Neal: It’s time to grab a drink and check out St. Thomas men’s hockey

Finally, there’s a development at the University of St. Thomas that is not directly related to the opening of the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a slick arena that is a boost to the athletic programs there and enhances the campus vibe in the Summit Avenue area. We were front and center for the first hockey games played there, then returned for the first basketball games. Well, when Red Panda performs at halftime, you have to be there.

But something even bigger was announced this week by the school.

Beer and seltzer will now be sold throughout the stadium the cool kids affectionately call “The Penny.”

The timing could not be better, because the school has a product that’s worth stopping by, purchasing a cold one — if the purchaser is of age — and checking out.

The Tommies men’s hockey team is 18-9-3 and didn’t lose between Dec. 6 and Jan. 30. They briefly took over the top spot in the CCHA before going 1-1 against Bowling Green last weekend and sliding to second place. The Tommies, heading into their home series against Augustana this weekend, have an NPI ranking of 13. So even if they don’t earn a bid to the 16-team NCAA tournament by winning the CCHA tournament, they could receive an at-large bid.

So come for the beer. Stay for Tommies hockey.

Seriously, coach Rico Blasi’s program — which has been on an upward trajectory since joining Division I — should be the biggest hook. With the Gophers men’s hockey team dealing with acute inexperience, the Twin Cities could still have a local college men’s team make the NCAA tournament.

Beginning with the 2021-22 season, St. Thomas has gone from three wins to 11, 15, 19 and now 18 and counting. They lead the CCHA in goals per game this season (3.77). Forward Alex Gaffney leads the team with 34 points, Wahlin has 33 and forward Lucas Van Vliet has 31.

Wahlin’s career has followed a similar rise from the ashes. The Woodbury native wasn’t a top prospect coming out of Hill-Murray. He spent two seasons in junior hockey, where he learned what it’s like to play in arenas that serve beer.

“It almost brings you back to junior hockey where you go to these special arenas,” he said, “and the fans are getting rowdy.”

Wahlin made himself a prospect. Blasi recruited him, offering a chance to play close to home. The approaching stadium construction project was mentioned, but Wahlin liked what heard about the construction of the program. And he bought into Blasi’s vision.

Wahlin came to St. Thomas in 2022-23, was a first-team All-CCHA selection last season and is a three-year captain. He’s one of several upperclassmen who liked what they heard from Blasi, took their lumps early on and now are delivering results.

During their home opener on Oct. 24, St. Thomas blew a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 tie against Providence. The Tommies fell to 6-7-3 after a loss to Lake Superior State on Dec. 5. Then, they heated up and began turning heads.

“With a tough out-of-conference schedule, you learn a lot about yourself early,” defenseman Chase Cheslock said. “You deal with a lot of adversity. It preps you for conference play. You learn a little bit about yourself, and then you know where to focus, and that just bleeds into your conference play.

“I think (the No. 13 ranking) is a good spot. We don’t take it for granted. Every day is a new day. So every day we’re coming in and looking at how we can get better, what we did well, and just building up for the next weekend.”

This weekend, the Tommies play host to third-place Augustana and its stingy defense. They visit sixth-place Bemidji State a week after that. Then it’s CCHA tournament time, and St. Thomas will learn if it can play longer than that.