The newly crowned champions of the American Collegiate Hockey Association have a distinctly southeast Saskatchewan flavour.
Four local players are part of the Minot State University Beavers, which won the ACHA national championship on March 6 with a 9-5 win over the Lindenwood University (Mo.) Lions in the title game in Chicago.
Lampman defenceman Nigel Dube is the captain of the team, while Alameda forward Brody Haygarth, Estevan defenceman Ryan Curzon and Estevan goaltender Riley Hengen are also on the squad.
The Beavers were the No. 3 seed in the national tournament, hosted by the Illinois campus of Robert Morris University.
Minot State opened with a 5-0 win over No. 14 Central Oklahoma before beating No. 6 Oklahoma 5-4 in overtime to advance to the semifinals.
There, the Beavers dumped No. 4 Ohio to advance to the championship game against the ninth-ranked Lions.
Haygarth, a former Estevan Bruin, played a key role in the final with a hat trick.
It was the Beavers' first Murdoch Cup championship in their 17 years in the ACHA.
Dube, who wrapped up a four-year university career with the national title win, said the team's quick start in the final made the difference.
"We came out with a really strong first period, it was huge," he said. "They got some life in the third period, obviously with a big five minute power play they had, but we never panicked, we never quit, we stuck with the game plan and battled it out to the buzzer."
Dube, 25, added that the Beavers program came a long way during his tenure.
"Just to see how far the program went in four years is phenomenal, from being ranked 32nd my first year at the start of the year, to ending my college career at the No. 1 position," he said.
Dube, who played junior with the Bruins, Penticton Vees and Camrose Kodiaks, said it felt good to bring the championship to Minot for the first time, especially with the city still recovering from the 2011 floods.
He said 200 people were waiting when the team's bus arrived in Minot.
"Seeing the smiles, seeing people so ecstatic and excited, they feel just as much as part of the team as we do," he said.
