By Michael Battista / @MichaelB_96 CSCHC Writer

The ACHA Southeast Regional Tournament will be taking place this weekend at Loucks Ice Center in Lawrenceville, NJ. Over the course of three days, 10 teams will compete in an effort to punch their tickets to the Division II National Tournament in Frisco, Texas next month.

The College of New Jersey will be defending its home ice as the first CSCHC team to host the regional tournament in the conference’s six year history. While the Lions are no stranger to the rink, their opponent, Wake Forest University of the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL), will be making the trip from North Carolina for Friday’s Play-in Round. The game will be the first meeting between the two schools and finishes off a double-header of playoff hockey, with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 pm.

TCNJ comes into regionals as a twelfth seed for a fourth straight year and holds a record of 1-3 in the competition after upsetting Rowan University last season down in Lynburgh, VA. This season, the team finished atop the CSCHC with a near perfect record (16-1-1) and won its second regular season title (first since 2016). Across all competition, the Lions played 30 games and finished 20-9-0-1 with standout wins coming over the United States Military Academy (Army) and the University of Maryland.

Within its conference TCNJ has been one of the best teams on both ends of the ice, finishing second in goals scored with 94 (134 across all ACHA play) and allowed the fewest goals with 40 (88 in all). The performances of players like defenseman Travis Beni and goalie Michael Lojewski earned them conference honors following the regular season.

On a team led by senior talent, like team captain Marc Teitjen and alternate captain Kris Hastings, who have both tallied 100 career points each with the program, but where 14 players are sophomores or newer, the past experience in the environment regionals provide is invaluable. Coach Ducko knows this first hand.

“We understand how important it is to get off to a strong start,” Ducko said in an email. “Preparation is key in single elimination play.”

The team has already done well in one single elimination tournament this season, winning its fourth consecutive conference trophy two weeks ago. With a bye in-hand, a defensive showcase from both Jameson Dugan and Lojewski saw the Lions beat Rutgers University, 4-0, in the semifinal. Against the University of Pennsylvania, ranked No. 19 in the final ACHA Southeast Rankings, Hastings scored twice as Lojewski held back any potential Quaker comeback through the final twenty minutes for the win, 3-2. In the process, TCNJ became the first ACHA Southeast team to win its conference four times in-a-row and both coach Ducko and assistant coach Paul Batcho earned their 100th wins with the program.

Besides being in the tournament itself, Ducko also knows playing regionals at TCNJ’s home ice is both an advantage and a honor for the team.

“It is a huge opportunity, and we had to work hard to get in,” Ducko said. “Winning our Conference was very tough. We hope to have a lot of local support, and it will create a cool atmosphere to play in.  It is also more comfortable to play in our home rink.”

Wake Forest will be competing in its first ever regional tournament as a ninth seed after a perfect season in the ACCHL’s Carolina West Division. (9-0). The team finished the season with an overall record of 13-3-1-0, including wins over fellow ACCHL division leaders George Washington University and Virginia Tech, behind a defense that finished runner-up in least goals allowed across its league (Virginia finished with less while only playing its divisional schedule). Head coach Dave Pasquale believes the success of the back units comes from the Demon Deacons veterans.

“I think it starts in net with our senior goalie Kal Maier,” Pasquale said in an email interview. “He gives us a chance to win each night. We also have some great senior leadership on defense in captain Blake Mueller and MacRae Robertson. Blake is a very physical player who is tough to play against for 60 minutes and MacRae might be the best defensive defenseman I have coached – he’s as steady and consistent as they come.”

In the league postseason, Wake Forest reached its second final in three years after an overtime win over West Virginia University and a repeat win over George Washington from the regular season. Playing three games in three days isn’t easy for any team, but Coach Pasquale explained that the break between the playoffs and regions will be key if he wants his players to do it again.

“I think we will be ready,” he said. “It will be about a 2-week gap since our last game which gave some guys time to get healthy. We got banged up pretty good in the ACCHL tournament.”

In the final, Forest fought valiantly against defending champions and top seeded North Carolina State. After being down 4-1 midway through the second period, the Deacons pushed back and entered the final twenty only traily by one with the score notched at 5-4 with two of the goals coming from sophomore forwards Jennings Lobel and Nick Keroack. However, shutout performances by both teams to close out the game kept the score unchanged as NC State repeated as league champs.

With the regionals coming up fast, preparation for the squad’s debut in the southeast showcase has gone into overdrive. While the team has a long trip ahead to face TCNJ on the latter’s home ice the coach isn’t worried.

“If the guys stretch out correctly and get in a mini run before the game I don’t see (travel) being a factor,” he said, noting his team’s regular season which regularly included 5+ hour trips for away games. “We are going to need guys like Jennings Lobel and Nick Keroack to keep scoring and our top scorers Drew Gebhardt, Brendan Gregoire, and Matt Solviletti to carry us offensively like they have all year.”

When speaking about the competition, Lions head coach Ducko noted he and the team realize they have quite a challenge ahead of them.

“We know (Wake Forest has) a strong team, and are having a great season,” he explained. “It is the first time they are in regionals recently, so that will give them an extra something to prove. We have a good game plan, and will try to execute it.”
 

The full list of matchups are as followed:

National Championship Autobids:

#1 - Liberty University (26-3-1, 13-0-1 MACH Reg. Season)

#2 - Florida Gulf Coast University (23-5-4-1)

Friday, February 28

4:30 pm

#10 Rider University (17-13, 7-7 MACH Reg. Season)

vs. 

#11 University of Delaware (15-15-0-1, 5-8-0-1 MACH Reg. Season)

7:30 pm

#9 Wake Forest University (15-4-1-0, 9-0 Carolina West ACCHL)

vs. 

#12 The College of New Jersey (20-9-0-1, 16-1-1 CSCHC Reg. Season)
 

Saturday, February 29

11:00 am

#3 University of Cincinnati (16-9-1-1)

vs. 

Lowest remaining seed

2:00 pm

#4 North Carolina State University (23-3, 10-0 ACCHL Reg. Season)

vs. 

2nd lowest remaining seed

5:00 pm

#5 Rowan University (19-4-0-1, 10-3-0-1 MACH Reg. Season)

vs. 

#8 Ohio State University (16-6-0-1, 10-4 TSCHC Reg. Season)

8:00 pm

#6 Penn State University (15-5-2-1, 9-3-1-1 MACH Reg. Season)

vs. 

#7 Miami University (19-13, 13-1 TSCHC Reg. Season)
 

Sunday, March 1

12:00 pm

2nd highest seed vs. 

2nd lowest remaining seed

3:00 pm

Highest remaining seed vs. 

Lowest remaining seed