. Retrieved September 18, 2023.

External links edit