Is it the team’s first time advancing to the tournament in more than 10 years.

The tournament, which takes place March 13–15, is the culmination of a breakout season for the Yellow Jackets that included an 18-4-1-1 record. Notable wins included two victories in the ACHA South Regional Tournament and winning the Scholar Shootout and ACC-South Challenge. The team only had four wins last year.

The team’s vice president and goalie, Caleb Rudnicki, says that much of this season’s improvement is due to “team cohesiveness” and retaining players.

“We did a lot better about keeping guys around this year,” he said. “It means a lot to the older guys to make it this far.”

This is the first time that the team has traveled outside of the Southeast for a tournament. Rudnicki says that while there are a lot of unknowns, the team is still confident.

While in Columbus, players will also be volunteering at an elementary school — teaching, talking about, and playing pickup hockey with the students.  

The team will provide updates throughout the tournament on Twitter @GT_Hockey. The league will be live streaming all of the games for free on YouTube.