SAINT PETER, Minn – The 2024-25 men's hockey team was named the 2024-25 Gustavus Athletics Men's Team of the Year, the department announced on Wednesday, June 11. 

The award, established in the 2022-23 season, is bestowed upon a team for remarkable athletic achievement during the athletic season, and is voted on by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representatives of the year, with one vote counted per varsity team.

The 2024-25 men's hockey team posted the best team record (16-10-2) since 2013-14 and won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championship for the first time since 2009-10. They completed the double, winning the MIAC Playoff Championship as well, for the first time since 2012. This was the first time the same team won the MIAC Championship and MIAC Playoff Championship in the same year since 2019. 

The Gusties were led by a new coach this season, Tyler Walsh, for the first time since 2000, with Brett Petersen retiring after the 2023-24 season. In his first year at the helm, Walsh brought the program back to the national tournament for the first time since 2012 and brought the program six more wins than the previous year. At the end of the season, Walsh was selected as MIAC Coach of the Year by his peers. 

On the ice, sophomore Drew Holt (Eden Prairie, Minn.) earned his second All-Conference honor of his career, while sophomore Hunter Newhouse (Minnetonka, Minn.), senior Jack Suchy (Medina, Minn.), sophomore Jack Anderson (Orono, Minn.), and sophomore Jackson McCarthy (Buffalo, N.Y.) earned their first selections. 

Holt played in every game and led the team in assists, dishing out 18, which was good for second in the conference. He added eight goals to bring in 26 points in his second year, eight more than in his freshman year. 

Newhouse played Mr. Clutch this season, leading the team in game-winning goals with four. The time where he came most in handy was on the road against Concordia-Moorhead, where he scored with 45 seconds left to grab an extra point and come home with a weekend sweep. The forward brought in 26 points, evenly distributed between goals and assists. Newhouse was also selected as MIAC Offensive Player of the Week twice, after his weekend performance against Concordia-Moorhead and after a four-point weekend against Saint Mary's. 

Suchy led the team in points, goals, and plus-minus, totaling 29 points,15 goals, and a +15 during the 2024-25 season. The Medina native was second in the conference in points, only one behind Tyler Braccini of Bethel, who was selected as a second team All-American. Suchy's season was highlighted by nine multi-point games, including a hat-trick in a 6-5 win against St. Olaf. 

Anderson tallied 15 points as a defenseman, which included four goals and 11 assists. On the defensive side, Anderson blocked 13 shots as well, earning his title as an offensive defenseman. Anderson had four multi-point games, in two of which he also blocked multiple shots. 

McCarthy also played the role of an offensive defenseman, bringing in 15 assists, which was good for second on the team. The Buffalo, N.Y. native was third on the team in blocked shots with 16. McCarthy was consistent the whole way through, contributing points in 14 of 26 total games played, which included a performance against Augsburg with two assists and three blocked shots. 

The MIAC Championship title was the first in 15 years and the 15th in school history. The MIAC Playoff Championship was the sixth in school history, which ties them with Augsburg for first (current MIAC members) with six all-time. 

The Gusties earned the MIAC's automatic bid to the national tournament with a 2-1 win over St. Olaf in the MIAC Playoff Championship. The team was picked to travel to #3 St. Norbert in the first round, where the team lost, 3-2. 

For the second consecutive year, Gage Gohl (Sioux Falls, S.D./Lincoln) has been named the Male Athlete of the Year, his first time as a solo honoree after sharing the award with doubles partner Tyler Haddorff (Burnsville, Minn.) last season. Karina Elvestrom (Minnetonka, Minn.) was selected as both the Female Athlete and Newcomer of the Year, becoming just the second first-year to earn the department's highest honor in her first season of competition joining Andrea Kleven (swimming, track & field) in 2000-01. 

Men's golfer Jimmy Abdo (Edina, Minn.) was selected as the Male Newcomer of the Year, while women's basketball and men's hockey earned the department's Team of the Year award, as voted on by the 2024-25 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representatives. 

Gustavus Teams of the Year
2022-23: Women's hockey, men's tennis
2023-24: Volleyball, men's tennis
2024-25: Women's basketball, men's hockey