2024 Robertson Cup Championship Starts Tomorrow 

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) announces the four teams at the 2024 Robertson Cup Championship which will be played at Fogerty Ice Arena in Blaine, Minnesota, from May 17-21. The Robertson Cup is awarded to the national playoff champion of the NAHL. 

The four divisional playoff champions who have qualified for the 2024 Robertson Cup Championship are: #1 Lone Star Brahmas (South Division), #2 Minot Minotauros (Central Division), #3 Maryland Black Bears (East Division) and the #4 Anchorage (Midwest Division). 

The #1 Seed will face the #4 seed in a best of three series. The #2 seed will face the #3 seed in a best of three series. The two series winners will advance to a one-game Championship Game to determine the Robertson Cup Champion.

Road to the Robertson Cup 

 

Lone Star Brahmas

Regular Season 44-10-3-3 (94 points) | Division Semifinals: Defeated New Mexico (3-1) | Division Finals: Defeated Shreveport (3-1)

The number one overall seed Lone Star Brahmas come into the Robertson Cup as a team that’s been at the front of the pack all season long. The Brahmas got hot early in the season as they ripped off a 9-1 stretch in October to catapult them to the top of the South Division standings and they never looked back. A 12 game point streak to close out December gave them a comfortable lead in the standings that never seemed in jeopardy. Lone Star has always been known for their defense and 2023-24 is no exception. The Brahmas allowed just 109 goals or 1.82 goals per game through- out the regular season, tops in the league. What sets them apart this season is their offensive ability. With 206 goals scored, that doesn’t put them near the top of the league but it did give them the best goal differential in the league at +97. Ivan Zadvernyuk led the offense with 64 points and his 21 goals were good for fourth on the club. Brock James, Justin Kerr and Jacob MacDonald all tied for the team lead with 22. The Brahmas boast two of the best goalies in the league as Jack Wieneke and Deivs Rolovs were ranked first and third respectively in goals against average. Wieneke led the league in save percentage and shutouts. After winning the NAHL’s regular season title, Lone Star knocked off New Mexico in the division semi- finals in four games. They followed that up with a four game victory in the division finals against their long time rivals, the Shreveport Mudbugs. This is the first time Lone Star has reached the Robertson Cup since they won it all in 2017. 

Anchorage Wolverines

Regular Season 39-14-2-5 (85 points) | Division Semifinals: Defeated Minnesota (3-1) | Division Finals: Defeated Wisconsin (3-0)

The Anchorage Wolverines are getting accustomed to making it to the Robertson Cup. They’ve only been around for three seasons but this is already their second trip to Blaine. You may recall their Cinderella run back in their inaugural season in 2021-22 where they came up just one game short against the New Jersey Titans. Unlike the rest of our Robertson Cup teams, Anchorage was not the leader in the clubhouse all season long, they had a good start to their season but hung around in second or third place for the first half of the season. Then after being swept by the at the time first place Wisconsin Windigo, the Wolverines made their move. To close the season, the Wolverines got points in 20 of their last 21 games and included a 12 game winning streak and a 19 game point streak. Fyodor Nikolayenya led the way with 27 goals and 64 points. Bryce Monrean was right behind him with 21 goals and 62 points. Romulus Riego De Dios also had 21 goals for Anchorage. Liam Beerman got the majority of starts in goal and finished the season with 27 wins, tied for the most in the NAHL. He’s been sensational in the playoffs as he’s 6-1 with a 1.56 GAA and .950 save percentage to go with two shutouts. The Midwest Division champions needed four games to take care of the Minnesota Wilderness in their first round matchup. Then they broke out the brooms in the Midwest Division Finals as they needed just three games to beat Wisconsin. 

Minot Minotauros

Regular Season 44-14-1-1 (90 points) | Division Semifinals: Defeated Austin (3-0) | Division Finals: Defeated Bismarck (3-1)

The Minot Minotauros, similar to the Lone Star Brahmas, have been front runners all season in the Central Division. After kick- ing off the season with a 3-1 showing in Blaine, the Minotauros ripped off a run of points in 13 of 15 games. Then in December, Minot went streaking as they took home nine straight wins to create some separation in the standings. The Minotauros won an- other nine straight in March to set themselves up to wrap up the division in Bismarck in early April. Minot got it done on both ends of the ice as they were second in goals allowed at 125. They also ranked tied for 8th in goals scored which gave them the league’s second best goal differential at +83. Leading the offense is Jack O’Hanisain who led in both goals (29) and points (61). Joel Lehti- nen was second on the club with 51 points and third in goals with 16. However right now the hottest player in the league is Nicho- las Sewecke as he has seven goals and 11 points in just seven postseason games. They’ve got a two headed monster in the crease with Brady James and Lukas Swedin as both have three wins and great numbers in the playoffs. James got the majority of the crease in the regular season with 24 wins and a .917 save percentage. Minot has steamrolled through the playoffs as they swept Austin in the opening round, outscoring the Bruins 19-3. They needed four games to dispatch the Bismarck Bobcats, dominating on home ice before closing out the series on the road. This is Minot’s first trip back to the Robertson Cup since falling to the Shreveport Mudbugs in the 2018 title game.

Maryland Black Bears

Regular Season 41-14-2-3 (87 points) | Division Semifinals: Defeated New Jersey (3-0) | Division Finals: Defeated Maine (3-2)

The Maryland Black Bears are back! They are the first team to make back-to-back appearances at the Robertson Cup since the Aberdeen Wings made consecutive trips in 2019 and 2021 (no Robertson Cup was held in 2020). The Black Bears started the season with a series split with Johnstown and then went on to win three games at the NAHL Showcase to start the year 4-2. They continued to roll early on in the year by getting points in 13 of their next 14 games. After closing out 2023 with a tough stretch, Maryland won seven of their eight January contests to reassert themselves as the top dog in the East Division. Captain Dimitry Kebreau led the team with 33 assists and 52 points and was tied for second in goals with 19. Jeremi Tremblay was the team’s leader in goals with 22 and finished the year with 44 points. In the postseason, the captain has put the team on his back with six goals and 10 points in the eight playoff contests including three goals in their elimination games against Maine. Owen Lepak has been the guy in the blue paint as he has all five playoff wins for his club, sporting a 1.43 GAA and .947 save percentage to go with one shutout. So far this postseason, the Black Bears swept the New Jersey Titans in the division semifinals. Then they came back from being down two games to one to defeat the Nordiques and win the series in a decisive fifth game on home ice.

Seeding: 

1. Lone Star (South Division)
2. Minot (Central Division)
3. Maryland (East Division)
4. Anchorage (Midwest Division)

 

Schedule: 

DATE	TIME	HOME	AWAY
Friday, May 17, 2024	4:30pm	#1 (Lone Star)	#4 (Anchorage)
	7:30pm	#2 (Minot)	#3 (Maryland)
Saturday, May 18, 2024	4:30pm	#4 (Anchorage)	#1 (Lone Star)
	7:30pm	#3 (Maryland)	#2 (Minot)
Sunday, May 19, 2024	3:00pm**	#1 (Lone Star)	#4 (Anchorage)
	6:00pm**	#2 (Minot)	#3 (Maryland)
Tuesday, May 21, 2024	7:00pm	Robertson Cup Championship Game

**if necessary 

 

Tournament Format: 

The four NAHL divisional playoff champions will advance to the Robertson Cup Championship in Blaine, MN. Once the four NAHL Divisional Playoff Champions are determined, clubs will be seeded 1-4 based upon their finish in the NAHL regular season standings. The game schedule will be as follows: The #1 Seed will face the #4 seed in a best-of-three semifinal series. The #2 seed will face the #3 seed in a best-of-three semifinal series. The best-of-three semifinal series will begin on Friday, May 17th. The two series winners will advance onto a winner-take-all championship game on Tuesday, May 21st to determine the Robertson Cup National Champion.

 

All 2024 NAHL Robertson Cup Playoff games can be viewed live and in HD on NAHLTV. Tickets and Scout pases are now on sale for the event. For more information on the Robertson Cup Championship Tournament, including hotels, rental cars, tickets, and more, click here.