CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston hockey program will make their first-ever appearance at the 2023 ACHA Division II Central Regional February 24-26 at the Maryville University Hockey Center in Chesterfield, Mo. The Golden Eagles are two wins away from their first-ever berth in the 2023 ACHA Division II National Tournament March 17-21 at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass.

The Golden Eagles are currently ranked 18^th nationally and they are the sixth seed in the Central Region. Minnesota Crookston has a bye in the first round of the tournament. The Golden Eagles will play the highest remaining seed on Saturday, February 25 at 8:15 p.m., at the Maryville University Hockey Center. Minnesota Crookston comes in with a 22-5-1 mark. The Golden Eagles finished second in the WCCHA Northwest Division and finished third at the 2023 WCCHA Tournament.

Minnesota Crookston is led by Logan Syrup, who is 12^th in the nation in scoring with 57 points (26 goals, 31 assists. Syrup has five power-play goals this season. In addition to Logan Syrup, Jackson Fuller (So., F, Minneapolis, Minn.) comes into the weekend with 19 goals and 29 assists. Tyler Zahradka (Jr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) has 24 goals and 17 assists, and leads the team with eight power-play goals. Zach Larson (Jr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) comes in with 15 goals and 18 helpers.

Defensively, Jake Huska (Jr., D, Snow Lake, Manitoba) guides UMN Crookston with 11 goals and 21 assists. He has five power-play goals. Gunner Ferrier (Jr., D, Baudette, Minn.) comes in with seven goals and 14 helpers.

In goal, Jared Aamold (So., G, Breckenridge, Minn.) has put in the most time with 14 games played. Aamold has a 2.66 goals against average. Wyatt Olsonawski (Fr., G, Hallock, Minn.) has made a substantial contribution in the second semester, as the doorkeeper has a 1.71 goals against average in four games played. Braden Schmitz (So., G, Devils Lake, N.D.) has notched a 2.78 goals against average in eight games, while Jake Sumner (Jr., G, Alta Loma, Calif.) has a 2.41 goals against average in seven tilts.

3) Concordia University-Wisconsin
The Falcons are propelled by Alexandre Way, who leads the entire ACHA Division II in scoring with 83 points, 41 goals and 42 assists. Concordia has a potent offensive attack, as Ian Malcomson comes in with 22 goals and 54 apples. Lucas Krueser has notched 30 goals and 44 helpers, while Samuel Weiss has 24 goals and 39 assists. All four players are in the top 10 in scoring in ACHA Division II.

At netminder, Mack Willy leads the Falcons with a 2.77 goals against average in 31 games played.

Concordia has a 28-8 mark during the 2022-23 slate.

4) Trine University
The Thunder come in with a 17-8 mark. Trine is the No. 4 seed in the region. They are led by Noah Henslee, with 20 goals and 20 assists. Justin Palmer enters the tournament with 12 goals and 21 helpers. Dillon Fox has 18 goals and 12 apples. Defensively, Nathaniel Rider leads the way in scoring with two goals and 14 assists.

At netminder, the Thunder look to Ian Young. He has started 14 games and has posted a 2.58 goals against average, with a .905 saves percentage.

5) DePaul University
DePaul comes into the tournament with a 22-8 record. The offensive attack for the Blue Demons is guided by potent scorers Michael Helf and William Paschen. Both have over 60 points this season. Danny Mannarino enters the tournament with 21 goals and 34 assists, while Jackson Leptich has 15 goals and 36 helpers.

In between the pipes, Asher Motew leads the way for the Blue Demons with a 3.35 goals against average in 21 games player. Alexander Grzbek has the lower goals against average at 2.53, but has only played in 11 tilts this season.

7) Michigan State University
The Spartans open the tournament against 14-seed Sault College. Michigan State comes into the regional with a 15-11 record. The Spartans look to Brendan Murphy, a defenseman who leads the way with 14 goals and 27 apples. Torrey Schwartz comes in with 19 goals and 14 helpers, while Kyle Switzer boasts 15 goals and six assists.

In goal, Aidan Klingbeil leads the way with a 1.66 goals against average in 10 games. Ryan Griffin has played seven games and boasts a 3.10 goals against average.

8) Marian University
The Sabres come into the regional with a 13-14 mark. Marian is lifted by Dawson Schwengler with nine goals and 19 helpers. Simon Ellingson comes in with 14 goals and eight assists, while Karl Lavoie has 12 goals and six assists. Marian opens the tournament against 13-seed University of Wisconsin.

In net, Will Mccreight paces the Sabres with a 4.20 goals against average in 19 games.

9) University of Iowa
The University of Iowa comes into Missouri with an 18-4 mark this season. The Hawkeyes are propelled by defenseman Brian Raffone, with four goals and 25 helpers. Jake Carlson enters the tournament with 14 goals and 14 assists, while Ryan Carlson has 16 goals and nine helpers.

At netminder, Justin Howard paces Iowa with a 1.93 goals against average in 19 games. He has a .933 saves percentage. The Hawkeyes commence the tournament against 12-seed Adrian College.

10) University of Minnesota
Minnesota also comes into the regional out of the WCCHA. The Golden Gophers and Golden Eagles played three times this season, with Minnesota Crookston posting a 2-1 mark. Most recently the Golden Eagles defeated Minnesota 5-4 in the opening round of the WCCHA Tournament.

Minnesota faces 11-seed Lake Superior State University in the first round. The Golden Gophers are lifted by Shane Griffin, with 20 goals and 20 helpers. Jack Kimlinger enters the tournament with 15 goals and 23 assists, while defenseman Michael Scherer has 13 goals and 18 apples.

In between the pipes, Matthew Bryant leads the way with a 2.63 goals against average in 21 tilts. The Gophers have a 17-15 mark on the season.

11) Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State enters Missouri with an 18-6 mark. The Lakers have an 18-6 mark during the 2022-23 campaign. Lake Superior State looks to Hayden Goldstein, with 27 goals and 22 helpers. He also has nine power-play goals. Jason Cossette comes in with 27 goals and 17 assists, while Justin Smith has 11 goals and 17 apples.

At netminder, Maxim Currie has played 15 games and has a 3.16 goals against average, while Sean Piotrowicz has played 13 tilts with a 2.67 goals against average.

12) Adrian College
Adrian College comes into the regional with a 15-8 record. The Bulldogs are ignited by Matyas Mach with 12 goals and 13 helpers. Defenseman Shaun Potts has three goals and 22 assists for the Bulldogs, while Dominic Melone has 18 goals and five assists.

In goal, Danny Fielding has played 11 games and has a 2.50 goals against average, while Alexander Herman has nine games played and has a 3.94 goals against average.

13) University of Wisconsin
The Badgers have a 20-10 record. Wisconsin is also coming out of the WCCHA, having placed second in the WCCHA Tournament. Wisconsin is paced by defenseman Ian Barbour, who has 21 goals and 25 helpers. Jacob Feldt enters the tournament with 12 goals and 24 assists, while Carson Gunderson has seven goals and 24 apples.

In between the pipes, Sean Goss has 16 games played with a 3.22 goals against average. Joseph Berg has appeared in 12 games, and has a 2.57 goals against average.

14) Sault College
Sault comes into the regional with a 12-12 record. They claimed the final slot in the tournament. They are the only team out of Canada (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) to qualify for the ACHA Central Region Tournament. The Cougars have a potent offense paced by Caleb Wood with 29 goals and 22 helpers. Gregory Trudeau-Paquet enters the tournament with 18 goals and 32 assists, while Ethan Esposito boasts 16 goals and 26 apples.

In goal, Cedric Joubert has played 18 games and has a 4.75 goals against average. Zachary Tarantini has 11 games in net, with a 5.36 goals against average.

Tournament Schedule
Friday, February 24
14) Sault vs. 7) Michigan State – 11:15 a.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.
13) Wisconsin vs. 8) Marian – 2:15 p.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.
12) Adrian vs. 9) Iowa – 5:15 p.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.
11) Lake Superior State vs. 10) Minnesota – 8:15 p.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.

Saturday, February 25
2^nd Lowest Remaining Seed vs. 4) Trine – 11:15 a.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.
2^nd Highest Remaining Seed vs. 5) DePaul – 2:15 p.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.
Lowest Remaining Seed vs. 3) Concordia-Wisconsin-5:15 p.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.
Highest Remaining Seed vs. 6) Minnesota Crookston – 8:15 p.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.

Sunday, February 26
2^nd Lowest Remaining Seed vs. 2^nd Highest Remaining Seed – 12:30 p.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.

Lowest Remaining Seed vs. Highest Remaining Seed – 3:30 p.m. – Chesterfield, Mo.

For more information visit 2023 Men's Division 2 Regional Tournaments | American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) (achahockey.org)

All Games Streamed on HockeyTV

Tournament Background
Eight teams have already qualified for the ACHA Division II National Tournament. Lindenwood University and University of Saint Thomas will represent the Central Region March 17-21 in Marlborough, Mass. University of Massachusetts and Northeastern University qualified out of the East Region. Liberty University and Florida Gulf Coast University made it out of the Southeast Region, while University of Mary and Montana State University qualified out of the West Region.

The remaining teams are battling it out for the final eight spots in the ACHA Division II National Tournament. The Northeast Regional is at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass. The Southeast Regional is taking place at The Saint James in Springfield, Va., while the West Regional is hosted at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Trine University and the University of Wisconsin earned the final two national tournament spots in 2022. The University of Mary captured the National Title over Florida Gulf Coast in 2022. 

School Background
Concordia University-Wisconsin - Mequon, Wis.
Trine University - Angola, Ind./Fort Wayne, Ind.
DePaul University - Chicago, Ill.
University of Minnesota Crookston - Crookston, Minn.
Michigan State University - East Lansing, Mich.
Marian University - Fond du Lac, Wis.
University of Iowa - Iowa City, Iowa
University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, Minn./St. Paul, Minn.
Lake Superior State University - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Adrian College - Adrian, Mich.
University of Wisconsin- Madison, Wis.
Sault College - Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario