Oak Lake’s Riley Wallace and two fellow former Virden Oil Capitals helped the Minot State University Beavers get to the America Collegiate Hockey Association Division I championship game.
MSU, the 2019 ACHA Div. I champs, fell in the title tilt, 6-1, to top seeded Adrian (Mich.) College in Chesterfield, Mo. The loss ended an impressive ACHA tournament run for the Beavers, who included Wallace and fellow Oil Caps alumni Landyn Cochrane of Russell and Teulon’s Brayden Pawluk.
MSU entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Beavers beat No. 11 Calvin University of Grand Rapids, Mich., 2-1, in the first round. They then bounced No. 3 Lindenwood University of St. Charles, Mo., 2-1. In the semifinals, MSU knocked off the No. 4-seeded Liberty University from Lynchburg, Va., 3-1.
Wallace, the goaltending son of Tod and Penny Wallace, posted a 10-0-1 record in 13 regular season appearances. The first-year player had a 1.77 goals against average with a .936 save percentage, according to the ACHA website. Wallace played the 2018-2019 campaign in Virden and split the following season between Virden and the B.C.-based Columbia Valley Rockies Junior B squad.
Cochrane finished third on the Beavers in points with 30 in 26 games. He had 13 goals and 17 assists. The third-year MSU forward capped his junior career off by joining the Oil Caps and helping the team to the 2018 Manitoba Junior Hockey League finals.
In 30 games, Pawluk had five goals and 13 points. The rookie defenceman played the 2017-2018 season in Virden. Partway through the next season, he was traded to Dauphin where he played a season and a bit.
