Minot State hockey off to a strong start in new season
Trending
With both the Minot State men’s and women’s hockey teams coming out of last season with winning record and National Tournament berths, both Beavers teams were poised to perform well again this season, and perform well they have.
The Minot State men’s hockey team is already at a record of 7-1 this season under the direction of veteran head coach Wyatt Waselenchuk.
Waselenchuk is officially in his sixth year leading the Minot State men’s hockey team.
Under his guidance, the Beavers earned their third ever ACHA National Championship in Waselenchuk’s second year with Minot State.
Last season, Waselenchuk led the Beavers to a record of 28-2-1 on the season with a ACHA National Tournament berth that took the Beavers to the national quarterfinals.
That same season, Waselenchuk earned ACHA Coach of the Year honors and helped get four Beaver players named to the ACHA All-Athletic (All-American) Team.
Waselenchuk’s achievements with the Beavers have also earned him a place on the international stage. In September of this year, the ACHA announced that Waselenchuk will be head coach for Team USA at the 2027 FISU Winter World University Games in Changchun, China, January 13-25, 2027.
“Having now been at two previous World University Games, once as a player and most recently as an assistant coach, I am familiar with the event and know what it will take to compete at that level,” Waselenchuk said at the time of the announcement. “It is truly a remarkable event, and I am grateful for those that have chosen to put their faith in me to lead this team.”
In the meantime, Waselenchuk has been leading the Beavers to a winning season here at home, including a win against in-state rival University of Jamestown 5-4 on Wednesday night, October 14.
Until that time when Coach Waselenchuk will have to turn his attention to the national team, he is focused on helping keep the Beavers a winning team.
Though not as far into this new season as the men’s team, the Minot State women’s hockey team is already seeing success under the leader of their new head coach, North Dakota native Blake Zabinski.
Last season, under the direction of nine year veteran head coach Ryan Miner, the women’s hockey team finished with a winning record of 19-7-7, ending the season with an ACHA National Tournament berth that saw them reach the quarterfinals.
During his time as head coach, Miner earned a 209-61-9-6 record, qualified for the ACHA National Tournament each season, advanced to the ACHA Division II national title game twice in 2018 and 2019 and the ACHA Division I national title game twice in 2023 and 2024.
Head Coach Blake Zabinski took over the women’s hockey program in August of this year.
Zabinski joined the Beavers after after two seasons at Marian University in Wisconsin as the head coach of the Sabres’ ACHA D2 men’s team.
“I am beyond excited about the opportunity to take over this program, and returning home is something I have thought about for a long time,” Head Coach Blake Zabinski said. “Seeing how far women’s hockey has come over the last several years makes me excited to help this program grow.
The women’s hockey got their start their season in Jamestown as they faced off against the Jimmies with a pair of games in late September, taking wins in both games, giving them an early winning record of 2-0-0.
The Beavers have only payed two other games so far this season, a pair of exhibition matches against University of Regina in early October.
The Beavers will return to the Maysa Arena for their first home games of the season on Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, against Sault College.