MINOT STATE UNIVERSITY ENDS SEASON NO. 1 IN AMERICAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION MEN’S DIVISION I RANKINGS
Beavers Enter National Championships Again as No. 1 Seed
UNION LAKE, Mich. – (February 25, 2025) – Minot State University (36-2-3) remains in the top spot in 2024-2025 ACHA Men’s Division I Ranking #16 for the seventh week in a row and ninth time this season after winning the Midwest College Hockey (MCH) Playoff Championship at Bloomington Ice Center in Bloomington, Ill., as this ranking marks the deadline for choosing the 24 participating teams for the 2025 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships presented by FloHockey. Four other conference playoff champions besides Minot State University were crowned this past weekend: John Carroll University from College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA); Northwood University from Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL); Oswego State University from Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL); and Indiana Tech from Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC). With their playoff titles in hand, all five teams secured the final automatic bids to the 2025 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships presented by FloHockey, joining the three teams that clinched berths as regular season champions of their respective conferences: West Chester University from Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (ECHA); University of Delaware from Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL); and the WCHL’s University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
The Beavers, regular season champions of MCH, defeated Iowa State University (4-1) on Friday and Illinois State University (10-2) on Saturday, with Colby Joseph netting four goals, before defeating No. 5 University of Jamestown 2-1 in overtime Sunday afternoon to win the MCH Playoff Championship. Jordan Baranesky put the Jimmies up 1-0 with a goal late in the first period and seemed headed for a win with goaltender Brandon Weare stopping every Beaver shot thrown at him. However, with only 2:59 left in the third period, Beavers defenseman Brayden Pawluk finally solved Weare, who finished with 33 saves, and sent the game into overtime. In overtime, it was Tournament Most Outstanding Player Joey Moffatt that delivered the game-winning goal at the 1:13 mark. The Beavers have now held the top spot in 30 of the last 41 rankings and earned its 16th consecutive bid and 21st overall. The Beavers will enter the 2025 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships presented by FloHockey as the top seed for the second year in a row, looking to bring home their fourth national title.
No. 2 University of Nevada-Las Vegas (25-1-3), regular season champions of the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL), split a pair of conference games with Grand Canyon University. Friday night, goaltender Dmytro Kubrytskyi was stupendous making 50 saves as the Lopes upset the Rebels 4-3 in overtime. The Lopes built a 3-1 lead with only 9:13 remaining in regulation on a pair of goals by Hunter Schmitz and a power play goal by Jack Thomas, only to have the Rebels Bradley Golant tie it up at 3-3 with a pair of goals 3:18 apart. A Lopes triumph was temporarily stolen in regulation, but with only six seconds remaining in overtime, Thomas netted his second goal of the game for the 4-3 victory. Saturday night trailing 1-0 to the Lopes in the second period, Dylan Jensen tied it up before Golant scored late in the second period to break a 1-1 tie and send the Rebels to victory. The Rebels, Men’s Division I national runners-up in 2024, earned their fourth consecutive bid to Nationals and seventh overall in the last eight seasons.
No. 3 Ohio University (18-4-4) and No. 4 Liberty University (21-5-5) split a pair of overtime games at LaHaye Ice Center in Lynchburg, Va. Friday night, the Bobcats led 4-2 after two periods before Flames goals by Kal Essenmacher and Truett Olson tied it up at 4-4, sending the game into overtime. In the 3-on-3 overtime period, despite 47 saves from Flames goaltender Konrad Kausch, forward Mathieu Ovaert needed only 0:31 to deliver the 5-4 victory for the Bobcats. Tied 2-2 after two periods on Saturday night, Tucker Shields pushed the Flames to a 3-2 lead before the Bobcats Nolan Abraham tied it up to send the game into overtime. Neither team scored in overtime and Hayden DeMars scored the lone shootout goal to lead the Flames to victory, with Kausch making 42 saves and stopping all three shootout attempts. No. 3 seed Ohio University, which won its last ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship in 2004, will be making its 32nd consecutive and 33rd overall appearance, while No. 4 seed Liberty University makes its 9th consecutive and 17th overall appearance.
Rounding out the Top 5 is the aforementioned University of Jamestown (23-7-2). Before succumbing to the Beavers in the MCH Playoff Championship, the Jimmies defeated University of Illinois (8-1) in the quarterfinals and No. 16 Midland University (3-0) in the semifinals. The Jimmies will be making their eighth consecutive appearance.
Nineteen teams in the ranking will return after participating in 2024 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships last season, including No. 6 seed Adrian College (15th consecutive/overall appearance); No. 7 seed Niagara University (fourth consecutive/seventh overall appearance); No. 8 seed University of Utah (second consecutive/overall appearance); No. 10 seed Maryville University (fifth consecutive/overall appearance); No. 11 seed Calvin University (third consecutive/fifth overall appearance); No. 12 seed Grand Canyon University (second consecutive/overall appearance); No. 13 seed Indiana Tech (sixth consecutive/overall appearance); No. 14 seed University of Mary (second consecutive/overall appearance); No. 15 seed University of Arizona (fourth consecutive/22nd overall appearance); No. 17 seed Purdue University Northwest (second consecutive/overall appearance); No. 19 seed University of Pittsburgh (fourth consecutive/sixth overall appearance); No. 20 seed Oswego State University (second consecutive/overall appearance); No. 21 seed University of Delaware (second consecutive/19th overall appearance); No. 24 seed West Chester University (second consecutive/eighth overall appearance).
Joining those schools will be five teams that did not participate a year ago, including two teams making their inaugural appearance: No. 9 seed Drury University (first overall appearance); No. 16 seed Midland University (second overall appearance and first since 2017); No. 18 seed University of Oklahoma (14th overall appearance and first since 2019); No. 22 seed John Carroll University (fourth overall appearance and first since 2022); and No. 23 seed Northwood University (first overall appearance).
2025 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships team breakdown by conferences:
5 – WCHL Arizona, Grand Canyon, Nevada-Las Vegas, Oklahoma, and Utah
5 – Independent Drury, Liberty, Maryville, Niagara, and Ohio
4 – MCH Jamestown, Mary, Midland, Minot State
3 – GL6 Adrian, Calvin, and Purdue Northwest
2 – ESCHL Delaware and Pittsburgh
1 – CHMA John Carroll
1 – ECHA West Chester
1 – GLCHL Northwood
1 – NECHL Oswego State
1 – WHAC Indiana Tech
The Great Lakes 6 Hockey Conference, playing in its inaugural season, leads the way with four (of 6) of its member teams ranked, while Western Collegiate Hockey League has seven (of 11) of its member teams ranked, Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League has three (of 6) of its member teams ranked, and Midwest College Hockey has four (of 10) of its member teams ranked.
The ACHA uses two computer rankings generated by USHSHO.com, Ranking A (Wins with Maximum Goal Differential of 7) and Ranking B (Wins with Maximum Goal Differential of 1), and come up with an average of the two rankings. The ACHA will then use the list generated from the average for its weekly ranking. Ties will be broken using the higher ranked team from Ranking B until the Top 25 teams are listed. All games that go to overtime will be scored as ties in the computer ranking.
Over the past 21 seasons, 12 different schools have won the ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship: Lindenwood (4), Minot State (3), Adrian (3), Central Oklahoma (2), Illinois (2), Arizona State, Davenport, Delaware, Oakland, Ohio, Penn State, and Rhode Island.
Now in its 34th season of action, there have been a total of 14 schools that have won the ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship:
- Penn State University (5 times)
- Lindenwood University (4)
- Ohio University (4)
- Adrian College (3)
- Minot State University (3)
- North Dakota State University (2)
- University Central Oklahoma (2)
- University of Illinois (2)
- Arizona State University
- Davenport University
- Iowa State University
- Oakland University
- University of Delaware
- University of Rhode Island
A total of 73 teams will compete in Men’s Division I this season, including former Men’s Division II member Drury University and former Men’s Division III members Northwood University and Saginaw Valley State University.
The seventeenth and final ranking of the season will be released on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
The 2025 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships presented by FloHockey will be hosted March 13-18 for the third time at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo. This will be the second year of the 24-team format.
| 2024-2025 ACHA Men’s Division I Ranking #16 | |||||
| Rank | School Name | M1 Record | Previous | Trend | Conference |
| 1 | Minot State | 36-2-3 | 1 | ― | MCH |
| 2 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 25-1-3 | 2 | ― | WCHL |
| 3 | Ohio | 18-4-4 | 3 | ― | INDEP |
| 4 | Liberty | 21-5-5 | 4 | ― | INDEP |
| 5 | Jamestown | 23-7-2 | 5 | ― | MCH |
| 6 | Adrian | 24-3-2 | 6 | ― | GL6 |
| 7 | Niagara | 21-5-3 | 7 | ― | INDEP |
| 8 | Utah | 21-6-1 | 9 | ↑1 | WCHL |
| 9 | Drury | 26-2-0 | 8 | ↓1 | INDEP |
| 10 | Maryville | 19-9-2 | 10 | ― | INDEP |
| 11 | Calvin | 23-5-0 | 11 | ― | GL6 |
| 12 | Grand Canyon | 15-12-2 | 12 | ― | WCHL |
| 13 | Indiana Tech | 28-4-0 | 14 | ↑1 | WHAC |
| 14 | Mary | 21-13-1 | 13 | ↓1 | MCH |
| 15 | Arizona | 16-12-1 | 15 | ― | WCHL |
| 16 | Midland | 18-17-2 | 16 | ― | MCH |
| 17 | Purdue Northwest | 14-10-2 | 20 | ↑3 | GL6 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 18-8-1 | 17 | ↓1 | WCHL |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | 14-11-5 | 19 | ― | ESCHL |
| 20 | Arizona State | 13-15-3 | 18 | ↓2 | WCHL |
| 21 | Oswego State | 20-7-4 | 21 | ― | NECHL |
| 22 | Stony Brook | 13-11-6 | 22 | ― | ESCHL |
| 23 | Delaware | 20-12-3 | 24 | ↑1 | ESCHL |
| 24 | Colorado | 18-15-2 | 23 | ↓1 | WCHL |
| 25 | Grand Valley State | 15-9-1 | 25 | ― | GL6 |
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About American Collegiate Hockey Association
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) was founded in 1991 and is the national association for Non-NCAA Collegiate Hockey throughout the United States. Our organization of more than 450 colleges and university-affiliated teams representing 48 states provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes the sport of Hockey nationwide. With approximately 13,000 players and coaches as well as countless volunteers and game officials, the ACHA has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade and continues to be a viable option for college bound student-athletes to continue playing competitive hockey nationwide. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, the ACHA’s primary mission is to support the growth of Collegiate Hockey while emphasizing academic performance, personal development, and opportunities for regional, national, and international competition. The ACHA identifies standards which serve to unite and regulate teams at the collegiate level and entered its 34th season in September 2024. For more information, visit achahockey.org.
