The 2025-26 college hockey season shifts to the second half, as four teams head to Palm Springs, Calif. this week to compete in the second annual Cactus Cup. The two-day tournament features four teams from four different conferences – Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, UMass Lowell and Yale. UMass Lowell won the inaugural event last January and is the host team this year.

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FloHockey is your home for this midseason event that will feature college hockey's oldest program in Yale, the No. 14 team in the nation in Minnesota State, a team full of NHL prospects in St. Cloud State and a Lowell program that has eyes on going back-to-back in the desert. As far as midseason showcases go, this one will be exciting.

The winners of the games on Friday will play each other in a championship game on Saturday, while the losers will play in a consolation game. Regardless of whether you go home with a trophy, these games count towards the teams' records for their NPI rating that determines postseason positioning for the NCAA tournament. So, like usual in college hockey, every game matters.

A full schedule and preview of this year’s tournament can be found below.

When Are The Games?

Friday Jan. 2, 2025

• UMass Lowell vs. Minnesota State, 6:30 p.m. ET
• St. Cloud State vs. Yale, 10 p.m. ET

Saturday Jan. 3, 2025

• Third-place Game, 6:30 p.m. ET
• First-place Game, 10 p.m. ET

How Can I Watch?

FloHockey will be the streaming home for all four games of the 2026 Cactus Cup. All four games will be played at Acrisure Arena, home of the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Who Are The Top Players To Follow?

• Austin Burnevik, So., F, St. Cloud State (ANA)
• Evan Murr, Jr., D, Minnesota State
• Ronan O’Donnell, So., F, Yale
• Alex Tracy, Sr., G, Minnesota State
• Dalyn Wakely, Fr., F, UMass-Lowell (EDM)

What Schools Are Competing?

No. 14 Minnesota State (11-4-5)

Conference: CCHA, 8-3-3
Head coach: Luke Strand (3rd season)
Leading scorer: Tristan Lemyre, Sr., F (10-10-20)
Top goaltender: Alex Tracy, Sr. (11-4-5, .929 save percentage, 1.29 GAA)
NHL Draft picks: N/A
Distance from home rink to Acrisure Arena: 1,810 miles

Scouting the Mavericks: Minnesota State ended the first half on a sour note, yet the Mavericks sit atop the CCHA and are ninth in the NPI.

MSU had won seven straight before going 0-2-1 over its final three games against Ferris State and Augustana. MSU also skated to a 1-1 tie – and shootout loss – against Switzerland in a WJC Pre-Tournament exhibition game before the break.

The Mavericks have been one of the nation’s best defensive teams and are anchored by Alex Tracy. The senior has stopped 508 of the 547 shots he’s seen this season and MSU allows just 2.1 goals per game, which is tied for fifth nationally. He will be on his way back from the Spengler Cup where he was part of the U.S. Collegiate Selects Team that placed second and may not be available for this event. MSU has also been one of the nation’s top teams on the power play (25.3%), where they’ve netted 20 of their 56 goals.

Western Michigan transfer Tristan Lemyre leads the way in goals (10) and points (20), and Minnesota Duluth transfer Jack Smith ranks second on the club with seven goals. Junior Evan Murr also has six goals and 18 points through 20 games, both of which rank fifth among NCAA defensemen.

Evan Murr is the #CCHA Defenseman of the Month after pacing the nation's blueliners in assists (8), points (11) and plus-minus (+12) in November.#CCHAHockey | #HornsUp pic.twitter.com/ltM2VRGyVW

— CCHA (@CCHAHockey) December 3, 2025

St. Cloud State (8-10-0)

Conference: NCHC, 3-7-0
Head coach: Brett Larson (8th season)
Leading scorer: Tyson Gross, Jr., F (10-13-23)
Top goaltender: Patriks Berzins, So. (5-3-0, .922 save percentage, 2.46 GAA)
NHL Draft picks: Austin Burnevik (ANA, 2024), Daimon Gardner (VAN, 2022), Barrett Hall (SEA, 2022), Tanner Henricks (CBJ, 2024), Adam Ingram (NSH, 2022), Nolan Roed (COL, 2025).
Distance from home rink to Acrisure Arena: 1,864 miles

Scouting the Huskies: The Huskies also limped into the break, as SCSU went 2-7-0 over its final nine contests – including a pair of overtime losses. However, they closed out 2025 with an impressive win over Denver.

DOWN GOES DENVER‼️@SCSUHuskies_MH defeats No. 6 Denver, 4-3! #NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/2BatmQjAtf

— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) December 14, 2025

SCSU erased a 3-1 deficit and scored the game’s final three goals, en route to the 4-3 win. Brett Larson’s club sits sixth in the NCHC standings with 11 points – just two behind Colorado College and six behind Western Michigan, who SCSU beat to open November.

Tyson Gross leads SCSU with 23 points, while Austin Burnevik (ANA) leads the way with 11 goals. Burnevik is coming off a 13-goal, 28-point freshman season, and he, Gross and Barrett Hall (SEA) had two points each in that win over DU. All three are averaging over a point per game.

Burnevik is also tied for sixth among NCAA skaters with six power-play goals and SCSU’s power play (27.8%) ranks sixth nationally. SCSU is currently 24th in the NPI.

UMass Lowell (6-11-0)

Conference: Hockey East, 3-6-0
Head coach: Norm Bazin (16th season)
Leading scorer: Dalyn Wakely, Fr., F (5-7-12)
Top goaltender: Austin Elliott, Fr. (5-7-0, .896 save percentage, 2.75 GAA)
NHL Draft picks: Tnias Mathurin (DET, 2022), Nate Misskey (2024, SJS), Dalyn Wakely (2024, EDM)
Distance from home rink to Acrisure Arena: 2,889 miles

Scouting the River Hawks: UMass Lowell earned an exhibition win over Bentley Sunday afternoon, 3-2. Senior Dillan Bentley scored the first of UML’s three goals – which don’t count on the stat sheet – and leads the team with seven, while freshman Dalyn Wakely (EDM) leads the club with 12 points.

Hat trick✅
Hockey East Rookie of the Week✅
River Hawk of the Week✅

What a week for Dalyn Wakely of @RiverHawkHockey 👏

🔗: https://t.co/NTnBP2lLIy#UnitedInBlue pic.twitter.com/KF1zqvugn7

— UMassLowellAthletics (@RiverHawkNation) December 3, 2025

The River Hawks dropped their final three games of 2025, as Boston College swept a home-and-home, and they fell to Maine in overtime, 5-4. UML has dropped six of its past seven games and has scored one goal or less in five of the seven. They’ve been held to one goal or less nine times this season.

Offense has been an issue for much of this season, as UML’s 2.4 goals per game rank 50th out of 63 NCAA teams. UML sits 52nd in the NPI and remains tied for eighth in Hockey East.

However, the River Hawks won the Cactus Cup last January and they’re 1-1-0 in neutral site games this season.

Yale (4-8-0)

Conference: ECAC, 3-5-0
Head Coach: Joe Howe (1st season) *interim head coach*
Leading Scorer: Ronan O’Donnell, So., F (6-6-12)
Top goaltender: Noah Pak, So. (2-4-0, .919 save percentage, 2.70 GAA)
NHL Draft picks: N/A
Distance from home rink to Acrisure Arena: 2,857 miles

Scouting the Bulldogs: Yale will look to snap a four-game skid in Palm Springs. The Bulldogs have been out-scored 16-5 during the four-game stretch and 40-24 on the season, and those 24 goals are the nation’s third fewest. Yale also dropped seven of its final nine games before the break.

Sophomore forward Ronan O’Donnell remains a bright spot offensively and leads Yale in goals (6) and points (12). O’Donnell has points in seven of his past nine games, including seven points (2-5-7) over his past six.

Yale is led by interim head coach Joe Howe, who has been with the program since 2021 as an assistant. Howe was elevated to head coach in August, following Keith Allain’s retirement. The Bulldogs are still searching for their first win away from home this season.

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