DE PERE, Wis. - Gustavus men's hockey is set to take on St. Norbert College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championships at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Gusties (16-9-2) earned an automatic qualifier into the tournament after winning the MIAC playoff championship, while the Green Knights (23-5-1) are also an AQ after winning the NCHA playoffs.
 
GUSTIES IN THE NCAA TOURNEY
 
Gustavus is making its seventh appearance in the NCAA tournament and first since 2012. The Gusties own a 4-7-2 record in NCAA tournament games with their best finish coming in 2009 when they took second place after a 4-1 loss to Neumann in the title game. The Gusties last won a national tournament game in 2012, defeating Milwaukee School of Engineering 3-1 in the first round before a 4-1 loss to St. Norbert in the quarterfinals.
 
THE SERIES
 
Gustavus and St. Norbert are matching up for the 26th time with the Green Knights leading the all-time series 14-10-1. The last time the Gusties and Green Knights faced each other was Nov. 3, 2012 as Gustavus won 2-1 in Saint Peter. The two programs are meeting in the NCAA tournament for the third time and first since the 2012 quarterfinals when the Green Knights won 4-1 and went on to win the national championship. St. Norbert also beat Gustavus 3-1 in the 2010 quarterfinals.
 
MIAC HONORS
 
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its 2024-25 men's hockey awards Wednesday and Gustavus's Tyler Walsh was selected MIAC Coach of the Year, while five Gusties were named All-Conference. Drew Holt earned his second consecutive All-MIAC honor and was joined by Hunter Newhouse, Jack Suchy, Jack Anderson, and Jackson McCarthy. Gustavus's five All-Conference selections are the most since the 2009-10 season.
 
YEAR ONE
 
In his first season on the Gustie bench, Tyler Walsh garnered MIAC Coach of the Year after directing the team to both the MIAC regular season and playoff championship, and the program's first appearance in the national tournament since 2012. Walsh joins former Gustavus men's hockey coaches Don Roberts and Brett Petersen as recipients of the MIAC Coach of the Year award, which was given to Roberts seven times and Petersen three. Walsh, alongside assistant coach Ethan Schwartz, have directed the most potent scoring offense in the league, averaging 3.74 goals per game, while also giving up the fewest goals in the MIAC at 2.63 per game. The Gusties also have the highest points per game (9.89), assists per game (6.15), and shot percentage (0.13) in the MIAC. Walsh and the Gusties enter Saturday's national tournament game with a 16-9-2 overall record and finished with a 10-4-2 mark in the league.
 
HOLT ON
 
Making his second appearance on the All-Conference team, Drew Holt ranks second in the MIAC with 17 assists and eighth with 25 points. Holt owns a +10 rating with eight goals, two game-winning goals, and just four penalty minutes. Holt has seven multi-point games, including a three-assist performance against Hamline on Feb. 21.
 
HUNTING THE NET
 
Hunter Newhouse makes his first showing on the All-MIAC team, ranking sixth in the conference with 12 goals and ninth with 25 points. Newhouse also has 13 assists, a +11 rating, and a team-best four game-winning goals.
 
JACK AND JACKSON
 
Defensive line mates Jack Anderson and Jackson McCarthy have played vital roles in boasting the top defensive unit in the MIAC. The defense has limited opponents to 2.6 goals and 24.4 shots per game. Individually, Anderson has four goals and 11 assists for 15 points, while McCarthy has one goal and 15 assists for 16 points.
 
(SU)-KEY TO THE OFFENSE
 
Jack Suchy joins the All-Conference ranks after leading the team with 15 goals and 29 points, which rank third and second, respectively, in the league. Suchy also has 14 assists, which ranks 11th in the MIAC. He's taken 74 shots, which ranks eighth in the league and owns a .20 shot percentage. Suchy's +16 rating is third best in the league. Suchy has nine games with multiple points, including a three-goal, one-assist performance against St. Olaf on Nov. 16.
 
ALL-PLAYOFF
 
Riku Brown, Jackson McCarthy, and Colin Androlewicz were selected to the MIAC All-Playoff Team. Brown scored three goals in the two playoff games, including both goals in the 2-1 win over St. Olaf in the championship. McCarthy and the Gustie defense limited Concordia and St. Olaf to just three total goals, while McCarthy added an assist against the Cobbers. Androlewicz earned the win in both playoff games, allowing just three goals while making 58 saves.
 
NCAA RANKS
 
Gustavus ranks in the top-30 in multiple statistical categories within NCAA Division III. The Gusties rank 15th in penalty killing percentage (.854), 15th in scoring offense (3.74), 17th in team points (269), 18th in team assists (168), 20th in scoring margin (1.11), 24th in winning percentage (.630), 25h in power play percentage (.227), and 30th in scoring defense (2.63).
 
SCOUTING THE GREEN KNIGHTS
 
St. Norbert has not lost a game since January and won its conference playoff tournament with victories over Concordia-Wisconsin, Trine, and Adrian. Ranked No. 5 in the latest NCAA NPI rankings, the Green Knights are among the top Division III teams, ranking fifth in team points (323), assists (203), and scoring defense (2.0), sixth in both scoring margin (2.14) and winning percentage (.810), eighth in penalty killing percentage (.872), 11th in scoring offense (4.14), and 21st in power play percentage (.239). Logan Dombrowski is one of the top offense threats in the country with 49 points on 16 goals and 33 assists. Dombrowski's 1.69 points per game and 1.14 assists per game are both second in Division III, while he leads the country with four short-handed goals. Liam Fraser leads the team with 21 goals, including 21 assists for 42 points. Hunter Garvey has spent the most time in the crease with an 18-4-1 record, 2.09 goals against average, and a .912 save percentage. The Green Knights are making their 22nd NCAA tournament appearance with a 34-16-1 record in the tourney, including five national championships.
 
NEXT UP
 
The winner of Gustavus and St. Norbert will face the winner of Utica and Fitchburg State on Saturday, March 22 in the quarterfinals. The semifinals and championship will take place March 28 and 30 at a site to be determined later.