Back from vacation ... what did I miss?

PucKato is back after a week of vacation. I was hoping that the WCHA playoff picture would be cleared up by the time I got back, but last weekend didn't do too much.

Minnesota State, which was idle, is in 11th place in the standings. The Mavericks can't fall to 12th but they could move up to 10th or even (if my math is correct) ninth with a sweep over North Dakota this weekend and some losses by Bemidji State and Wisconsin, who play at Alaska Anchorage and Minnesota, respectively, this weekend.

If MSU stays in 11th, which appears to be the likeliest scenario, it will go to Minnesota Duluth or Minnesota for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Here's how the league standings and schedule look heading into the final weekend:

1. Minnesota 38 points (vs. Wisconsin)
2. Minnesota Duluth 36 (at St. Cloud State)
3. Denver 32 (at Nebraska Omaha)
4. North Dakota 29 (vs. Minnesota State)
5. T-Colorado College 27 (vs. Michigan Tech)
5. T-Nebraska Omaha 27 (vs. Denver)
7. Michigan Tech 26 (at Colorado College)
8. St. Cloud State 25 (vs. Minnesota Duluth)
9. Wisconsin 22 (at Minnesota)
10. Bemidji State 21 (at Alaska Anchorage)
11. Minnesota State 18 (at North Dakota)
12. Alaska Anchorage 11 (vs. Bemidji State)

So what else did I miss over vacation time?

Well, the MSU women's team had its season come to an end with a playoff sweep at Wisconsin. The top-ranked Badgers beat the Mavericks 7-0 and 7-0. Minnesota State closed out the season on a 15-game winless streak (0-14-1). On Friday, coach Eric Means was not on the bench, with the only explanation coming from a statement in a WCHA press release:

"After having some time to think about the events that occurred during our game at the University of Minnesota Duluth on February 17, I have decided to voluntarily step away from the bench for our first play-off game versus the University of Wisconsin to reflect more deeply about my actions last Friday. And although I have not been suspended by the league, I am confident that this time away from the game will provide the opportunity to consider how this situation might have been handled differently. I will have no further comments regarding this issue."

At the end of the game in question (a 4-1 loss at Duluth), MSU's Lauren Smith was called for two major penalties, getting a game misconduct and a game disqualification as well. Afterwards, there was an apparent verbal confrontation between Means and Duluth coach Shannon Miller.

Meanwhile, over at Gustavus Adolphus, the men's team there not only advanced to the MIAC championship game with a 3-1 victory over St. John's on Saturday, but it will host the title game this weekend, thanks to St. Olaf's stunning upset of St. Thomas. The Gusties and the Oles will play at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday at the Don Roberts Ice Rink.

The Gustavus women will begin MIAC tournament play on Thursday night against the winner of Tuesday's game between Bethel and St. Olaf. If the Gusties win, they will host either St. Thomas or Concordia in the championship game on Saturday. The Gusties won the MIAC regular-season title.

Taking a break

With the Mavericks idle next weekend, PucKato is taking a short family vacation to a warm (hopefully!) locale. I'll be back on the blog Feb. 28.

Mavericks 4, Bulldogs 4 (OT)

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Call it a comeback: For the second night in a row against fourth-ranked Minnesota Duluth, the Mavericks trailed by two goals late in the game. But on Saturday, they found a way to tie the game. And they did it in dramatic fashion, as Michael Dorr and Eli Zuck scored goals 10 seconds apart in the final 2:14 to make it a 4-4 game. Dorr scored on the power play with assists from Zuck and Joe Schiller. MSU scored on a pretty play off the ensuing faceoff. Zuck won the draw, Justin Jokinen made a pass to Evan Mosey, and the defenseman took the puck deep before dishing over to Zuck, who popped the puck over goalie Kenny Reiter's blocker-side shoulder.

2. Lehrke power: Zach Lehrke scored a pair of power-play goals for the Mavericks, and he now has 13 goals total for his sophomore season, which ties him for the team lead with Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Eriah Hayes. Lehrke put back a deflected puck and a rebound — both off Matt Leitner shots. The first gave MSU a 1-0 lead at 1:35 of the first period. The second tied the game at 2-all with 2:21 left in the second. Leitner, with two assists, leads MSU with 18 helpers. The second goal was a 5x3 power play goal. The Mavericks went 3 for 7 on the power play after going three straight games with a power-play goal.

3. Up and down night for seniors: The game was the final one in Mankato for seven seniors: forwards Michael Dorr, Joe Schiller, Adam Mueller, Mike Louwerse and Justin Jokinen; defenseman Cameron Cooper; and goalie Austin Lee. Dorr got the big power-play goal, and Schiller played outstanding defense the entire weekend while matched up against Hobey-favorite Jack Connolly. Lee stopped 38 shots, including 17 in the first period. But Louwerse got an early exit when he got a five-minute major and game misconduct for contact to the head at the end of the first period. MSU killed off the penalty to start the second period.

Deep thought: MSU is tied for 10th place in the WCHA with Wisconsin. However, the Badgers have two games in hand. The Mavericks are idle next week and close the regular season at North Dakota. Wisconsin goes to Bemidji State and Minnesota over the final two weeks. Where will the Mavs end up? Tenth? Eleventh? More importantly, where will they go for the first round of the playoffs? Right now, it's looking like Duluth or Denver.

Quote of the night: "The building was going nuts. It was huge for us to hear our crowd finally get into it. We had to give them some life." — Eli Zuck on what remained of the crowd of 4,562 that saw MSU's comeback

Around the WCHA: St. Cloud State 8, Alaska Anchorage 3 ... Minnesota 4, Bemidji State 1 ... Wisconsin 5, Denver 2 ... Michigan Tech 1, North Dakota 1 (OT) ... Nebraska Omaha 5, Colorado College 3

MSU vs. UMD — Game 2 live blog

Lines are posted below the live blog ...




MINNESOTA STATE
23-Dorr     19-Lehrke     8-Gaede
12-LaFontaine     18-Leitner     25-Hayes
22-McInnis     26-Schiller     14-Jokinen
24-Mueller     29-Zuck     9-Louwerse

16-Elbrecht     7-Palmquist
27-Stern     17-Mosey
3-Cooper     10-Knoll

1-Lee
30-Cook
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper, Grant, Heath, Leivermann, Nelson, Thauwald

MINNESOTA DULUTH
14-Flaherty     12-Connolly     17-Seidel
21-Herbert     11-Oleksuk     18-Basaraba
26-Krause     15-Hendrickson     27-Grun
10-DeLisle     19-Tardy     25-Crandall

28-Bergman     2-Lamb
5-Casto     16-Smith
8-Olson     22-McManus

35-Reiter
31-Crandall

Referees: Brad Shepherd, Todd Anderson. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Sterling Egan

Bulldogs 4, Mavericks 2

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Late goal is a killer: The key goal of the game was Travis Oleksuk's goal with eight-tenths of a second showing on the clock at the end of the second period. That gave Duluth a 2-1 lead going into the third period and simply sucked the life out of the Mavericks the rest of the way. The Bulldogs won a defensive-zone faceoff with about 10 seconds left and rushed up the ice 2-on-2. Oleksuk, who also had UMD's first goal, fired from high in the left circle, and his shot deflected off Zach Palmquist's stick and past goalie Phil Cook (24 saves).

2. More shots needed: MSU swept Alaska Anchorage a week ago despite having their season low in shots on goal in consecutive nights — 17 on Friday and 16 on Saturday. The Mavericks had just 18 against backup goalie Aaron Crandall (Kenny Reiter was out with an illness), including just four over the first 18 1/2 minutes of the third period when they needed them most. Duluth clamped down defensively after Oleksuk's goal, and David Grun gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 cushion with 9:09 to go. Jean-Paul LaFontaine did make it 3-2 with 30 seconds left, but Brady Lamb scored a length-of-the ice, bank-shot empty-net goal to seal UMD's win after that.

3. McInnis playing well: The Mavericks led 1-0 on Johnny McInnis' goal at 8:11 of the first period. The sophomore forward now has eight goals and six assists for 14 points. Six of those points have come in the last seven games. He had just four points as a freshman. Speaking of playing well, LaFontaine had the late goal but made several nifty plays, especially in the first period. He's been lot of fun to watch in his first college season.

Deep thought: Saturday night's game will be the final MSU hockey game of the season at the Verizon Wireless Center.

Quote of the night: "You never want to let a team score a goal in the last minute of any period. That took a little wind out of our sails. But as a team, you have to respond to that." — MSU defenseman Tyler Elbrecht on Travis Oleksuk's goal with 0.8 to go in the second period.

Around the WCHA: Minnesota 3, Bemidji State 0 ... Denver 3, Wisconsin 0 ... Alaska Anchorage 3, St. Cloud State 2 (OT) ... North Dakota 4, Michigan Tech 2 ... Nebraska Omaha at Colorado College (late)

MSU vs. UMD — Game 1 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ...




MINNESOTA STATE
23-Dorr     19-Lehrke     8-Gaede
12-LaFontaine     18-Leitner     25-Hayes
22-McInnis     26-Schiller     14-Jokinen
24-Mueller     29-Zuck     9-Louwerse

16-Elbrecht     27-Stern
7-Palmquist     3-Cooper
17-Mosey     10-Knoll

30-Cook
1-Lee
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper, Grant, Heath, Leivermann, Nelson, Thauwald

MINNESOTA DULUTH
14-Flaherty     12-Connolly     17-Seidel
21-Herbert     11-Oleksuk     18-Basaraba
26-Krause     15-Hendrickson     27-Grun
10-DeLisle     19-Tardy     25-Crandall

28-Bergman     2-Lamb
5-Casto     16-Smith
8-Olson     6-Kishel

31-Crandall
35-Reiter

Referees: Brad Shepherd, Todd Anderson. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Sterling Egan

Friday morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

This is it. The final home weekend of the season for the Minnesota State men's hockey team. The Mavericks will take on fourth-ranked Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs were once the hottest team in the country, having rattled off 17 games in a row without a loss. However, they are 4-4-1 in their last nine games. MSU, meanwhile, is 6-3-0 in its last nine games (and have won four of its last five). Should make for an interesting series.

These will be the final games in Mankato for seven MSU seniors: Michael Dorr, Joe Schiller, Justin Jokinen, Mike Louwerse, Adam Mueller, Cameron Cooper and Austin Lee. Cooper, the lone senior defenseman, has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury but is expected to return to the lineup tonight.

Lee (pictured) is slated to start in goal on Saturday, which will be senior night (Phil Cook gets the nod tonight). Lee has been with the Mavericks for five years and certainly will be back in the future, as his parents moved to town last year (his dad is a surgeon for Mayo Clinic Health System).

Read more about the series in The Free Press gameday preview. Also, on Saturday, be on the lookout for a silent auction to benefit an MSU leadership program. The event is being organized by Dorr and Louwerse.

As for the Bulldogs, Tim Smith is featured in the Duluth News-Tribune. He is the first defenseman from Superior, Wis. (Duluth's twin port), to play for UMD. That newspaper's gameday previews are here and here. Beat writer Kevin Pates' blog is also a great place to go for more links and info. Duluth radio man Bruce Ciskie also has thoughts on the series here.

All 12 WCHA teams are in action against each other this weekend. Here's a look at those series:

Bemidji State at Minnesota: Currently three points out of the upper half of the league, the Beavers are on a roll and have their sights set on home ice in just their second year in the WCHA. The first-place Gophers, meanwhile, are enjoying having their first 20-goal scorer in three years in outstanding sophomore Nick Bjugstad.

Denver at Wisconsin: For the Pioneers, a lot of eyes are on outstanding forward Jason Zucker to see if he returns from the hit that knocked him out of last weekend's series against Minnesota. He's listed as probable for this weekend. The Badgers, meanwhile, are struggling, but superstar defenseman Justin Schultz says he has no regrets about his decision to stay in school.

If you're going to read one story out of Madison, though, read Andy Baggot's column about former Wisconsin goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck, who was nearly killed in a car accident a year ago. He will participate in the ceremonial puck drop before tonight's game.

Alaska Anchorage at St. Cloud State: The Seawolves hit the road after being swept by Minnesota State, although they felt they deserved better in those games. For the Huskies, who are coming off their first sweep of the season, they are hoping that David Eddy is heating up for the stretch run.

Michigan Tech at North Dakota: The Huskies are coming off a disappointing one-point Winter Carnival series against Omaha and will now go to North Dakota, the team that sits one point ahead of them and in the final home-ice spot in the WCHA standings. As for the Team Formerly Known as and Now Might Again Be Known as the Fighting Sioux, home ice and a solid spot in the Pairwise might have seemed unlikely considering the adversity it has faced. Lots more links on Brad Schlossman's blog.

Nebraska Omaha at Colorado College: Like so many other teams, the red Mavericks are trying to jockey for playoff position with three weeks left in the regular season. They're tied for fourth with the Tigers but with a slim lead/margin for error. The Tigers are reeling a bit after getting swept at Bemidji State last week. They're also dealing with injury, but former MSU athletic trainer Jason Bushie, is on the case.

More coverage of the league can be found at USCHO and INCH.

Check back later for tonight's lines and, of course, the live blog.

The Mavs' MVP?

I stopped by the hockey offices on Monday, and got some comments on the Mavericks' weekend sweep over Alaska Anchorage.

Coach Troy Jutting heaped praise on his defensemen, as only five played against the Seawolves due to injury. Three of those players were freshmen. Jutting cited rookie Zach Palmquist's amazing pass to Michael Dorr for Saturday's game-winning breakaway goal, as well as the continued improved play of Brett Stern and Mat Knoll. He added that junior Tyler Elbrecht and Evan Mosey had good weekends, too, and that Elbrecht played a lot of minutes.

Elbrecht, I started to think, could be the Mavericks' MVP this season. When he was out of the lineup with a broken arm, Minnesota State (which had suffered several other injuries around the same time) went 2-10-1 (2-7-1 in WCHA). With him, the Mavericks are 10-9-0 (6-8-0).

Could that be the difference between 10th place and competing for home ice with four games remaining in the season? It's one factor, for sure.

You might not expect a defensive defenseman with three assists to get that nod but it's a thought. Of course, there are other good candidates, too, including Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Eriah Hayes.

So who's the Mavericks' MVP this season? Participate in the poll at right.

'Who is Ferris State?'

Last summer, as the WCHA was breaking up and being put back together again for what will be a radically different college hockey landscape come the summer of 2013, several upset fans in Mankato told me they weren't interested in seeing Minnesota State exchange conference games with Minnesota and North Dakota for games against Lake Superior and Ferris State.

"Who is Ferris State?" one person demanded me to answer. (There may have been a couple of other words between the 'who' and the 'is,' but this is family blog!)

Well, today, Ferris State is the No. 1 team in the nation.

In the latest USCHO.com poll, Ferris jumped up five places. The Bulldogs are the first team to hit the 20-win mark, and they're on an unbeaten streak of 12 games (9-0-3). They're also in first place in the CCHA, with a five-point lead over NCHC-bound Western Michigan and six points ahead of Big Ten-bound Michigan.

Here are this week's rankings:
1. Ferris State (27 first-place votes)
2. Boston University (6)
3. Boston College (13)
4. Minnesota Duluth (1)
5. Michigan (1)
6. UMass-Lowell (1)
7. Minnesota (1)
8. Union
9. Merrimack
10. Denver
11. Maine
12. Cornell
13. Notre Dame
14. North Dakota
15. Colorado College
16. Michigan State
17. Ohio State
18. Western Michigan
19. Miami
20. Northern Michigan
Others receiving votes: Colgate, Lake Superior, Air Force, Quinnipiac, Bemidji State, Nebraska Omaha, St. Cloud State

Besides the rise of Ferris State, I have to go back to December and the series MSU played against Colorado College.

The Tigers were ranked seventh in the country at the time, to date the best team to play in the Verizon Wireless Center (No. 4 Minnesota Duluth is coming this weekend). They're often among the teams considered to be national powers and one of the ones leaving for the NCHC.

Yet for all of last summer's talk about wanting to see the best teams and the best league, only 2,400 and 2,600 people showed up to those games. Now, the students were out of town, but those were still dreadfully low totals. It sure went against a lot of the "Who is Ferris State?" talk from a few months earlier.

Hockey, hockey, hockey

Pat Christman/The Free Press

With the Mavericks in Anchorage over the weekend, I had a chance to watch the Gustavus Adolphus men's hockey team play on Friday night, while Jim Rueda covered the Gustie women on Saturday.

The women, first of all, won their eighth MIAC championship in a row by sweeping St. Mary's. The Gusties are 12-0-1 in conference play this year and 18-1-2 overall.

The men's team is in more of a dogfight, though. The Gusties' win over St. Mary's on Saturday put them in a tie for second place in the conference standings with one weekend to play. They'll need to get at least one point against St. Olaf to clinch a top-five finish and a playoff spot. If you're wondering how hard points are to come by, look no further than Friday's tie with the Cardinals, which left the Gusties feeling like they lost the game (they did lose a point, though, blowing a two-goal lead in the third period).

Pat Christman/The Free Press

For Monday's paper, I did a feature on Gustavus senior captain Ross Ring-Jarvi (right). He's the only senior and holdover from the 2008-09 team that advanced to the NCAA Division III championship game and finished as the national runner-up.

Ring-Jarvi is an impressive athlete. Coach Brett Petersen said he hasn't coached many like him, comparing him to Matt Cullen in terms of competitiveness and drive. Ring-Jarvi also biked across the country last summer, making the 3,100-mile trek in 22 1/2 days — most recommendations suggest taking 50 days to do it — and with little to no training.

In other Mankato-area hockey news, second-seeded Mankato East/Loyola was eliminated from the Section 2A tournament on Saturday, falling to Hutchinson. The Cougars had their best season but missed out on a chance to get to state. Hutchinson's Sara Carlson proved to be too much to handle, scoring a hat trick. The Ms. Hockey finalist is committed to play college hockey at New Hampshire.

The MSU women's hockey team closed out its home schedule on Saturday with a 3-3 tie against North Dakota, although UND got the extra point by winning the shootout. It was the Mavericks' first non-loss in 11 games. They will close out the regular season at Minnesota Duluth this weekend.

MSU 2, Anchorage 1

Michael Dorr's goal with 6:09 remaining in the third period gave Minnesota State a 2-1 victory and its first WCHA sweep of the season on Saturday as the Mavericks defeated Alaska Anchorage.

The Mavericks shot a season-low 16 shots goal, one less than Friday night's 3-2 win. Eriah Hayes scored MSU's other goal.

Anchorage outshot MSU 19-16, but Phil Cook stopped 18 shots for his team-leading seventh win of the year.

Hayes gave the Mavericks a 1-0 win with assists from Jean-Paul LaFonataine and Matt Leither at 2:37 of the first period. Anchorage's Matt Bailey tied the game less than a minute later. Zach Palmquist assisted on the goal.

With the win, the Mavericks moved into 10th place in the WCHA standings, one point ahead of Wisconsin (although the Badgers have two games in hand). They will host second-place Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Saturday in Mankato.

Mavericks 3, Seawolves 2

Minnesota State won a Friday-night game for the second week in a row and will have another shot at a WCHA series sweep on Saturday after beating Alaska Anchorage 3-2 at Sullivan Arena.

Senior forward Mike Louwerse scored two goals, including the game-winner at 9:42 of the third period. His only other goal this season was an empty-netter at Bemidji State a couple weeks back.

Johnny McInnis scored MSU's other goal. The Mavericks had a season-low 17 shots on goal, according to stats provided immediately after the game, and were scoreless on five power-play chances. Goalie Phil Cook stopped 22 shots, allowing two power-play goals.

Minnesota State played with just five defensemen, as Josh Nelson, who is on the trip, is out with an injury.

If the Mavericks can win the second game of the series, they will move ahead of Wisconsin and into 10th place in the standings (although the Badgers will have two games in hand).

Friday morning skate

The Mavericks are in Anchorage, Alaska, this weekend where they will take on the Seawolves and try to keep themselves out of the WCHA cellar. Currently, they sit in 11th place, four points ahead of Anchorage. Remember: Anchorage took three points from MSU in November.

As for me, I'll be back in the Mankato area. The plan is to cover Gustavus men's hockey tonight and then monitor the Mavs after that. I'll try to post Twitter updates when I can.

Minnesota State just has never shaken the injury bug this year. Cameron Cooper and J.P. Burkemper remain out, and Troy Jutting said before leaving on Wednesday that Michael Dorr and Josh Nelson were questionable for tonight's game (but on the trip).

If Nelson's out, expect Joe Schiller to play some D. The other four will have three freshmen: Zach Palmquist, Brett Stern and Mat Knoll. Palmquist has played in all 30 games and is the reigning WCHA rookie of the week. Stern and Knoll are showing improvement but simply have not played as much (29 games combined).

"They've done a good job, but they're still young and stil learning," Jutting said.

Jutting said Phil Cook will get the start in goal.

Read more on the series here.

As for the Seawolves, they had lost eight games in a row before upsetting Minnesota Duluth last Saturday in Anchorage. It's the second week in a row MSU is facing a team that disappointed the then-No. 1-ranked Bulldogs a week earlier.

Going around the WCHA:

Nebraska Omaha at Michigan Tech: It's Winter Carnival Weekend in Houghton, which is always a big deal. Making it bigger is this series. Omaha and Tech are tied with North Dakota for fifth place in the WCHA standings and just three points out of third place. Huskies coach Mel Pearson admits that this is the biggest weekend of the season for his team, while the red Mavs face as tough a stretch run as any team in the league.

North Dakota at Minnesota Duluth: The (I guess we can again call them) Sioux (for now) are like MSU — all beat up and will take every healthy player to Duluth this weekend. That includes Stephane Pattyn, who didn't think he'd see much ice this year. As for the Bulldogs, they will be honoring their four Hobey Baker winners and hanging new banners in for them in the new arena. (Trivia question: Can you name UMD's Hobey winners? Answers below.) Of course, the Bulldogs (and many others) think they have a fifth winner on this year's team in Jack Connolly.

Colorado College at Bemidji State: The Tigers go into the Sanford Center short-handed, minus their captain, Nick Dineen, and starting goalie, Josh Thorimbert, who has an upper-body injury. Joe Howe will get the nod in goal. The Beavers aren't resting on that news, though, knowing that Jaden Schwartz is still on that team.

Minnesota at Denver: The Gophers have a three-point lead atop the WCHA standings. Coach Don Lucia says that taking on the Pioneers will be a good late-season road test. Denver is hoping to get a lift from the return of goaltender Sam Brittain, who has played twice this season after coming back from offseason knee surgery. He's finally been cleared to play in back-to-back games.

More WCHA coverage from USCHO, INCH and College Hockey News.

Trivia answer: Junior Lessard (2004), Chris Marinucci (1994), Bill Watson (1985), Tom Kurvers (1984) 

Scholar-athletes named

Fifteen Minnesota State men's and women's hockey players were named WCHA scholar-athletes on Thursday. To qualify for the award, athletes must have spent at least on year at the school prior to the current academic year and have a GPA of at least 3.5 for the previous two semesters (or three quarters) or can qualify if his/her overall GPA is at least 3.5.

Men's players include: Austin Lee (a four-time winner), Cameron Cooper, Tyler Elbrecht, Evan Karambelas, Evan Mosey and Joe Schiller.

Women's players include: Alli Altmann, Emilia Andersson, Elisabeth Hewett, Melissa Klippenstein, Ariel Mackley, Erika Magnusson, Jacki Otto, Kathleen Rogan and Lauren Smith.

For a complete list of the WCHA's scholar-athletes, go here and here.

Huskies 7, Mavericks 3

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. First-period meltdown: It's almost easy to forget that Minnesota State scored first in the game as they tried to get their first WCHA series sweep since Dec. 2-3, 2010 (Minnesota). Evan Mosey got the goal when his centering pass went in off traffic. But sloppy (and in some cases nonexistent) defensive coverage, untimely penalties and perhaps an off night by Phil Cook was a poisonous cocktail for the Mavericks, and Tech went off, scoring six first-period goals to lead 6-2 at the first intermission. Ryan Furne (2 goals, 1 assist), Brett Olson (2 goals, 1 assist) and David Johnstone (3 assists) each had three points in the period, and by the end of the game every Michigan Tech forward had at least one point.

2. After further review: First-period momentum may have hinged on a video replay review that led to Michigan Tech's second goal. Originally called no goal on the ice — referee Brad Shepherd immediately and enthusiastically waved it off and signaled that Alex MacLeod put the puck into the net with his hand — the call was overturned after a lengthy look at the video by Shepherd and Todd Anderson. MSU coach Troy Jutting said Shepherd told him that MacLeod was able to get his stick on the puck before the puck crossed the goal line. Some who have seen the replay say it was close, perhaps not close enough to overturn, but the only look I have of it is Pat Christman's photo shown above.

3. Freshmen have strong weekend: Matt Leitner had a three-point game for the Mavericks, scoring a goal to make it 5-2 with a little more than five minutes remaining in the first period and assisting on the other two goals. Zach Palmquist had a goal an assist. Leitner, a freshman forward, ended up with a four-point weekend and has 23 (9 goals, 14 assists) for the season, one behind fellow freshman Jean-Paul LaFontaine. Palmquist, a rookie defenseman, also had a four-point weekend and has six goals and nine assists.

Read The Free Press' game story here.

Around the WCHA: Bemidji State 6, Nebraska Omaha 4 ... St. Cloud State 2, Wisconsin 1 ... Denver  2, Colorado College 2 ... Alaska Anchorage 3, Minnesota Duluth 2

MSU vs. Michigan Tech — Game 2 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ...




MINNESOTA STATE
23-Dorr     19-Lehrke     8-Gaede
12-LaFontaine     18-Leitner     25-Hayes
22-McInnis     26-Schiller     14-Jokinen
24-Mueller     29-Zuck     9-Louwerse

16-Elbrecht     2-Nelson
7-Palmquist     27-Stern
17-Mosey     10-Knoll

30-Cook
31-Karambelas
1-Lee

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Cooper (inj), Grant (inj.), Heath (inj.), Leivermann, Thauwald

MICHIGAN TECH

16-B. Pietila     16-Olson     22-Baker
15-D. Johnstone     8-J. Johnstone     18-MacLeod
12-Furne     10-Kero     27-Reddick
7-McCadden     9-Rix     14-C. Pietila

3-Stebner     25-Nielsen
24-Sova     5-Fillion
6-Seigo     34-Sweeney

30-Robinson
35-Genoe


Referees: Brad Shepherd, Todd Anderson. Linesemen: Rick Nelson, Sterling Egan

Mavericks 5, Huskies 3

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Friday night is finally fun: The Mavericks won their first Friday night game since December 9 and their first WCHA series opener since Nov. 11 by beating a pretty good Michigan Tech team. Minnesota State got up 3-0 in the first period and, after Tech tied the game, got two in the third to pull off the win. Goals were scored by Zach Palmquist, Zach Lehrke, Eriah Hayes, Matt Leitner (GWG) and Johnny McInnis. Palmquist also had an assist for a two-point game, and Jean-Paul LaFontaine assisted on two goals. With the bad streak broken, MSU will try to keep another one going, as they have won their last four Saturday-night games.

2. Deja vu (for awhile): A week ago Michigan Tech was down 4-0 at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth before rallying to tie 4-4. The next night the Huskies shut out the Bulldogs 5-0. On Friday, MSU was up 3-0 in the first period and Tech got hits rally hat going again. A power-goal late in the first period and two deflected goals (one on the power play) in the second tied up the game and seemingly gave all of the momentum to the visitors. Tech probably would have taken the lead if not for the continued brilliant play of goalie Phil Cook, who stopped 22 shots in the second period and had a season-high 43 for the game. The Mavericks stopped the bleeding in the third, though, as Leitner scored an early power-play goal to go up 4-3.

3. Pretty plays: Just as they did in their win at Bemidji State last Saturday, the Mavericks were scoring on some brilliant-looking plays and set-ups. Palmquist took a drop pass from Eli Zuck then pinched in deep before lifting a backhanded shot over goalie Josh Robinson. Hayes fired in a perfect LaFontaine pass that hit his tape from out of the corner 50+ feet away and McInnis finished off a nifty move and pass from Justin Jokinen. LaFontaine simple continues to show off his great vision and high hockey IQ out there.

Deep thought: A bit off topic but thanks to the MSU athletics crew for putting on the annual media hockey game tonight after the Mavs played. Part of the reason the "Three Thoughts" were a bit late tonight was because I participated in it, along with more than 20 others on the Verizon Wireless Center ice. As usual, a great time was had by all — and I'm going to be darn sore in the morning!

Read The Free Press' gamer here.

Around the WCHA: St. Cloud State 5, Wisconsin 1 ... Bemidji State 1, Nebraska Omaha 1 (OT) ... Colorado College 2, Denver 0 ... Minnesota Duluth 4, Alaska Anchorage 1

MSU vs. Michigan Tech — Game 1 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
23-Dorr     19-Lehrke     8-Gaede
12-LaFontaine     18-Leitner     25-Hayes
22-McInnis     26-Schiller     14-Jokinen
24-Mueller     29-Zuck     9-Louwerse

16-Elbrecht     2-Nelson
7-Palmquist     27-Stern
17-Mosey     10-Knoll

30-Cook
31-Karambelas
1-Lee

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Cooper (inj), Grant (inj.), Heath (inj.), Leivermann, Thauwald

MICHIGAN TECH
16-B. Pietila     16-Olson     22-Baker
15-D. Johnstone     8-J. Johnstone     18-MacLeod
12-Furne     10-Kero     27-Reddick
7-McCadden     9-Rix     14-C. Pietila

3-Stebner     25-Nielsen
24-Sova     5-Fillion
6-Seigo     34-Sweeney

30-Robinson
35-Genoe

Referees: Brad Shepherd, Todd Anderson. Linesemen: Rick Nelson, Sterling Egan

Friday morning skate (updated)

The Mavericks are back at home for a week and will face the surging Michigan Tech Huskies, who only took three of four points and scored nine unanswered goals a week ago at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth. The two teams split in an early November series in Houghton, Mich. This is the first team MSU is facing for a second time.

Minnesota State is in the midst of a three-week stretch against teams that will remain in the WCHA in two years (Bemidji State, Tech and Alaska Anchorage). That got me thinking about how all of those teams currently rate. Here's a look at what the mythical '13-14 WCHA standings look like, based on current record against those teams. Games in hand is based off Alaska, Tech and Bowling Green each playing 10 "league" games this season.

Very unscientific, I know, and probably something I should have avoided since I criticized the NCHC for pumping up its teams in a press release earlier this season. Perhaps the difference here is that many fans (in Mankato, anyway) admittedly know little about the programs that will be in the WCHA in a little over a year.

Anyway, on to this weekend's series: The Mavericks will try for that elusive Friday night victory with the same lineup that won Saturday at Bemidji State. Senior defenseman Cameron Cooper remains out with an injury suffered on that check from behind last Friday. The only difference in the lineup is that goalie Austin Lee will dress and be available after being cleared to come back from his injury, but Phil Cook is the likely starter. Read more about the series here.

Speaking of defense, MSU will have three freshman D in the lineup tonight, and that group includes Zach Palmquist, who is quietly having a very nice year. He came into the season told he'd be playing the Kurt Davis role, and, well, so far so good. I say Palmquist is quietly having a nice year because the Mavericks actually have several forwards among the team point leaders, unlike the last few when Davis and Ben Youds were leading the way from the blue line.

As for Michigan Tech, look for more on the Daily Mining Gazette's site later today. For now, though, the Huskies are still basking in the afterglow of their stunning weekend in Duluth.

UPDATE: Here is Stephen Anderson's latest piece from the DMG, on Tech's need to take care of business against the Mavs if wants to climb into the upper half of the standings.

Going around the rest of the (current) WCHA ...

Bemidji State at Nebraska Omaha: In a matchup of two teams who last played against MSU, the Beavers are feeling nervous about not scoring goals — especially on the power play — after scoring four goals last weekend. As for the red Mavericks, they're trying to cling to a spot in the upper half of the league (they're in sixth, one point ahead of seventh-place Tech). There is some good news for Omaha, though, as goalie Ryan Massa could play this weekend, two weeks after leaving the Mankato rink on a stretcher.

Denver vs./at Colorado College: The Gold Pan series continues with this home-and-home series, and there's "a lot of hatred," according to CC's Nick Dineen. But there's much more than a traveling trophy at stake, as the two rivals sit just a point apart in the WCHA standings.

St. Cloud State at Wisconsin: This is a matchup of two lower-division teams, neither of which is marching forward right now. With St. Cloud players dropping like flies, the Huskies have to be happy, at least, about the return of goalie Mike Lee, who allowed two goals a week ago against Minnesota. However, now coach Bob Motzko has some decisions to make in goal. The Badgers, meanwhile, are starting to realize that chances for home ice are fading away.

Minnesota Duluth at Alaska Anchorage: The No. 1 Bulldogs head north hoping to regain the form they had before their miserable home weekend against Michigan Tech a week ago. Perhaps the Seawolves will be the cure for what ails them. Anchorage is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, its longest since 2006.

Minnesota is idle this weekend, but there are big happenings over at the U, where athletic director Joel Maturi is out.

Read more WCHA coverage at USCHO, INCH and College Hockey News.

Get the T-shirt!

Whenever I go  to cover Minnesota State games at Ralph Engelstad Arena in North Dakota, I usually take a stroll through the building's very nice team shop. They have a wide variety of jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies and other souvenirs.

One popular item there is an NHL T-shirt of a former UND player. The front has the  team logo, and the back has the name and number — the Devils' Zach Parise, the Blues' T.J. Oshie, etc.

Every time I see those shirts, I think, "Why doesn't MSU and the Verizon Wireless Center sell David Backes T-shirts?" Why not the Flames' Tim Jackman? I think they would be quite popular.

I figured it must be difficult to get those to sell in the team shop. No biggie, right? (Although it would have made a great Christmas present for my kid!)

But then I went to Bemidji this weekend and stopped by the Sanford Center's very nice team stor and saw Matt Read Flyers T-shirts for sale. And people were wearing them all over the arena. Matt Read! Read is a rookie (signed undrafted out of Bemidji State last spring) and having an outstanding season, even participating in All-Star weekend.

The point is this: If Bemidji found a way to get Matt Read T-shirts already, there's no reason MSU couldn't be selling tees representing its alumni. Backes is the Blues captain, a one-time All-Star and an Olympian in the midst of an outstanding NHL career.

Speaking of Backes, he didn't make the All-Star Game this year, but he sure did some good things over his break.

Bonding campaign begins

Minnesota State on Friday will kick off a campaign to drum up support for and increase awareness about the proposed Verizon Wireless Center improvement project that includes hockey arena upgrades and moving the MSU men's and women's teams downtown permanently.

Read more about the initiative, called "Greater Mankato Carries the Puck" on the MSU website here and more details on the VWC project on the Greater Mankato site here and here, but before Friday's game against Michigan Tech at Red Sky Lounge, people will get their first look at and be able to sign a giant puck that will be used in a community advocacy group's presentation at the state capitol later this month.

Checking in on recruits (updated)

Today is national signing day for football and a few other sports. This has been made into a huge deal on ESPN and elsewhere, despite the fact that we know where most of those players are going already. The only difference is now the coaches get to talk about those players.

In honor of this not-as-newsworthy-as-everyone-thinks day, lets take a look at the Minnesota State men's hockey recruits for next fall and beyond and see how they're doing:

2012
Teddy Blueger, F, Shattuck-St. Mary's: 15 G, 41 A, 38 PIM in 35 games
Nick Buchanan, D, Penticton (BCHL): 1 G, 12 A, 23 PIM in 44 games
Dan Carlson, F, Sioux Falls: 6 G 8 A, +4, 38 PIM in 29 games
Jon Juntzi, D, Powell River (BCHL): 8 G, 19 A, 12 PIM in 43 games
Brett Knowles, F, Cowichan Valley (BCHL): 12 G, 35 A, 60 PIM in 44 games
Bryce Gervais, F, Pentiction (BCHL): 35 G, 26 A, 35 PIM in 44 games
Dylan Margonari, F, Youngstown (USHL): 11 G, 7 A, +1, 73 PIM in 34 games
Stephon Williams, G, Waterloo (USHL): 6-9-2, .913 SV%, 2.70 GAA

2013
Ryan Schwalbe, F, Shattuck-St. Mary's: 18 G, 41 A, 40 PIM in 41 games
Eli May, D, Eagan High School: 7 G, 9 A, 15 PIM in 20 games

Notes: UPDATE: Williams was traded from Sioux Falls to Waterloo on Tuesday. ... Gervais ranks second in the BCHL in goal scoring. ... Knowles was traded from Salmon Arm to Cowichan Valley 10 games ago. ... Williams is tied for fourth in the USHL in SV%. ...  May's Eagan team is ranked No. 4 in Minnesota.