The St. Thomas men’s hockey team congratulate first-year right wing Casy Laylin on the first goal of the CCHA semifinals. UST beat Bowling Green in CCHA March 15, 2025 and will advance to the Mason Cup championship game. (Evan Neubauer/The Crest) 
The Tommies celebrate a win against Bowling green and a ticket to their first trip to the CCHA championship game. (Evan Neubauer/The Crest) 
A home crowd erupts as the clock winds down on a 3-1 win against Bowling Green in the CCHA semifinals against Bowling Green. (Evan Neubauer/The Crest)
The Tommies found a third period jolt in senior forward Liam Malmquist and junior forward Cooper Gay, defeating Bowling Green University 3-1 Saturday evening at St. Thomas Ice Arena.
Malmquist’s go-ahead goal halfway through the third period clinched the lead and a spot in the Mason Cup final for St. Thomas. The Tommies will travel south and face the Mankato State Mavericks March 21 at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. No start time has been announced.
“We have a lot of work to do. We’re going to see who our opponent is … we’ll prepare well during the week, just like we do every week, and put our best foot forward,” coach Rico Blasi said.
Junior forward Lucas Wahlin was also part of the offensive spark. Wahlin’s recovery in the neutral zone started the rush that led to Malmquist’s score. Wahlin created a sliver of space with a slight push and mustered a pass to a wide open Malmquist.
“It was an unbelievable play,” Malmquist said. “(Wahlin) said when he passed it, he didn’t even see. I think he got hit by a couple of guys … I just tried to stay wide. I knew there was a little chaos and the puck popped out right where I wanted.”
Malmquist and Wahlin also earned first-team All-CCHA nods and forward of the year nominations, capping an all-around season for both skaters. Malmquist said he was “super grateful” even if he ultimately did not win the award.
“It’s an honor to be up there with those guys. I mean, a lot of great players, and forwards specifically in this league,” Malmquist said.
Wahlin also became the second skater in the D-1 era to reach 40 points in a season. Malmquist achieved the same feat March 9 against Ferris State. The Tommies also added another program record with their 19th victory of the season.
The Tommies’ semifinal win was defined by intensity and defensive efforts. St. Thomas blocked 14 shots and was complemented by another strong performance by senior goaltender Jake Sibell. Sibell has won each of his last 12 appearances dating back to December 2024.
“We did a really good job defensively. They’re really hard to play against because they’re very aggressive,” Blasi said.
Bowling Green had one last chance to extend the game into overtime. The Falcons drew a penalty with two minutes left. Bowling Green coach Dennis Williams stacked an empty net and a power play, outnumbering the Tommies 6-to-4 in the ice.
“Our guys did an unbelievable job of just staying patient, keeping them to the outside. (Sibell) had to make a save … Real proud of the guys,” Blasi said.
First-year forward Casy Laylin’s opening goal and Gay’s empty netter sandwiched Malmquist’s goal to complete the 3-1 scorecard.
“I’m … pretty blessed to be able to share this with some family. And yeah, I’m just very excited to have the opportunity to play in the championship,” Laylin said.
Before the opponent was determined, Blasi said the approach remained the same for the Tommies.
“Be where your feet are, enjoy every moment. Don’t take anything for granted. That’s essentially what our culture is all about and we’re going to continue to do that,” Blasi said.
Bowling Green finishes its first season under coach Williams 18-14-4. Williams also guided the Falcons to their first semifinal appearance since the 2018-19 season.
“We don’t play the game to be participants … we play the game to win and it doesn’t matter what we do or what sport you’re playing right now,” Williams said. “It takes us a little bit to sit down and reflect on the year. Obviously, I think at the end of the day, we had a lot more positives than negatives.”
Williams said that losing by a small margin “makes it worse” heading into the offseason.
“If it was 8-0, I can be like, ‘we didn’t even deserve to be in the game.’ When it is a tied game going into the third and you’re one shot away, as I said to our Associate Athletic DIrector Jimmy Elsasser … if you would have told me at the beginning of the year we got to play a 20 minute period to go the CCHA finals, I probably would have shook your hand and took it.”
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.
