Dublin, Ohio — For the first time since 1984, varsity NAIA hockey programs will gather to host a national championship tournament when the NAIA Division teams travel to suburban Columbus, Ohio.

Charter members Aquinas College, Indiana Institute of Technology, Lawrence Technological University, Lindenwood University-Belleville, and Waldorf University will play a single elimination tournament starting Thursday, March 15th with the championship game scheduled for 5pm on Saturday, March 17th.

For fans not traveling to the tournament this week, games will be streamed live via DMSportsNetwork on YouTube. Live streaming will begin 10-15 minutes prior to puck drop.  In addition, Aquinas' Lou Gamelin will host a pre-tournament NAIA Coaches Show at 6pm on Thursday live on YouTube.

After an exciting inaugural season, Aquinas earned the no.1 seed for the championship tournament after a late run in the regular season to hold off rival Indiana Tech.  The Saints entered the NAIA Division fresh off the ACHA Division III national championship in 2017 and found their strides through the season to finish with a 22-11-2 overall record and a 14-2-0 record in NAIA competition.

Aquinas enters the tournament led by freshman Steven Gustafson with 8 goals and 20 assists. Senior forward Jason Wrbelis leads the team in goals with 13.  Overall the Saints received balanced scoring with 13 players in double digit point totals.  In goal, freshman goaltender Nick Ottenbacher backstopped the team with 15 wins and a 1.60 goals against average.

Top-ranked Aquinas will face the winner of Thursday's first-round match between no.4 Waldorf and no.5 Lawrence Tech. The Puck drops Friday at 8pm.

Indiana Tech enters as the no.2 seed and a 21-9-2 overall record and 11-2-3 record against NAIA play.  The Warriors are led by junior forward Jace Childs with 25 goals and 20 assists in 28 games. Senior forward Jarrett Pfeiffer and freshman forward Zach Bennett have also been impressive with 38 and 30 points respectively. The high scoring Warriors enter nationals with eight players above 20 total points.

The Warriors have largely relied on a duo of senior goaltending with John Slavik posting an 11-1-1 record and 2.59 goals against. Zach Larson has also been solid with a 3.32 goals against and eight wins on the season.

Indiana Tech will face no.3 seeded Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday afternoon. The Warriors won the season series 4-0 against the Lynx.

Lindenwood University-Belleville enters the tournament with an 11-9-4 overall record and a 5-6-3 record against NAIA competition. Despite the record, the Lynx proved to be tough competition, taking no.1 Aquinas to a scoreless game before the Saints netted a shootout goal and dropping a 3-2 regulation game to Aquinas the next night.

Senior forward Brandon Janke enters the tournament with 17 goals and 12 assists on the season. Seniors Mikael Lengmo and Duane Wainman are both finishing their college career strong with 26 and 22 points.

In goal, Harley White holds a 6-6-3 record with a 2.82 goals against and a .908 save percentage.

The Lynx will take on no.2 Indiana Tech on Friday afternoon in the semifinal round.

Waldorf University posted a 7-14-2 overall record and a 4-10-2 record in the team's first year of NAIA competition. Junior forward Ryan Veillet has a team-leading 10 goals and 11 assists in 22 games this season. Overall, five players have 10+ points on the season. The Warriors have played tight with eight one-goal games on the season.

Freshmen netminder Jeffrey Veitch has been impressive in that start to his college career. Veitch posted a .915 save percentage and 3.93 goals against in over 962 minutes between the pipes.

Waldorf will face a tough test in no.5 Lawrence Tech on Thursday evening at the Chiller Dublin. The Blue Devils held a 3-1 series lead against Waldorf during the regular season.

Lawrence Tech comes to Columbus as the no.5 seed with a 12-15-1 overall record and a 4-9-1 NAIA Division record.  Junior forward Drake Gentile netted 13 goals and 15 helpers in 28 games during the season. Senior forward Shane Gamrat has also been a fixture in the Blue Devil offense with 12 goals and 12 assists. Freshman forward Blake Heier and freshman defenseman Dylan Naumovski added a punch with 23 and 21 total points on the season. Heier also leads the Blue Devils with 15 goals.

Austin Petty registered 7 wins for the team in 1166 minutes of work. The senior goaltender holds a 4.07 goals against. Freshman goaltender Zachary Mills enters the tournament with a 5-3-0 record and 2.89 goals against in 518 minutes in net.

Lawrence Tech takes on Waldorf on Thursday opening round action.

Outside of the wins and losses of the on-ice action, the members of the NAIA Hockey Coaches Association will gather to hold meetings relating to the progress of NAIA varsity hockey, future growth and development of the level, and review of the successful inaugural 2017-18 season.