Anatomy of a National Championship: LTU Captures First ACHA Hockey Title

You could make the case that Lawrence Technological University is becoming NCU, or National Championship University. On March 12, the LTU Blue Devils’ hockey team captured its first-ever American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 3 national crown, becoming the third LTU program in the last 12 months to earn a national title, joining Women’s Lacrosse in May 2023 and Men’s Bowling in March 2023, both in the NAIA.

“I am very proud of our entire Blue Devils men’s hockey program, which includes all 72 players and staff on both our National Champion D3 team and our Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference finalist D1 squad,” said Head Coach Ken Gaffney, who just completed his 15th season on the bench after a 4-2 ACHA clinching win over third-ranked and in-state rival Grand Valley State. “It has been a privilege to have the opportunity to coach the many outstanding student-athletes in the hockey program over my tenure. I am blessed to have the hardest-working college hockey coaching staff in the country and supportive efforts from our booster club.”

Postseason Dominance

The Blue Devils entered the ACHA Tournament as the top overall seed after earning their first-ever No.1 national ranking to end the regular season. Lawrence Tech won the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference East Division with a 12-1-1 mark and advanced to the MCHC Vezina Cup finals by outscoring its opposition 23 to 4 before falling to Hope College in the Cup, 3-0.

But that loss did little to deter a group that featured balance and depth in all phases of the game: offense, defense, and goaltending. By the time their weeklong stay in Greater St. Louis had ended, the Blue Devils had scored 24 goals and allowed just nine to go 4-0-1 against five nationally ranked opponents.

“The target was LTU, and our players endured everything that was thrown at them as the well-trained warriors they are. They competed at a high level and at times dominated their opponents,” Gaffney stated.

Historic Regular Season

Lawrence Tech, which finished the 2023-24 campaign at 29-5-2 overall for the best record in program history, also set a team record with 22 victories before postseason play. The Blue Devils at one time owned the longest winning streak in the nation, in all AHCA divisions, at 19 consecutive games—another team benchmark. After a 3-2 overtime loss at home to Florida Gulf Coast, which at one time was ranked No. 2 in the ACHA poll, LTU outscored opponents 98-21 with eight shutouts during that historic stretch while defeating four different-ranked schools. The Blue Devils went 14-2-1 against ACHA Top-25 teams and defeated Division 2 Purdue Northwest, including the postseason.

Training Camp Enthusiasm

The Division 3 team boasted a 40-man roster that saw significant minutes during a 2022–23 season that, at the time, had set the best record in team history at 24-6-2 and reached the National Semifinals for the first time in the middle of its current string of three straight ACHA appearances.

Lawrence Tech played three goaltenders—juniors Timothy Young and Griffin Foster and sophomore Owen Przybylo—during the ACHA tournament run to continue the program’s strong tradition of talent in that position.

“It’s unprecedented to go with a goalie trio in the postseason, and any one of them could have been selected to start in the ACHA Finals,” Gaffney pointed out. “We went with Tim for the last game, and he made numerous key saves, but we also had strong contributions from Owen and Griffin, who led us to the finals.”

Gaffney noted that the entire defense core was vital to the team’s championship success. “We played eight different defensemen, with all of them making significant contributions. Nick Schoen scored a big goal in the semifinals against a talented Missouri team. We had consistent and productive physical play from Jake Stawinski and Logan Barnes to lead the team with their punishing checks. Trevor Losier and Cole Goble provided consistent two-way hockey with their strong play.”

The Blue Devils forwards were a great source of depth, with 22 skaters and everyone playing in multiple games during the season. Nicklas Oda, Shane Percefull, Mitchell Sehlmeyer, and Blayne Young comprised the grind line that dominated the opponents’ top goal scorers.

“These players were part of our strategy to shut down opponents,” Gaffney explained, “and they have garnered high praise among our peers. We feed off of energy and high speed with our forward core; players who brought it every game were instrumental in our championship success, like Luke Radu, Connor Juhasz, Jeff Rand, and Alex Grove. In addition, Zachary Rais, Tommy Walsh, and Gavin Holmes were key forwards who made consistent and valuable contributions. Will Jentz had a masterful national tournament with his versatility, playing both forward and defense while punishing opponents in every game.”

Honors, Honors, Honors

Jentz earned ACHA Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolades after he led the Division 3 postseason with seven assists and 10 points. Barnes, Radu, and goalie Young joined him on the all-tournament team. In addition, LTU had the most All-MCHC East selections, led by Juhasz, a senior, and Przybylo, a sophomore, on the first team, while Benjamin DeHaas, a sophomore, and Jentz, a freshman, both made the second unit.

Gaffney concluded: “LTU Men's Hockey has many people to thank for the success we enjoyed this season. It begins with the University leadership group led by President Tarek Sobh, the entire academic faculty and staff, Athletics Director Mary Ann Meltzer and her administrative staff, our fellow athletic programs on campus, and, of course, the student body and fans who come out and support us on gamedays. We are grateful for all of the alumni support we have received as well.

“We are proud to represent the great university of LTU and bring home a national championship for our entire Blue Devil family.”

by Patrick Stewart