The calendar has flipped and the 2024-25 college hockey season churns on, as four teams head to Palm Springs, Calif. this week to compete in the inaugural Cactus Cup.

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The two-day tournament features four teams from four different conferences – Holy Cross, Michigan Tech, Omaha and UMass Lowell. At this stage of the season, these are pivotal non-conference games that can help each team's standing in the all-important Pairwise ratings. That's especially true of UMass Lowell, which is currently a top-10 team according to the polls and the Pairwise.

How To Watch The Cactus Cup

FloHockey will be the streaming home for all four games of the 2025 Cactus Cup, all of which will be played at Acrisure Arena, home of the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds. The four teams will square off on Friday, with the winners of each game advancing to the championship game on Saturday night. The two teams that lose Friday will play a consolation game.

Cactus Cup Schedule

Friday, Jan. 3, 2025

Michigan Tech vs. UMass Lowell, 3:30 p.m.

Holy Cross vs. Omaha, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025

Third-Place Game, 3:30 p.m.

First-Place Game, 7 p.m.

*All Times Local (PST)

The valley has become a hockey town so we're bringing more hockey 🏒
Join us for the Coachella Valley Cactus Cup, a two-day NCAA D1 hockey match-up right here at Acrisure Arena!

Tickets and more info here: https://t.co/Gr8cXPlTBk pic.twitter.com/okYWmhxcq8

— Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs (@AcrisureArena) December 4, 2024

Cactus Cup Preview

Michigan Tech (10-6-2)

Conference: CCHA, 7-3-2
Head coach: Joe Shawhan (8th season)
Leading scorer: Stiven Sardarian, Jr., F (8-14-22)
Top goaltender: Derek Mullahy, Sr. (6-5-2, .916 save percentage, 2.30 GAA)
NHL Draft picks: Viktor Hurtig (NJD, 2021), Chase Pietila (PIT, 2024), Stiven Sardarian (BUF, 2021).
Distance to Acrisure Arena: 2,260 miles

Scouting the Huskies: Michigan Tech nearly beat fourth-ranked Western Michigan to open the GLI, falling 4-3, but responded with a 4-3 win of its own over Northern Michigan on Monday. 

Logan Morrell scored 20 seconds into overtime as four different Huskies scored in the win, while Ryan Manzella – who joined the Huskies last week from the USHL – took over after the first period. Manzella made 15 saves over 40 minutes of action, earning the win in his NCAA debut. Morrell and Sardarian are tied for MTU's team goal lead with eight each.

MTU’s roster features 10 freshmen and seven sophomores, and there have certainly been some growing pains in the first half. However, they own a .611 win percentage and are yet to lose in regulation on the road (5-0-2) this season, along with a 1-1-0 showing in neutral site games. The Huskies received 14 votes in this week’s USCHO Poll and are currently third in the CCHA.

UMass Lowell (10-4-2)

Conference: Hockey East, 5-3-1
Head coach: Norm Bazin (15th season)
Leading scorer: Mirko Buttazzoni, Fr., F (5-9-14)
Top goaltender: Henry Welsch, Gr. (8-2-1, .893 save percentage, 2.55 GAA)
NHL Draft picks: Ben Meehan (LAK, 2020)
Distance to Acrisure Arena: 2,889 miles

Scouting the River Hawks: UMass Lowell has been one of the nation’s top offensive teams and enters the Cactus Cup ranked 10th in the polls. The River Hawks have the nation’s fifth-best power play (27.1) and are averaging 3.3 goals per game, which ranks 7th. Mirko Buttazzoni has four goals over his past three games and the freshman has 14 points through 16 games.

UML had an interesting finish before the break, going 1-1-2 over its final four games – beating St. Lawrence, tying Clarkson and skating to a tie and 3-2 loss in a home-and-home with Boston College. However, Norm Bazin’s club had won nine of its previous 11 games, which included a six-game win streak, and exploded for nine goals Sunday afternoon in an exhibition win over Simon Fraser.

Omaha (7-9-0)

Conference: NCHC, 4-4-0
Head coach: Mike Gabinet (8th season)
Leading scorer: Sam Stange, Gr., F (7-4-11)
Top goaltender: Simon Latkoczy, Jr. (6-8-0, .930 save percentage, 2.38)
NHL Draft picks: Noah Ellis (VGK, 2020), Tanner Ludtke (UTH, 2023), Kevin Reidler (OTT, 2022), Sam Stange (DET, 2020).
Distance to Acrisure Arena: 1,520 miles

Scouting the Mavericks: The first half was a roller coaster for Mike Gabinet’s club. Omaha opened the season with a pair of wins over UMass and Minnesota in Vegas to win the Ice Breaker Tournament but followed it up with six consecutive losses, including an 0-4 start on home ice.

Omaha responded with a split at Arizona State, swept Miami and earned a win at St. Cloud State, but split its series against Lindenwood (4-13-1) to finish the first half.

Starting the holidays on a high note🔥⛄️#GoMavs pic.twitter.com/Z6reck06wE

— Omaha Hockey (@OmahaHKY) December 16, 2024

However, Omaha still sits at .500 in conference play and although they’d like a better record, those inside Omaha’s locker room have liked their game. Especially defensively, as Omaha is allowing just 2.4 goals per game and Simon Latkoczy and Kevin Reidler have provided solid goaltending. Yet they’ve struggled mightily offensively and on the power play.

Although they haven’t used it as an excuse, exactly half of Omaha’s roster (14 players) was new coming into this season and Omaha was decimated by injuries throughout the first half too – the biggest sophomore forward Tanner Ludtke (season). Zach Urdahl also missed three games as Urdahl and Ludtke were Omaha’s top two returning scorers. Omaha earned a 5-0 exhibition win over Manitoba on Sunday afternoon.

Holy Cross (8-9-1)

Conference: Atlantic Hockey, 7-4-1
Head coach: Bill Riga (4th season)
Leading scorer: Liam McLinskey, Sr., F (10-6-16)
Top goaltender: Thomas Gale, Sr. (8-9-1), .922 save percentage, 2.34 GAA)
NHL Draft picks: None
Distance to Acrisure Arena: 2,845 miles

Scouting the Crusaders: Holy Cross is coming off a 3-1 loss at Long Island Tuesday afternoon, which snapped a four-game win streak for the Crusaders. Devin Phillips scored 3:39 into the contest but the Crusaders allowed three unanswered goals, including two in the third period. It's their first loss since Nov. 16 and dropped Holy Cross to 3-5-1 in road games this season.

The Crusaders dropped three of their first four games in October and opened the season 4-8-1, but Holy Cross got some momentum in late November and has scored 17 goals over its past five games. Holy Cross has out-scored its opponents 17-8 in that stretch and owns the nation’s fifth-best penalty kill (90.4%), and the Crusaders sit fourth in the AHA standings.

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