On Sat. March 8, third-seeded St. Olaf Men’s Hockey (14-10-3) fell to top-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College (16-9-2) in the championship game of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs at the Don Roberts Ice Rink. In a tight battle for the title, Oles were shy of the crown in a 2-1 loss. In the second period, Tony Leahy ’27 got around Jack Kubitz of GAC to assist Tyler Green ’27. Green put the Oles on the board with the first goal of the game at the 8:00 mark. The Gusties tied it up quickly after with a goal by Riku Brown. In the third period, Gustavus pulled ahead with the game-winning goal by Brown at the 2:10 mark.
Center Nick Sewecke ’28 shed some light onto his experience on the team as a first year. Coming from the North American Hockey League (NAHL), his experiences have been similar in the MIAC league with how challenging and demanding they both are. He was setback after getting injured in the first exhibition game but that didn’t stop him from making it a great season. Sewecke was able to gain 17 points with his nine goals and eight assists after sitting out the first six games. One of his most memorable moments was winning the semi-finals at Bethel University.
“It was really awesome to see all the fans that traveled out. How energetic the rink was and that was really fun to be a part of,” he said.
One of the best parts about hockey to him is being close with his teammates.
Sewecke spoke about the team’s “stick-to-it-ive-ness” and said, “we all play for each other, not for ourselves.”
The upperclassmen, especially Tony Leahy, has instilled that golden word to everyone in the locker room.
Assistant Captain and right winger, Tyler Cooper also gave insight into his final year on the team. He spoke about how every year is different but always in the best way possible.
“Everyone brings a bit of their own game to help the overall objective of the team,” he said. Cooper’s most memorable moments of his Ole hockey career was winning the MIAC Championships in 2021 and 2024. For his freshman year, they “were the seventh seed and had a Cinderella story to win the whole thing,” he stated proudly.
Cooper mentioned their tight-knit culture built around “stick-to-it-ive-ness,” which “makes it easier to play the right way for longer than other teams.”
They’ve all got each other’s backs and know exactly what they’re going to get out of every guy each night — which is incredible.
Oles ended this season with 79 goals, 121 assists and 633 saves. St. Olaf retired nine seniors who brought the Oles to 53 wins, four MIAC Playoff appearances, two MIAC Playoff titles, and two NCAA Tournament appearances. This team certainly has the Oles’ hearts and we look forward to seeing them again in the 2025-2026 season.
