Submitted Photo The MSU Men’s Hockey team captains for the 2024-2025 season- junior Logan Rands (5), senior Jay Buchholz (18), senior Reid Arnold (27) and junior Christian Kadolph (26) are ready to lead one of the top teams in the country in search of a national title.

As a team, when you have three national championship trophies on display at the school- new and exciting moments are harder to find for a storied program. The Minot State University (MSU) Men’s Hockey team had just such a moment leading up to the start of the 2024-2025 season.

In July, MSU men’s hockey head coach- Wyatt Waselenchuk was named as an assistant coach for Team USA.

Waselenchuk, who has been part of all three of MSU’s ACHA National Championships, was named an assistant coach for the United State Men’s National University Team that will compete in the 2025 Winter World University Games in Torino, Italy.

In his fourth year as the lead man for the Beavers, the British Columbia native has never been far from the game he played and now coaches. Coach Wasenlenchuk also spent time coaching the Minot Minotauros between his playing career at MSU and current position as the head coach for the Beavers.

The 2023-2024 men’s team posted a 30-7 overall record with a 15-1 home mark, 13-3 away mark and a 2-3 neutral record. Last year ended with a 5-0 win over the #17 Grand Canyon University in postseason play at the ACHA Tournament and a 1-2 overtime loss to the number eight Ohio University team in the quarterfinals game in St. Louis in March.

Last season’s team was shy of seniors with only three on the team. The team had 20 Canadian skaters, two from Minnesota and a pair from North Dakota.

The 2024-2025 roster looks similar and different. This season there are seven seniors to double the leadership. The current roster has 22 Canadians, two from Minnesota and one player from North Dakota.

Just as coach Wasenlenchuk is nearly a Minot native from his time with the MSU Beavers and Minotauros, some of the players have the same tradition. Sophomore Ben Johnson from Lindstrom, Minnesota, has played for the Minotauros. So has senior Jay Buchholz from Fargo and sophomore Colby Joseph from Elkhorn, Manitoba. Junior defenseman and forward Christian Kadolph from Minnesota is also a Minotauros alum.

In the fresh season so far, MSU is led by Joseph and Joey Moffatt with six points off four goals and two assists each while Buchholtz also has six points off two goals and four assists.

Kadolph has five points from two goals and three assists while Austin Clyne also has five points from one goal and four assists. MSU has 13 additional team members who have tallied points via goals or assists with only seven games played in the young season.

Jake Anthony has played six games with net time and totaled 120 saves with nearly 91% save average. Will Dyke has appeared in two games and has 45 saves with just under 92% save average on the season.

With the current season underway, MSU is 6-1 overall with a 4-1 conference record. The team has 40 games to prepare prior to postseason play. The MCH Tournament is Friday, February 21, thru Sunday, February 23, in Normal, Illinois followed by the ACHA Tournament Thursday, March 13, thru Tuesday, March 18, in St. Louis, Missouri again.

Currently MSU is ranked third in the nation and will host Grand Canyon University on Friday, November 1, and Saturday, November 2, at the Maysa Arena.

The Beavers will also have games at the All Seasons Arena at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds this season. On Saturday, December 7, MSU will host the University of Jamestown at the fairgrounds and will host the same team at the same location on Friday, January 24.