AUBURN, Mass. - Anna Maria College’s men’s hockey team is heading to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in program history.

Head coach David McCauley has been at the helm since the inaugural season in 2018-2019 and said he’s proud of what the AMCATS have been able to build year-after-year.

“I believe it's our team chemistry where it starts with," McCauley said. "And I think the guys really believe in the systems that we use and also that they believe in themselves.”

Anna Maria (20-5-2) went undefeated at home this year and beat Westfield in the conference finals to claim the MASCAC title in just their second year in the conference. McCauley said they take things shift by shift.

“It's three seasons," McCauley said. "You get the regular season and then you get the playoffs and the second season and now we're starting off. It's the third season. We just got to win four. So at the end of the day, if we continue to stay with what we've been doing, what works, I think we have a really good opportunity to continue to move on.”

Now, as the team gets ready to face Wisconsin–Stout in the first round, McCauley is grateful for the support they get at home.

“The support has been great, both from the student population and also from the administration," McCauley said. "We couldn't do it without both and really would like to thank them as being our biggest fans.”

Anna Maria is set to play on Saturday at 8 p.m. in Wisconsin.