In the back of most athlete's minds is the thought of finding some way to represent your country on an international stage.
The ACHA is providing the newest option for collegiate athletes to do just that, as they were selected by UniUSA as the United States' representatives for the men's and women's ice hockey tournaments at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Torino, Italy.
Unfortunately for the University of Mary, the ACHA returning to control of the team rosters came a year too late for the Marauders to be likely to send anybody overseas.
"This is a pretty significant opportunity for kids at our level, it's another addition with how you are now seeing ACHA teams play NCAA Division I teams in exhibition games," U-Mary head coach Dan Huntley said. "To be able to go and represent your country is a significant thing for kids and coaches.
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"I think we would have had a couple of guys a year ago, I think it would have been an opportunity for guys like (defenseman) Johnny Witzke and (forward) Isaiah Thomas to be a part of that."
Taking place in Torino, Italy, during mid-January, the newest edition of the Winter World University Games, their 32nd, will be staged from January 13-23, 2025.
The winter edition of this tournament was inaugurated back in 1960, and runners of the event have attempted -- but not often succeeded -- in running it every two years since then, with various world events, including most recently the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing the Games back.
"They've gone very well, they've happened all over the world," Huntley said. "It hasn't been every year that it's happened, it depends on the European countries and how they're doing with politics and other things.
"This happens to be a second time in a row when it is happening."
The United States has hosted these Winter World University Games just twice, most recently being just last year at Lake Placid in the return of the Games for the first time since 2019.
U-Mary was excluded from having the ability to send athletes to compete in hockey events as the overseers of the hockey portion of the U.S.'s team shifted and Division III athletes were brought on board instead of the ACHA.
"Last year's games were at Lake Placid and they had the NCAA Division III teams representing," Huntley said. "USA Hockey got removed from the equation, so when USA Hockey came back into the fold, the ACHA was brought back on to represent the U.S. in these games."
The U.S. team advanced to the gold medal game with a 4-1 showing in pool play and a 4-3 overtime win over Japan, but was defeated easily by the Canadian team 7-2.
Recruiting of ACHA players and coaches will again fill this year's team, and with this year's U-Mary hockey team having seen several of their best players depart, it will be unlikely any of their players will be making the trip to Italy.
"It's pretty consistently been ACHA teams representing the U.S.," Huntley said. "I'm not sure of the rules and regulations, but they've asked for nominations for coaches and when the head coach is picked, he'll name his assistant coaches and then they'll start getting their roster together.
"They'll have to do it quickly, they'll have to have it by Oct. 1, so kids will know what's happening with their season and what time they need to take off."
That's not to say that the Games won't have an effect on U-Mary in an indirect fashion.
The Marauders are scheduled to play Maryville and Central Oklahoma during the days in which the tournament will run, and Huntley believes they are two programs that could provide players to the U.S. team.
Maryville's D-I team is unfamiliar to the Marauders since their transition to the top level of the ACHA, though the Marauders split a road two-game series with the Bronchos early in their 2023-24 schedule, and both teams advanced into the national tournament alongside the Marauders.
"It's smack dab in the middle of the season, which will make it hard for some kids because they'll be stepping away from their teams in a pivotal point of their seasons," Huntley said. "But having an opportunity like this will be a lot better than playing in a regular weekend series for their team, with them putting on the red, white and blue to represent the United States in an event like that.
"I do think it will affect some schools, we play Central Oklahoma and Maryville in that time and I imagine those two teams could have some guys on this squad, and with us having a younger team this year that might be better for us in maybe not facing their team at full strength."
While their likelihood of having players participate in the Games early next year isn't high, Huntley is hoping that the Marauders will eventually have a well-timed group of upperclassmen to pick from in the future.
"It's a great stepping stone for a program to have kids involved in it, because it gives coaches confidence to go back to those teams in the future," Huntley said. "There is a fee included that kids have to pay as well, so they do have to be willing to pay to go over for 11 days and take part, but it's a great opportunity and one that should be reserved for upperclassmen that have proven themselves and deserve to represent their school at this level."