CMU men's club hockey loses final series against Cincinnati
The Chippewas hosted the final weekend of the Central Michigan University ACHA D1 men's hockey of the 2025-2026 season
Friday night was senior night for the Chippewas as they celebrated all five of their seniors with a pregame ceremony that included a handshake line with the rest of the team and a red carpet for pictures with their families.
Frankie Williamson, Dylan Niermeyer, Aiden Beckman, Nate Murawski and Riley Joyce were all smiles playing in their final few ACHA games.
“It’s honestly an honor, and I'm going to cherish these colors forever. It's been an honor playing here, and I hope this program can make a name for itself someday,” Niermeyer said.
The Central Michigan men's club hockey team came into the weekend fresh off a win against Ferris State. The Chippewas were looking to upset the University of Cincinnati, which held a 17-4-1 record coming into the series, having swept the Chippewas in late September.
But Cincinnati overpowered CMU in both games of the series, 13-0 and 11-1, applying constant pressure from beginning to end.
There were some disqualifications for Central Michigan players in each game. Josh Bassett in game one, and Tej Kothari and Nate Murawski were thrown out in game two for fighting with Cincinnati players.
Shortly after the teams were separated and penalties given in the second period of game two, Carter Schluckbier fired one past the Bearcat goaltender on the power play to score the first and only goal of the weekend for the Chippewas.
Despite the results of the games, there were still things to be celebrated and proud of for the seniors.
“It’s definitely emotional. We've been through a lot, more than any other seniors ever will. It's just great to play with these guys,” Williamson said. “It's still surreal to think that playing college hockey is coming to an end; it hasn't really settled in yet. I’m super thankful.”
Williamson mentioned how he’d like to be remembered for his time playing for the Chippewas.
“The leadership, that's the biggest part," he said. "Freshman year, going through a coaching change, a lot of the upperclassmen left the program to try to sink the program. The senior group I'm with stuck it out because we didn't want this to end. Having that leadership and that grit to lead by example and have a voice to lead by example.”
As team president, Niermeyer has high hopes for the future of the program following his departure.
“Keep up the grind, keep up the hustle, we got a lot of work to do, and all these guys have the work ethic to do it, I believe. Our new leadership class is just as passionate as I am. I think we're going to go in a really good direction,” Niermeyer said. “We’re really excited to see where this program goes, even though we’re not going to be a part of it. We're hoping that we set up something awesome. I really trust that the boys are going to carry on a great legacy.”
Though this season may not have been ideal for the men’s club hockey team in its first season at Division I, they can only go up from here next season.
