The MIAC never seems to disappoint when it comes to being competitive. The race for the regular-season championship and the five conference tourney spots up for grabs always seems to be a fight to the finish.
Last year, Augsburg held a two-point edge over Bethel for the regular-season title, but the Oles, who finished fifth in the standings, ended up winning the conference tournament championship.
You just never know how things are going to go. Here’s a look at each team heading into the new year.
Augsburg (15-9-2, 12-3-1)
One thing about Augsburg is that it’s always in the discussion for a league championship. This year shouldn’t be an exception for the Auggies, the reigning regular season champion.
Cade Stibbe will lead the way after finishing third on the team in scoring last season, tallying seven goals and 12 assists.
Landon Parker also ranked among the top five in scoring for the Auggies, finishing fourth with six goals and 12 assists.
Nick Catalano and Peyton Hanson will provide help offensively as well. Catalano scored eight goals and dished out four assists. Hanson recorded six goals and six assists.
Michael Ferrandino is also a key returning player after dishing out seven assists to go along with four goals.
The Auggies lost one of the top goalies in the nation in Samuel Vyletelka, and finding someone to fill that void will be key. Josh Koziol is the only goalie back with experience from last season as he appeared in five games for the Auggies.
Bethel (18-6-3, 11-3-2)
Coming off an impressive season, the Royals have the pieces in place to build on what they accomplished last year.
Seventeen players are back, along with 12 newcomers, two of which are transfers. Those transfers are Shane LeVelle from Lindenwood and Liam Hennessy from Rivier.
One of the top players back is Tyler Kostelecky, an All-American last year, while Austin Ryman returns as one of the top goaltenders in the conference. Kostelecky scored 13 goals and dished out 13 assists. Ryman started 15 games and gave up just 33 goals. He racked up 451 saves and won 11 games.
Bethel tied the record for wins in a season, and it’s 72.2 winning percentage is the best in school history. The Royals played in the MIAC championship game last year and are hungry to get back there and finish the job this time.
St. Scholastica (15-10-1, 8-7-1)
The Saints are ready to march into another season and take aim at contending for a MIAC crown.
Though they have lost three of their top five scorers, including scoring leader Fillimon Ledenkov, the cupboard isn’t bare for St. Scholastica.
Nathan Adrian ranked third in scoring and finished last season with seven goals and 13 assists. Tristan Shewchuk was fifth in scoring, racking up eight goals and 11 assists.
Jaco Seitz will provide plenty of help offensively as well, coming off a year where he scored six goals and dished out seven assists.
Brodie Girod tallied seven goals last season to go along with three assists and Hunter Hanson finished with six goals and four assists.
The Saints will need to find someone to fill the void at goaltender as well after losing Jack Bostedt. Elino Rissanen is the only one back at that position with any experience for the Saints as he appeared in one game.
Saint Mary’s (10-14-2, 8-7-1)
The Cardinals welcome back 18 players, including two all-conference picks, and that should put them in position to compete for a playoff spot again.
Colin Tushie and AJ Rushowski both earned All-MIAC honors last season. Tushie scored 10 goals and eight assists while Rushowski appeared in 15 games between the pipes, racking up 506 saves and winning six games.
Gabe Potyk and Warner Young also return for the Cardinals, who scored 64 goals while allowing 94.
There are 15 new additions to the team as well, including Jake Cameron, Cole Mickie, Liam McInnis, Tommy Wright and Jack Bayless.
When it’s all said and done this season, the Cardinals should be back in the mix for an upper half finish in the standings and a postseason berth.
St. Olaf (14-12-3, 7-7-2)
The Oles have become a regular contender in the conference lately and are the reigning conference tournament champions. They won their second crown in the last three seasons in 2024.
Don’t be surprised if the Oles are hoisting a trophy again as they bring back 21 players including 12 of their top 15 scoring threats.
Leading the way is All-American Connor Kalthoff, who scored 16 goals last season and also dished out 15 assists.
Cody Sherman is back as well and was the second-leading scorer for the Oles a year ago. He came through with seven goals and 13 assists.
Jonathan Panisa and Jonathan Young were also in the top five in scoring for the Oles, combining for 17 goals and 15 assists.
Joey Kennelly and Tyler Green are also among the key players back after finishing with a combined eight goals and 17 assists.
Finding someone to step in goal is key. The Oles are also in good shape in goal as Thomas Lalonde is back. He started 16 games and fashioned a 2.11 goals against average. Lalonde made 374 saves and won 10 games.
Saint John’s (9-12-4, 6-9-1)
All-conference selection Matt DeRosa is back to help lead the way for the Johnnies after scoring a team-best eight goals. He also tallied five assists and will be a captain this season.
Jack Wandmacher was the team leader in points last season. He scored seven goals and dished out seven assists. He’s a clutch player, too, scoring two game-winning goals during a successful freshman campaign.
Spencer Rurud dished out eight assists and Jack Bisson came through with seven assists. Cam Boche is also a playmaker, tallying nine assists last year. Mason Campbell was one of the top rookies two years ago and took a team-high 68 shots last season.
The Johnnies also have depth at goal with Bailey Huber and Jon Howe returning this year. Huber recorded a 2.78 goals against average and Howe won six games while fashioning a 2.32 goals against average.
The Johnnies missed the conference playoffs last year, ending a run of five consecutive appearances, and that will be added motivation for them going into this season.
Gustavus (11-12-2, 6-9-1)
The Gusties are looking to turn things around and certainly have a chance to do it with its top three scorers back from last season.
Drew Holt was the top scorer for the Gusties, tallying seven goals and 11 assists, while Drew Ellings finished with eight goals and eight assists.
Jack Suchy is also back after coming through with eight goals and seven assists a year ago.
Wilmer Svensson returns as well and finished fourth in scoring with seven goals and eight assists.
That experience should prove beneficial to the Gusties, who also welcome back one of their top goalies in Marko Belak. He started nine of the 14 games he appeared in and fashioned a 3.08 goals against average.
Concordia (10-12-3, 5-9-2)
The Cobbers should have a shot at a winning season as their top two scorers return. Mason Plante led the team with 11 goals and 12 assists while Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe also scored 11 goals to go along with his 10 assists. The duo tied for the team-lead in goals last season.
Joe Harguindeguy also returns and tied for the team lead in assists (14). He also scored three goals.
Hunter Olson will provide a boost offensively, too, after coming through with eight goals and seven assists. Hanson O’Leary is a player to watch as well after tallying six goals and seven assists. The Cobbers also have Carson Triggs for another year. He scored five goals and dished out seven assists last season.
Dan Couture and Brock Moroz are the two goalies on the roster with experience. Couture played in seven games while Moroz appeared in three.
Hamline (7-16-2, 3-12-1)
The Pipers are poised to improve with 26 players back this season, including the top three scorers. Brandon McNamara headlines the group as he was the leading scorer on the team last season. He came through with 10 goals and 11 assists.
Bailey Sommers ranked second on the team in scoring, tallying seven goals and nine assists, and Carson Simon recorded eight goals and seven assists.
Goalie Maximillian Haselbacher also returns and that’s big for Hamline. He started 17 games last season, recording two shutouts and racking up 500 saves.
The Royals have added a few transfers as well who should help bolster the team. Thomas Carls comes in from Augsburg and Nicolas Haviar is from Utica. Cal Levis III transfers in from Dubuque.
