The Tommies stood behind the boards silent and with blank stares after their 4-2 defeat against Minnesota State University Saturday night at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
The Mavericks are perennial winners in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and claimed their third Mason Cup in four years. For St. Thomas, Saturday’s loss overshadows a year that saw the team conquer its first playoff series in program history and break several records.
“(Mavericks) play great. They were the best team all year,” coach Rico Blasi said.
St. Thomas endured a slow start to the season but broke out of its slump. The Tommies finished the year 15-4-1 and claimed third place in the regular season.
“This is what St. Thomas hockey is going to be about, playing for championships. So everything that we do in our process will be geared to that, on and off the ice,” Blasi said.
Blasi said the locker room was “heartbroken” and that the postgame message was simple: “I’m proud of them.”
Junior forward Lucas Wahlin reflected on the departure of key teammates as he sat in the postgame press conference. Wahlin stayed composed, with a blank expression stirred by the void left at the end of the season.
“I definitely feel for all the seniors and the age outs. They deserve better,” Wahlin said. “(I’m) gonna be kicking myself for sure … Definitely gonna miss a lot those boys and especially my linemates.”
The Tommies established their defensive presence early in the game. The Mavericks splashed 12 shots in the first period but did not find a clear chance to score. St. Thomas and MSU exchanged a pair of goals and entered the third period 2-2.
“They … came out the first 10 minutes and gave us their best, props to them. We kind of punched back the rest of the 10 minutes in the first and then we ended up getting our first goal of the game, which was huge for us. Brought our squad a lot of confidence,” Wahlin said.
The Mavericks would not back down to a Tommies team that continued to create chances. Sophomore defender Evan Murr ripped a shot a few steps in front from the St. Thomas blue line and beat senior goaltender Jake Sibell.
Minnesota State tallied another goal with a minute left in the game. Coach Blasi pulled Sibell out of the game, but the Tommies could not possess the puck cleanly and allowed an empty netter to graduate forward Josh Groll.
“I said it earlier in the week, games like that you got to get some bounces. Obviously, you got to work for your bounces. But I thought our team worked for their chances to get some bounces and didn’t go our way,” Blasi said.
The Mavericks clinched a trip to the NCAA tournament before the championship due to St. Thomas’ ineligibility for NCAA postseason play. Minnesota State forward Josh Groll said “it was a statement game” for them.
“Not winning it last year, it was something that stung for us especially the guys returning. So it meant everything to us, doing this game and show up ready for our fans,” Groll said. “It didn’t matter whether we’re playing next week or not, the game was everything to us and I hope that showed up.
The Mavericks have reached the national tournament nine out of the last 12 years and this year, the team runs deep. MSU features six 20-point players and junior goalie Alex Tracy is a finalist for the Mike Richter Award.
“This is the expectation around here. You’re expected to win and we just have a bunch of guys that love to compete … so to get two trophies this year and looking for a third is special,” Murr said.
Minnesota State fans packed an arena that buzzed since the first faceoff. Tommie fans broke out cheers during the game but were secluded to a corner, overshadowed by Maverick fans.
“Even in the first, it was a little tricky because we couldn’t hear each other talking. I’m calling for the puck at some points, which obviously we’re blessed to have that kind of support,” Murr said.
Minnesota State coach Luke Strand took over the team in 2023 and guided it to a conference semifinal. In his second year, his team looks forward to a national tournament matchup regardless of its opponent.
“Our league is hard, it is pro-hard,” Strand said. “So that part is really helping, this game tonight was valuable, for us in that regard, just to keep going. These guys don’t flinch.”
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.
