ACHA Hockey ready for conference playoffs
MEQUON, Wis. – This weekend, the Concordia Wisconsin ACHA Hockey Team will compete in the NCHL Conference Playoffs for the first time in program history. The milestone is another highlight in a great season in which the Falcons made the regional rankings, ending the season as the 13th ranked team in the Central Region.
Head coach Brandon Richards is proud of what his team has accomplished so far this year. "We, as a team, feel like this year has been a major stepping stone for our players and school," said Coach Richards. "We have had a lot of success throughout this year and hope to continue our progress going into the playoffs and next season."
This is only the third season of the ACHA program's existence at Concordia Wisconsin, and just the second year for Coach Richards. "It means a lot from a program perspective to have made the playoffs in such a short time of having a program," said Coach Richards. "We are blessed to have the resources and support of the athletic department at CUW to help in our success."
The NCHL conference playoffs include the top six teams. Marian hosts the tournament at the Blue Line Family Ice Center in Fond du Lac. The first and second seed teams get an automatic bid to the semifinals. The Falcons are the #3 seed and will be playing #6 seed DePaul on Friday, February 14th.
Should the Falcons win Friday against #6 DePaul, they would play #2 seed Aurora on Saturday. Win Saturday, and the Falcons play Sunday in the championship against either #1 Marian, #4 Marquette, or #5 Lewis.
"Going into this weekend, we are very confident in our ability to make a good run through the playoffs," said Coach Richards. "Even being limited on numbers, our team is determined to battle adversity and give everything we have. At the end of the weekend, we want to be able to say that we gave it everything we had and left it all out on the ice."
