The Men’s D1 Hockey Team is gearing up for the ACHA national tournament March 7-12.
The national competition follows a hard-fought conference playoff run. The Pride opened with a dominant 4-1 quarterfinal win over Davenport before falling 5-0 in the semifinals to Adrian, the defending national champions. It was a turnabout for the Pride, who last year beat Adrian to win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
“I loved our effort in the first period and the third period [against Davenport], I thought we played pretty well,” said Head Coach Carl Trosien. “Against Adrian, we weren’t bad, but we didn’t play well enough to beat them when they were playing the way they played that night.”
With the high stakes of playoff hockey, the game itself changes. The pace is faster, battles are tougher and every shift can decide a season.
“Everybody plays their best in playoffs because most of the time it’s a win-or-go-home kind of scenario,” said Hayden Masloski, the team’s assistant captain. “It gets a lot more physical, and it really does come down to the little things that separate good from great, and obviously, we want to be in that great category.”
For the Pride, depth and defensive discipline have been key factors all season.
“We’ve had a variety of guys scoring, not just our top players,” said Carter Hobbs, assistant captain. “That depth is huge for us. You combine that with good defense, and we’ve got confidence heading into nationals.”
This is the second time the Men’s D1 team plays in the national tournament. Last year, Pride made it to quarterfinal competition before getting cut.
Goaltender Cooper Olson understands how crucial small moments will be this year.
“You don’t save anything for tomorrow because tomorrow isn’t promised,” Olson said. “One big save, one blocked shot: it all adds up.”
While physicality plays a huge role in playoff hockey, the mental aspect is just as crucial.
“In hockey, emotions can ride high,” Masloski said. “My job as a leader is to make sure we don’t get too high or too low. If we fall behind, we stay focused. If we’re ahead, we stay humble and keep working.”
Captain Andrew Remer emphasized the importance of consistency.
“You have to play a full 60 minutes,” Remer said. “One mistake could end your season.”
Coach Trosien agreed that every minute on the ice counts.
“We have to manage expectations and stay on the same page. Our best hockey is still ahead of us,” he said.
With a short break before the tournament, the team is focused on getting healthy and making key adjustments.
“We’ve got some guys banged up, so this break is crucial,” Trosien said. “We need to get healthy and simplify our game”
Discipline will also be key.
“We can’t afford unnecessary penalties,” Olson said. “We need to be smart and stick to what works for us.”
PNW must beat Midland in its opening game at nationals to advance through the knockout-style bracket.
“We know what to expect this time,” Olson said. “We’ve been in big games, we’ve played under pressure, and we’re ready to take the next step.”
And for Remer, in what could be his final season, the goal is simple.
“We’re there to win. Nothing would be greater, nothing would be more rewarding than winning a national championship,” he said. “It would be the icing on the cake.”
