GREAT FALLS, Mont. –  The University of Providence men's hockey team will shift their focus to the postseason as they prepare for their conference tournament, which began Thursday in Ogden, Utah.

The Argos are the top-seed in the six-team tournament, meaning they received a first-round bye and will play in the semifinals on Friday. #4 Utah State will host #5 BYU and #3 Weber State will host #6 Grand Canyon in the opening round matchups on Thursday, with the Argos playing the lowest remaining seed of the two Thursday winners.

"We've seen all these teams," head coach Jeff Heimel said. "From a preparation standpoint, we're not playing anyone that we haven't played yet this year. Obviously we're going to take it seriously, watch tape and make sure we're ready to go, but it's not like a blind draw like it was at Nationals last year. We've seen a lot of these teams before."

Heimel says he has sensed a mental shift in the team's focus the past few weeks as they postseason has gotten closer. Now that it's here, he is expecting the team to come out in full force.

"In the weeks leading up to the tournament, the guys have kind of shifted their mindsets a little bit," Heimel said. "This has always been a group that likes to win championships. It's not that they don't try hard in the regular season. There's just this added excitement for this group. We've been there before and we want to feel that. There has definitely been a shift in our mentality. Guys are excited to be here."

The team did not compete in a conference tournament last season due to Covid-19. Instead, the ACHA selected the Top 16 teams and sent them to Nationals. The last time the team competed in a conference tournament, the squad defeated the top-seeded University of Mary off a game-winning goal a minute into overtime.

"We're expecting to win and nothing less," Heimel said. "We have our conference championship trophy from two years ago squeezed between the guys as we drive and we're expecting to turn around and bring it right back."

The Argos will kick off their semifinal game on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The opponent will be determined once all the first-round games are completed on Thursday.