WESTMINISTER, Colo. – The #3 University of Providence men's hockey team defeated #6 UCLA 5-4 Saturday morning on the final day of the ACHA Division II West Regional Tournament. The win qualifies the Argos (14-5) for the ACHA National Tournament, which will begin on March 14 in St. Louis, Mo.

"It is super exciting," head coach Jeff Heimel said. "It was one of those days where we were tired but we found a way to win. It was really cool to see us take off and start to run with it. We probably played the best hockey that I've seen from this group. I'm really proud of them and they earned it. It's their win. They came out and played hard."

The Argos had to dig themselves out of a hole to start the game. After Cooper Page scored a power-play goal three minutes into the game, the squad allowed two goals from the Bruins (18-3) to enter into the second period down 2-1.

However the team responded with some of their best hockey of the season. With an emphasis on maintaining possession of the puck, the squad scored three goals in the second period to retake control of the game with a 4-2 lead. Leo Felt scored a goal at the beginning of the third period to take a three-goal lead, but the Bruins scored twice to make it a one-goal game with 1:44 left. The Argos buckled down and prevented anymore scores to secure the win.

"The first period had a bunch of penalties so it was kind of weird," Heimel said. "I don't think we played bad but it was hard to get some momentum because of the power plays. That second period was a good opportunity to get some momentum and we just took off and ran with it. We just worked hard and played hard as a team. We possessed the puck a bit more. It was really cool to see that all play out."

Reed Link, Stanislav Struthers, Kyler Mack and Leo Felt joined Page in the goal-scoring column for the Argos. Tristan Lewis got the start in the net for the squad, finishing with 34 saves.

The win marks the third straight season the team has qualified for the ACHA National Tournament, impressive considering the team is only its fourth season as a program.

"It's a huge win for the program," Heimel said. "That core group, minus a few guys here or there, just qualified for their third straight National Tournament appearance in four years. It's an incredible accomplishment for them and the program. It's exciting. I'm just really proud of what they did out there."