Hastings returns, recruits still playing

New Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings returned to Mankato this week for the first time since his introductory press conference. It's been a whirlwind couple of days for Hastings, who has traveled to the Czech Repbulic, watched games in the U.S. and attended the coaches convention and league meetings in Florida. 

On Thursday, he had meetings with MSU's players, and today his duties include recording radio promos for the Mavericks' season-ticket campaign. He'll also squeeze in a few minutes with yours truly this morning for a full update. ...

A few of Minnesota State's recruits are still playing hockey. Bryce Gervais and Nick Buchanan and the Penticton Vees are getting set to play in the RBC Cup, Canada's national Junior A championship. After winning the British Columbia league and winning the Doyle Cup against the Alberta champ, the Vees are one of five teams still playing north of the border. The tournament begins Saturday and consists of 10 round-robin games, two semifinal games and a championship.

Gervais has six goals and five assists in 15 playoff games for the Vees. That ranks fifth on a team stacked with future college players. Buchanan, a defenseman, has one goal and one assist in the postseason. ...

Meanwhile, the USHL playoffs are down to four teams — Waterloo, Lincoln, Indiana and Green Bay. Waterloo has been led by MSU recruit Stephon Williams, a goalie. Williams is 6-1 in the playoffs with a .919 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average. Williams had 32 saves in Wednesday's 5-2 Game 1 conference final victory over Lincoln. ...

In other news, North Dakota announced on Thursday that it is not renewing the contract of associate head coach Cary Eades. This comes as quite a shock in the Grand Forks area. Eades, you may recall, vocally expressed his interest in the MSU job, saying he applied for it. This comes on the heels of UND coach Dave Hakstol's big contract extension. ...

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that Wisconsin and Minnesota will play an outdoor game at Chicago's Soldier Field next season. The event will also feature a game between CCHA rivals Notre Dame and Miami. ...

If you're following the Stanley Cup playoffs, you know that David Backes and the St. Louis Blues are down 3-1 to the LA Kings. But Ryan Carter and the New Jersey Devils have a 2-1 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers. ...

Other former Mavericks still alive in the pros include: Tyler Pitlick (Oklahoma City, AHL), Rylan Galiardi (Florida, ECHL), Trevor Bruess (Florida, ECHL), Channing Boe (Las Vegas, ECHL) and Joe Schiller (Las Vegas, ECHL).