Season 22 marked the first time in six seasons the Ice Bears did not qualify for Division 1 Nationals — with the exception of Season 19 (see below). Missouri State ended the regular season with a record of 15 wins, 15 losses, 1 overtime loss, and 1 shootout loss ranked No. 4 among 70 teams.
Season highlights included winning the final four games of the season, a sweep of the University of Illinois, the University of Oklahoma, Colorado State University, and twice against the University of Alabama.
Season 21 ended with the Ice Bears finishing the regular season at a record of 19 wins, 10 losses, 1 overtime loss, and 2 shootout losses, good for a 10th-place finish and a berth into their fourth National Championship appearance since becoming a Division 1 team. Missouri State had a rematch with Adrian College, a team the Ice Bears lost 1-0 to on March 22, 2019.
Season 20 was delayed until January 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which had most teams either cancel fall play or delay the start of their season. Missouri State was the only team playing in the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL) securing an auto-bid to the 2021 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I National Championship tournament.
Finishing ranked No. 13 in the 2020-21 regular-season poll with a record of 8 wins, 9 losses, 1 overtime loss, and 1 shootout loss, Missouri State entered the national tournament as the No. 12 team facing No. 5 ranked Ohio University. The Ice Bears battled back from a two-goal deficit twice only to fall 5-4 with 27 seconds left in regulation. Missouri State ended its 20th season ranked No. 14 in the postseason poll out of 24 participating Division 1 teams.
Starting season 19 at No. 14 in the ACHA Division I preseason poll boosted the Ice Bears’ chances of staying in the hunt for its third-straight entrance in the ACHA Division I National Championship tournament to be held in Frisco, Texas. Unfortunately, Covid-19 canceled the 2020 Division I National Championship tournament and the Ice Bears would not get a chance to participate in postseason play. Missouri State finished the season 14-17-3 and ranked No. 30 among 70 Division I teams.
Season 18 was one of the most successful in Missouri State Hockey history as a 28-man roster helped the Ice Bears repeat an appearance in the ACHA Division I National Championship tournament after ending the 2018-19 season with 30 wins, 15 losses, and 4 overtime losses. It was good for a No. 14 final ranking among 61 Division I teams.
The Ice Bears made team tournament history with a 4-1 win over the University of Buffalo on March 21, 2019, and a 1-0 loss to Adrian College the next night in the 2019 National Championship tournament. The Ice Bears were the first team in three seasons to hold Adrian College — the 2018 National Champion — to only one goal in a game.
Season 17 began with a new coach and attitude for the Ice Bears, who bring Jeremy Law aboard as the first full-time paid bench boss in team history. Law coached three seasons in the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) with the Springfield Express before moving to the ACHA as a college head coach. Law spent 13 seasons in the WSHL posting 239 wins.
A trip to the Division I National Championship tournament was the goal for the Ice Bears in season seventeen. It took a win over Iowa State University on the final week of the 2017-18 campaign to secure postseason play in Columbus, Ohio.
The Ice Bears qualified for the big show ranked No. 17 out of 60 teams in its third season competing at the ACHA Division I level and finished with 22 wins, 15 losses, 3 overtime losses, and a shootout loss. The season ended with a 4-1 playoff loss to Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL) opponent Arizona.
A first-ever win over Oklahoma and shutouts of Arizona, Central Oklahoma, and Arkansas helped the Ice Bears climb in the rankings after starting the season 2017-18 at No. 30 in the preseason poll. Not losing more than two consecutive games during the season also kept the Ice Bears rising in the rankings.
A sweep over Iowa State highlighted season 16 as the Ice Bears finished with a 16-25-1 OTL record and was ranked No. 30 in the nation. The Ice Bears settled into one of the most competitive leagues in ACHA Division 1 hockey including playing the past three of four national champions (Arizona State in 2014 and Central Oklahoma in 2015 and 2017) who are members of the WCHL.
Season 15 was met with high expectations for the Missouri State Ice Bears after moving to the Division I classification in 2015-16. The Ice Bears finished the season ranked No. 25 in the nation and played to an 18-21 record.
It included a pair of victories against the University of Central Oklahoma on October 23-24, 2015. The wins marked the first time the Ice Bears swept the Bronchos in the 10-year series history.
As a Division II Team
The Ice Bears started their Missouri State Hockey Club program in the 2001-02 season competing at the Division III classification. After the first two seasons, the team moved in the 2003-04 season to the Division II classification playing 12 more seasons through 2014-15.
The Ice Bears joined the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association league (MACHA) in the Gold Division during the 2004-05 season and competed in the MACHA Gold Division with ACHA Division II teams for 12 seasons winning four league championship tournaments including its final MACHA crown at Division II in the 2014-15 season. A 3-1 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Missouri State won the first game of the Regional tournament 4-3 in overtime over the same Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars. Blake Ryan scored with 5 seconds remaining in regulation, and Jack Ryan scored in overtime. The Ice Bears won the second game 2-0 over Robert Morris - Chicago.
This led to the Ice Bears Division II team's first appearance in the Division II National Tournament in Boston in 2014-15 where the Ice Bears won the first two games in pool play, suffered a loss to Penn State in the game to decide a berth in the semi-finals and finished with a sixth-place final ranking out of the approximately 200 teams in Division II.
As an ACHA Division II and III team, the Ice Bears compiled an overall team record of 250 wins, 185 losses, and 15 ties from its first season in 01-02 through the 13-14 season.
The 2013-14 season was the most successful stretch for Ice Bears Division II team. In addition to winning two Division II Central Region games for the first time in team history, the club swept three games in the 2013-14 MACHA postseason tournament and won the Gold Division title defeating Southern Illinois University 3-1 in the championship game.
The Ice Bears Division II team's 25-12-1 season record in 13-14 included a 7 W-4 L-3 SOL record and a fifth-place finish in the MACHA league regular season, but a berth in the playoffs.
The Division II team set a MACHA league record in the 08-09 season when the team won its 32nd MACHA league game in a row on Nov. 22, 2008, dating back to the start of the win streak in November of 2006. An Ice Bears goaltending team record was also set in the 08-09 season by Mike Poepping and Nic Zamora putting together a 203:32 shutout streak in a four-game span from November 7-15, 2008.
The Division II team won the MACHA Gold Division tournament championship in its sixth, seventh, 13th, and 14th seasons of competition and won the league regular-season championship in the 07-08 season.
The Division III Team
In 2004, the program grew to the point where the Club added a Junior Varsity team. Now known as the Division III team, they completed their first season playing at the ACHA Division III level in 2004-05.
The Division III team finished the 2017-18 season with a record of 20 wins 17 losses in its 14th season in the ACHA.
Breaking records and making its first national's appearance, the Ice Bears Division III team finished the 2016-17 season at 28-9-1-1 after a first-ever sweep in the Pacific regionals. The Ice Bears faced top competition from across the country suffering losses to Bryn Athyn College, Oakland University, and the University of Georgia.
Unfortunately, the Division III team finished fourth in the MACHA Silver Division and lost to Marquette in the opening round of the 2016-17 league tournament.
The Ice Bears ended the 2015-16 season with a 13-17-3 OTL record finishing 22nd in the Pacific Region. In the 2014-15 season, the Ice Bears played to an 18-10-1 OTL record and were ranked ninth in the Pacific Region. The Ice Bears attended the 2015 ACHA Division 3 regionals but lost in the first round to Northern Colorado.
In 2013-14, the Division III team just missed reaching the MACHA Silver Division post-season tournament after dropping a hard-fought one-game playoff in Springfield to the Iowa State Cyclones.
The Division III team won its first MACHA Silver Division regular season and league championship tournament in the 09-10 season.
Growth of the Organization
The continuous growth of the program is credited largely to strong and consistent Club leadership that provides the management and coaching experience and guidance needed to produce successful results.
It started in 2001 with Co-founder and General Manager Stan Melton, Co-founder, and Assistant General Manager Curt Bussen, Andy Marquardt, along with Faculty Advisor Paul Durham, who has worked with the club since the first season to develop a winning philosophy. The efforts of former Head Coach Benjamin Alexander in his first six seasons are also considered a foundation for many of the Ice Bear’s successes.
Many other volunteer staff members are Club veterans, while new staff members, coaches, and interns bring fresh talent every season. The coaches and off-ice staff work in concert with the Ice Bears Player Board, which plays a key role in the Club’s leadership each season.
As a Club sport, the Ice Bears couldn’t function without the support of sponsors and advertisers contributing financial support and in-kind services critical to the Club’s operation. Those valuable contributors' support is appreciated throughout the year.
Our Fans
The fan base continues to grow with record numbers; all it takes is attending a game or two to get hooked on the high energy, enthusiasm, and speed that the game experience brings. In 2017-18, the average attendance totaled over 900 per game and over 20,000 over the full home season. In addition, the Ice Bears season ticket holders occupied 25% of the Jordan Valley Ice Park's main grandstand seating. With an arena capacity of 1,100, the Ice Bears hope to break the 1,000-per-game attendance in future seasons.
Some of our biggest fans-who often double as advertisers, supporters, and volunteers – are players’ parents. Their dedication is remarkable; similar to that of the players themselves. The ACHA Division I and Division III teams will number more than 50 players each season. As members of a club sports team, the players and their families make a major financial commitment to be on the team. The players also commit to balancing academics, family, games, practices, travel, and community service.
While many elements change with each new season, the Missouri State Hockey Club remains proudly committed to its mission of producing a level of achievement on and off the ice to create a top-quality collegiate hockey program for Missouri State University and the Springfield / Southwest Missouri area community.
The Ice Bears are proud to represent Missouri State University in the sport of collegiate hockey as the club continues to build a tradition as a top-quality ACHA college hockey program on and off the ice.
Updated: 02/23/22
