St. Thomas plays in NCAA hockey's toughest conference, and if the opening weekend performance of their incoming rookies is any indication, they'll be a tougher opponent this year as well.
St. Thomas plays in NCAA hockey's toughest conference, and if the opening weekend performance of their incoming rookies is any indication, they'll be a tougher opponent this year as well.
In the world of NCAA hockey, Minnesota has always been a state filled with contenders, national team stars, and national championship calibre programs.
Since 2001, that has included five national titles for Minnesota-Duluth and six national titles for the University of Minnesota.
In only their third season of NCAA Division I competition after moving from Division III to Division I in 2021-2022, the University of St. Thomas looks poised to begin challenging the two horse race in Minnesota.
That movement is thanks in part to an exceptional recruiting class joining St. Thomas this season headlined by Ms. Minnesota Ella Boerger, and fellow elite high school products Ellah Hause, Rylee Bartz, and Cara Sajevic.
While their opening weekend opponent, Franklin Pierce, is one of the NCAA's weaker programs, the back-to-back decisive wins, prominently featuring contributions from St. Thomas' young stars was a promising moment. In their opening game of the season, St. Thomas set a program record scoring seven goals in a 7-2 win.
"It was exciting. Having some score their first goal, and more than that, getting their first shift and then having the chance to put the jersey on for the first time, I think was a very special moment for a lot of them," said head coach Joel Johnson following their opening win.
Ella Boerger immediately made her presence known in the opening weekend 7-2, and 5-2 wins scoring three goals and an assist to lead the St. Thomas Tommies in scoring. Equaling her point total was fellow rookie Rylee Bartz who notched a goal and three assists. Bartz pelted the Franklin Pierce net firing 16 shots in two games, showcasing why she was able to score 107 points in only 30 high school games last season. Other rookies recording multi-point weekends were Sajevic and Keara Parker, while defender Ellah Hause scored her first of the season.
For a team whose leading scorer last season was defender Maddy Clough, who finished the season with 13 points in 36 games, the offensive outpouring over the opening weekend is something St. Thomas will hope is a harbinger for future success.
St. Thomas has one more weekend of non-conference competition against Lindenwood before they'll be asked to test their game against Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota-Duluth in four consecutive weeks.