The ACHA announcement on Monday of the Division 2 Final Rankings confirmed spots for five WCCHA teams in the postseason.
For the second year in a row, WCCHA Champions University of St. Thomas finshed #2 overall in the Central Region, claiming a direct berth into the National Tournament. The Tommies used the strength of their regular season finish, where they won three difficult games on their way to back-to-back league championships, to pip #3 Iowa to the second automatic qualifying spot.
The Tommies won’t know two of their pool play opponents until after Regionals (Northeast #3, West #4), but joining them in Pool is SE #1 Florida Gulf Coast University. The ACHA Men’s Division II Nationals are set to take place March 11-15, 2024 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Joining UST in the postseason are four additional WCCHA teams, who all claimed spots at Central Regionals. Leading the way is #5 University of Minnesota-Crookston, who earned a bye into the Regional Semifinals and will face-off against the second-lowest remaining seed on Saturday, Feb. 24.
The day before, 3 other WCCHA teams will be in action, all against non-league opponents – so we could see four WCCHA teams on the ice come Saturday. #9 Jamestown, making their first ever Regionals trip, will play the final game of the day on Friday against #12 DePaul. #10 Wisconsin will look to earn their way to a second National Tournament, facing off first against #11 Maryville. Finally, #14 Minnesota – the last team to make it in – will take on #7 Adrian College. The ACHA Men’s Division II Central Regionals will be held from Feb. 23-25, 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Congratulations to all teams for earning their trip to the postseason! For all event information, visit. www.achahockey.org.