From The Springfield Daily Citizen
By Ryan Collingwood
There are 158 programs across the NCAA men’s hockey spectrum, a high concentration of the Division I, II and III members based in the north central and northeastern United States.
That’s fewer than one-sixth of the NCAA’s roughly 1,100 men’s basketball teams dotting every state, indicative of much of the country’s preference.
The closest longstanding NCAA-affiliated hockey program to Springfield, Missouri? Omaha (Neb.) University, a 355-mile trek.
This hasn’t stopped the Queen City from cultivating a somewhat burgeoning college hockey culture thanks to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), a highly competitive club-based alternative which has long featured Missouri State University among its more than 300 members across three divisions.
In a top 25 ACHA Division I poll that includes such familiar brands as the University of Arizona, UNLV, the University of Kentucky and the University of Utah, MSU checked in at No. 21 this week.
And it’s not even the best ACHA team in town.
A mile north of the MSU campus sits No. 5 Drury University, a season removed from a national quarterfinal appearance. In just its fourth year as a program and second year in ACHA Division I, Drury — primarily NCAA Division II in the private schools’ other athletic pursuits — has quickly asserted itself on the ice.
See the Panthers’ consecutive 3-2 wins over Missouri State at a packed and raucous Brightspeed Ice Park in December, an environment that sufficiently conveyed a clash between neighboring, nationally ranked programs.
“Here’s the thing about Missouri State; they’ve been around for 20-plus years. People know them because they’re a big school and have the storied program and longevity,” said Kevin Kline, public address announcer and voice of the Panthers. “What people aren’t realizing about Drury is, not only do we have a team, but we have a dominant team.”
Former Missouri State head coach Jeremy Law, who helped build Drury’s program from scratch, stuck to a formula that helped make his Bears teams successful: he staunchly recruited his native, hockey-centric Canada, particularly the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League in British Columbia.
When players age out of the KIJHL at 21 years old, many begin seeking collegiate opportunities in the United States to help pay for their education and extend their careers.
“It was always my goal to get a scholarship and play for a university in the States, ever since I was 12 years old,” said Drury captain and forward K-T Walters from Vernon, British Columbia. “It’s a hard opportunity to pass up. It’s a different culture down here. College hockey is the biggest in the states, and you can get your school paid for and experience something different.”
Not all ACHA Division I members can offer scholarships through their schools, as many rely on community support and player fees. Drury is different, and its combination of resources and its strong recruiting pipeline have played an integral role in its swift success.
Law, whose full-time job as Drury’s hockey coach allows his children to attend the school for free — among the primary reasons he left MSU for DU in 2022 — has a roster of 26 players. Twenty-four are Canadian.
“You really had to sell Drury’s academics and the scholarships (the players) could get at a $40,000-a-year school, and them getting to pay less than half,” Law said of his recruiting pitches to players more than 2,500 miles away from their hometowns. “But now we’re a top 5 program, so it really sells itself.”
Law grew up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and played for his father Ken Law, a longtime figure in the KIJHL. Walters played for the elder Law before making the move to foreign Ozarks territory in 2024.
Being in another country, Walters explained in a thick Canadian accent, familiarity was important to him and many of his teammates.
“A lot of us have played with or against each other the last 5-10 years,” said Walters, who shares an apartment complex with his Canadian teammates. “That definitely brings a chemistry and camaraderie; a comfort feeling.”
“You’re basically looking at a Kootenay International Junior Hockey League All-Star Team,” Kline said. “There’s not a lot of initiation or integration to the program because they’re used to playing with or against each other.”
The biggest adjustment, they said, was living in a part of the U.S. that isn’t a hockey hotbed.
Law, who is in his 10th year of coaching collegiate hockey in Springfield, said he still has to remind residents that there’s both competitive hockey and an indoor rink in town.
Walters and fellow captains Lucas Sadownyk, Luke Aston and Francis Young-Menard aren’t used to hockey not being perceived as their area’s primary sport.
“It’s just it’s not as big down here. Back home everyone knows about hockey very well. Down here, many people are new to hockey, for the most part,” said Walters, who has 11 goals and 16 assists. “I know a lot of people that when they came to see us, it was the first hockey game they’ve ever watched in their life. That was the biggest culture shock.”
Just 64 NCAA Division I schools sponsor hockey, with six at Division II and 88 at NCAA Division III. The talent level at ACHA Division I is often compared to the NCAA’s lower rungs.
Some ACHA teams have made the transition to NCAA Division I, including Arizona State, which made the move in 2015 following a successful ACHA run and a $32 million donor investment. Penn State left the ACHA for the NCAA in 2010.
In Missouri, ACHA Division I No. 6 Maryville University (St. Louis) announced its plans to make the move to NCAA Division I with a $5.5 million fundraising campaign for upgrades to its hockey facility, drawing support from the NHL and nearby St. Louis Blues.
Former ACHA power Lindenwood (St. Charles) made the transition from ACHA to NCAA Division II in 2022 and is currently Missouri’s only NCAA men’s hockey program.
“NCAA Division I is your cream-of-the-crop college hockey. We have some players that can play at that level, no doubt,” Law said. “We’re more on par with NCAA Division III, in my opinion.”
“NCAA they’re a little bit bigger and a little bit faster, but I defy you to come out here and watch this ACHA team and tell me they’re not fast,” Kline said. “It’s the fastest game you’ll ever see. I don’t care what level of college hockey you’re seeing.”
Last year, UNLV — which upset NCAA Division I power Denver 7-6 a season ago — went on to win the 2025 ACHA Division I national title.
Drury believes it has the means to win the 2026 national championship in its own state in March. The final site is in St. Louis at the Centene Community Ice Center and Maryville Hockey Center.
“Winning a national championship is not out of the question at all,” Law said.
Drury (19-2), led by Anmol Garcha (team-high 28 points) and Daniel Beaupre (team-high 14 goals), plays host to Illinois State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. at Brightspeed Ice Park.
(Originally published at https://sgfcitizen.org/springfield-sports/drury-hockey-rising-acha/)
