 |
| John Cross/The Free Press |
1. Health didn't help: Defensemen Cameron Cooper and Brett Stern returned to the lineup on Friday, but it didn't help MSU's defensive-zone play. Coach Troy Jutting said "unforced" turnovers and miscommunication were huge issues in the loss, and indeed, the Seawolves scored some momentum-killing goals, including a blue-line steal and breakaway by Brett Cameron midway through the second period. We knew going into the season that defense was going to be a potential weakness with so many shifts to replace — and that was before everyone was injured.
2. To kill or not to kill: The Mavericks went to the box just three times and there were goals on each. Alaska Anchorage scored two power-play goals, and MSU had a short-handed goal. The Mavs' kill was good, holding the Seawolves to just three shots. Jordan Kwas' goal in the first period was one Austin Lee (19 saves) certainly would like to have had back and it tied the game with 1:40 left in the first period. Curtis Leinweber made a nice move around a D and beat Lee in tight to give UAA its first lead midway through the second period. In between, Zach Lehrke and Justin Jokinen put on a short-handed clinic, giving each other a scoring chance before they finally scored. Jokinen's pull move and shot hit Rob Gunderson (23 saves), and Lehrke was there to cash in on the rebound.
3. Good lines: It will be interesting to see if there will be any lineup changes on Saturday. Lehrke finished the game with two goals, and his linemates — Eriah Hayes (goal, assist) and J.P. Burkemper (two assists) — were very good all night. Jokinen had a solid game adding a goal. The freshman line of Matt Leitner, Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Max Gaede didn't score but made a lot of noise. Adam Mueller showed speed to get around a defenseman and put a great shot over Gunderson's shoulder in the closing moments of the first period, only to hit the crossbar.
Deep thought: This was the Mavericks' fourth loss in a row this season and the third home loss in a row to Alaska Anchorage.
Read The Free Press game story here.
Around the WCHA: St. Lawrence 3, Michigan Tech 2 ... Michigan State 4, Minnesota 3 ... Wisconsin 7, Mercyhurst 2 ... North Dakota 7, Colorado College 6 ... Denver 3, Princeton 0
No comments:
Post a Comment