TROY, Mich.  – Maryville University M1 hockey secured the ninth seed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National Tournament after the most recent computerized ranking.
 
The ACHA uses two computer rankings generated by USHSHO.com. Ranking A (wins with a maximum goal differential of seven) and Ranking B (wins with a maximum goal differential of one) are used to come up with an average of the two rankings. The ACHA then generates a list from the average for its weekly ranking. Ties will be broken using the higher-ranked team from Ranking B until the Top-25 teams are listed. All games that go to overtime will be scored as ties in the computer ranking.
 
The Saints earn their third consecutive trip to the national tournament after going 19-11 overall record with a 5-5 (.500) record against top-six opponents this season. They are ranked ahead of Niagara and Arizona in 10^th and 11^th, but just behind Indiana Tech in eighth.
 
The ACHA National Tournament is single-elimination. There are 20 teams that make the tournament, but the top 16 teams made the tournament while seeds 17-20 get conference automatic bids.
 
The first game of the tournament for the Saints will be against the eighth-seeded Indiana Tech Warriors. The puck drop is set for 8 p.m., on Saturday, March 18, at the New England Sports Complex in Marlborough Mass.