Over the past five years, the Aquinas athletic department has continued its storied tradition of athletic success in the form of individual national championships, incredible postseason runs, WHAC championships, record-breaking performances, and a tremendous number of athletic and academic All-America honorees.
 
We wanted to provide our fans with an enjoyable look back at some of the best moments from all of our athletic programs since 2015. Over the next two months, we will highlight a few programs each week - 25 programs in total - and provide a reminder of why it's great to be an Aquinas Saint.

The men's hockey team entered the 2016-17 season with unfinished business and a single goal in mind. The year prior, they finished as ACHA D3 National Runners-Up after falling to Oakland University in the final. The 2017 Saints were determined to prove to the college hockey world they had what it took to finish the season as the nation's top team.

The Saints finished the year on a 14-game winning streak, concluding with a victory over cross-town rivals Calvin in the ACHA D3 National Championship game. Along the way, the Saints claimed the MCHC West Tournament title and the MCHC Vezina Cup and finished with a 34-5-1 overall record. 

After entering the ACHA National Tournament as a #3-seed, the Saints cruised through their competition, winning five games in five days. They rolled through their pod, defeating University of Tampa, Iowa State University and Fairfield University by a combined score of 15-5. A 4-2 win over Bryn Athyn in the National Semi-Finals set up a date with Calvin College in the finals.The Knights were the last team to defeat the Saints before Aquinas began their incredible post-season run and the two teams split their season series, setting up a rubber-match for the National Title. 

Billy Warren opened the scoring just three minutes into the game to give the Saints the early lead. The advantage doubled in the second period when defenseman Zach Lloyd scored to make it 2-0. Warren would score again to increase the lead to 3-0 in favor of the Saints, before Calvin stormed back to make it 3-2 early in the third. Zach Grover stopped the Calvin run with a goal with 13:03 left in the third period, one that would prove to be the game-winner. Calvin again closed the gap to just one goal at 4-3 with just over three minutes left, but the Saints defense, led by National Tournament MVP goaltender Sean Schmeiser, held off the Knights' charge. As the clock struck zero, the scoreboard read 4-3 in favor of the Saints, a culmination of years of hard work by the program to earn the right to call themselves National Champions. 


Next Moment: Monday, September 28th

Previous Moments: 
Women's Volleyball: Saints Capture First WHAC Title in 22 Years
Men's Cross Country: Aquinas Men Earn 2018 WHAC Championship 
Women's Soccer: Saints Women Pick Up First National Tournament Win
Women's Cross Country: Saints Win 2017 WHAC Championship for Fourth Straight Title
Men's Soccer: Tahlan's Buzzer Beater Stuns Trinity Christian
Esports: AQ Earns Rocket League National Runner-Up Finish
Cheer: Cheer Team Finishes 9th at 2019 Nationals
Men's Bowling: Sixth-Seeded Men's Bowling Rolls to 2015 WHAC Title
Women's Basketball: AQ Women Reach 2019 WHAC Championsip, Earn Nationals Berth