Murdock returning to juniors

It appears that Minnesota State freshman goaltender Kevin Murdock is going to leave school and return to the junior level where he has a year of eligibility remaining. Whether he returns to MSU after that for his final three seasons or transfers to another school is unknown at this time.

"We want what's best for 'Doc,'" coach Troy Jutting said on Tuesday.

Although you never know how a goaltending situation will work out over time, Murdock likely sees the writing on the wall after ending up as the Mavericks' No. 3 goaltender behind fellow freshman Phil Cook and redshirt sophomore Austin Lee over the second half of last season.

A highly touted goalie out of Shattuck-St. Mary's and the USHL, the 19-year-old Murdock played in just five games for the Mavericks last season, going 1-3-1 with a .895 save percentage and a 3.46 goals-against average. He last played on Nov. 21. A few weeks later, both Cook and Lee were ahead of him on the depth chart, and, by playoff time, Cook was the team's No. 1 starter.

"We have a lot of confidence in Phil and Austin," Jutting said. "(Murdock's) still young. He'll have a chance to go somewhere next year where he can play 40 games."

The Mavericks will be looking for a third-string goaltender, but I wouldn't expect Mankato native Tyler Bruggeman to fit that bill (per some reader comments below) for the same reason that Murdock is leaving -- he wouldn't want to sit on the bench for the next three years. It sounds like Bruggeman plans to play another season of junior hockey, either in St. Louis again or in the USHL, with the hopes of attracting a college team.