BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The 2025 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's Hockey Playoffs continued on Saturday night with a pair of semifinal contests. Gustavus defeated Concordia, 6-2, in the opening contest before St. Olaf pulled off its annual postseason magic with three third-period goals to defeat Bethel, 3-1.
No. 1 Gustavus will now host No. 3 St. Olaf in the 2025 MIAC Men's Hockey Playoff Championship next Saturday, March 8, at 6:00 p.m. at the Don Roberts Ice Rink in St. Peter.
NO. 1 GUSTAVUS 6, NO. 5 CONCORDIA 2 | Box Score |
Gustavus scored a pair of goals in all three periods to defeat No. 5 Concordia, 6-2, in the MIAC semifinals on Saturday. Joey Gimberlin and Jack Suchy each scored twice for Gustavus in the win. Goals came early and often, as the Gusties scored twice in the game's first five minutes, and Concordia found the back of the net 12 minutes in with a goal by Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe. A similar pattern followed in the second period, with Gustavus again tallying goals in the opening four minutes of the frame and the Cobbers answering with a power-play score at 4:55. The Gusties' final two goals in the game came against empty nets in the final two minutes after Concordia pulled its goaltender.
NO. 3 ST. OLAF 3, NO. 2 BETHEL 1 | Box Score |
Trailing 1-0 heading into the final frame, St. Olaf scored three third-period goals to punch its ticket back to the MIAC Playoff Championship for the third time in the last four postseasons, defeating No. 2 Bethel, 3-1, on Saturday night. Bethel led for the majority of the game following Tyler Braccini's power-play goal at 8:38 in the first period. Nicholas Sewecke put the Oles on the board five minutes into the third. Two unassisted goals by Ben Luscko and Jonathan Panisa just over a minute apart from each other midway through the period ensured the reigning MIAC Playoff champions will have an opportunity to defend their title next weekend. This is the fourth consecutive MIAC Playoff run that has seen the Oles upset a higher-seeded team; St. Olaf won it all as a No. 7 seed in the weather-impacted 2022 MIAC Playoffs, then picked up a win as the No. 5 seed on the road in the 2023 quarterfinals before going the distance again last year as the No. 5 seed.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SET FOR SATURDAY
The MIAC Men's Hockey Playoff Championship is now tentatively set for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, in St. Peter. Tickets for the championship game will go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday morning. All tickets for the 2025 MIAC Playoffs will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at any venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device, including while at the venue. General admission adult tickets are $12 (plus HTT service charge). Student (with ID) tickets are $3 (plus HTT service charge), and children ages five and under are admitted free.
Gustavus is back in the playoff title game for the first time since a runner-up finish in 2018. The Gusties are five-time playoff champs, with their last title coming in 2012. St. Olaf has won three MIAC Playoff crowns in program history, with two (2022, 2024) of the three coming in the last four seasons. The Gusties and Oles split their regular-season series, with each team winning in regulation on their home ice.
The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the postseason championship plaque, the Ed Saugestad Cup, and the conference's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Tournament.
2025 MIAC MEN'S HOCKEY PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals | Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025
No. 5 Concordia 4, No. 4 Saint John's 3 | Box Score |
Semifinals | Saturday, Mar. 1, 2025
No. 1 Gustavus 6, No. 5 Concordia | Box Score |
No. 3 St. Olaf 3, No. 2 Bethel 1 | Box Score |
Championship | Saturday, Mar. 8, 2025
No. 3 St. Olaf at No. 1 Gustavus | 6:00 PM
GAME TIMES ARE TENTATIVE