It’s one thing to be a collegiate athlete, but it’s another thing to represent your country at the collegiate level. It’s time for the 2025 FISU World University Games, where collegiate athletes all across the world get a chance to showcase their skill sets and pride for their country.
The FISU World University Games are the Olympics for collegiate athletes. They alternate between the summer and winter games, hosting them every two years as well. However, they are hosted during odd-numbered years rather than the even years like the Olympics. Athletes from across the country are chosen to represent team USA, and for the hockey teams, those athletes were chosen from the American College Hockey Association, or the ACHA.
The women’s USA University hockey team ended their run on Jan. 20, securing 5th place overall. On Jan. 12th, Team USA took their first loss against the Czech Republic, losing 6-3. Following that loss and a 5-0 loss to Japan, Team USA bounced back with a win against Kazakhstan, shutting them out 5-0. They continued their scoring hot streak against Great Britain, shutting them out 14-0. In their final game of the tournament, they beat Kazakhstan in a consolation rematch, dominating them 8-2.
Team USA selected some of the best in the ACHA, including forwards Allison Greene, Lucy Hanson, Makenzie Villiard, and Halle Hansen. Greene, a forward from Indiana Tech, has 18 points in 19 games played, including six goals and 12 assists.
Lucy Hanson is a forward from the University of Michigan, where she’s averaged an impressive 21 points in 16 games. She scored 12 goals this season, and has nine assists.
Makenzie Villiard, a forward from Adrian College, has 14 points in 22 games. She has seven goals and seven assists on the season.
Halle Hansen, from the University of Utah, has had an impressive season. In 20 games played, she has 21 points, with 10 goals and 11 assists.
Defenseman Paige Ackerman of Minot State is the beavers’ double threat on the ice. At Minot she has 13 points in 23 games played. Ackerman has three goals and 10 assists on the season.
The average save percentage across all three goaltenders is 0.917%. At Adrian College, Rieley Jessie-Gerelli has a 0.916 save percentage and has 10 wins and 1 loss in the 2024-25 season.
Arizona State’s Quinn Eatinger has a 0.925 save percentage. She has played 12 games, winning six, losing four, and has two overtime losses in the 2024-25 season.
Sandrine Ponnath of the University of Michigan has played six games this season, winning three, losing one, and tying two. She has a 0.928 save percentage out of six games.
The men’s team struck further success in this tournament, ending up in 4th place with a 5-2-0 record. They opened up their tournament play against Poland with a 6-2 win. Team USA added another win to the column after beating Japan 5-1. After a close face off between Slovakia, the USA came out on top, winning 6-5 in the shootout. Team USA continued to show their dominance against Ukraine, beating them 5-1. As the team faced Korea, they showed off their skill set in a 12-3 win. After a bitter rivalry game between Canada, Team USA fell 10-2. In their final game for bronze, the US fell just short in their rematch against Ukraine, falling 5-3.
Team USA was composed of the ACHA’s superstars. Captain Jay Buchholz from Minot State University has had an impressive season so far, earning 30 points in 27 games. On the season, Buchholz has 11 goals and 19 assists.
Adrian College’s Sebastian Smith has 23 points in 21 games, with 12 goals and 11 assists.
Maryville University freshman Maxwell Wagener is putting up numbers this season, having 28 points in just 20 games. He scored 13 goals and assisted on 15.
Defenseman Dillon Kuntz is making his place known this season at UNLV, with two goals and seven assists in 18 games for a total of nine points.
Ohio University defenseman Drake Nabozny proved his worth this season with 13 points in 14 games, three points being goals and the other 10 being assists.
Team USA started netminder Konrad Kausch from Liberty University. Kausch has an impressive save percentage of 0.948 in 15 games. He has 11 wins on the season, two losses, and one shootout loss.
While these club players are balancing school and their sport, they continue to make strides and push themselves at these University games. They are not only representing their country, but they put their skills to the test and brought pride to their schools.
Edited by Megan Wines
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