Mavericks 3, Beavers 0

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Three in a row: You have to go back two years to find the last time the Mavericks won three games in a row. And you have to go back three years to find the last time all of those wins came in WCHA play. Is the tide turning in Mankato? Minnesota State made it three straight with the shutout win over the Beavers ad improved their record to 6-5-2 overall and 4-5-0 in league play. All in all, it's been a strong month of hockey for MSU with the split against Minnesota and two solid games (albiet losses) against Denver, both ranked No. 2 at the time, before starting this run.

2. Same old, same old: Your best players have to be the ones who are there consistently, and the Mavericks are getting that consistent play from Matt Leitner and Eriah Hayes. Leitner assisted on two goals, upping his season point total to 17 (3-14) in 13 games, while Hayes was a beast with six shots on net and a highlight-reel, backwards, between-the-legs pass to Zach Lehrke for the game's second goal. Leitner assisted on that goal as well as on the game's first goal by freshman Dylan Margonari. Lehrke said it's "an honor" to play with Leitner. Lehrke also had a two-point night.

3. Willy won't go home: Stephon Williams stopped 20 shots for his first career shutout and has started four games in a row now, winning the last three. He didn't have to do a lot back there, as the Mavericks seemed to dominate in-zone possession and was also strong defensively. Still, Williams came up bigh when he had to, including a nice save on a back-door play during the Beavers' lone power play early in the third period. He also had to be solid because BSU's Mathieu Dugas was good at the other end, finishing with 37 saves, including 16 on 17 shots in the first period.

Deep thought: Remember the Mavericks' penalty problems? They sure were disciplined on Friday, getting called for just one penalty — Max Gaede's interference infraction in the third period.

Read the game story here.

Around the WCHA: Minnesota Duluth 7, Michigan Tech 3. ... Nebraska Omaha 3, Minnesota 2 ... Colorado College 5, North Dakota 3 ... Wisconsin 1, Denver 1 (OT) ... St. Cloud State 4, Alaska Anchorage 3 (OT)

MSU vs. Bemidji State — Game 1 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
26-Margonari      18-Leitner           19-Lehrke
24-Knowles        12-LaFontaine     25-Hayes
21-Grant              23-Blueger          22-McInnis
9-Gervais             29-Zuck               8-Gaede

16-Elbrecht          2-Nelson
7-Palmquist          4-Buchanan
27-Stern               28-Jutzi

35-Williams
30-Cook
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald

BEMIDJI STATE
9-Kinne              12-Jubinville         28-George
7-Orban              14-McLeod          16-Mattson
18-Illo                 13-Ward               4-Boehm
23-Gerbrandt      29-Brewer            27-Cain

22-Prapavessis    11-McCormack
8-Areshenko       25-Wacker
20-Rendle           3-Hansen

35-Dugas
30-Walsh

Referees: Tom Sterns, Chris Perrault. Linesmen: Matt Tyree, Rick Nelson

Friday morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Minnesota State returns home to host its old rival, Bemidji State. The Mavericks are coming off a weekend sweep at Wisconsin, while the Beavers took three of four points at home against Alaska Anchorage a week ago.

The Mavericks lost their last two home games, something that clearly irked coach Mike Hastings and his team.

"We want to feel like we have a place where other teams can't come here and get points," sophomore center Matt Leitner (pictured) said. "We need to protect our house."

Leitner will be a key to doing that. The top-line center is coming off a five-point weekend from which he earned WCHA offensive player of the week honors. The Mavericks' leading scorer was the best center at Kohl Center a week ago and has become a player who every MSU winger would like to play with.

The Mavericks are also getting top-notch play from senior captain Eriah Hayes and improved penalty killing with senior Eli Zuck and freshman Bryce Gervais handling those duties (for more, see the sidebar with the Leitner story). Expect freshman goalie Stephon Williams to get the start tonight.

As for Bemidji State, word is the team was a little late getting to Mankato on Thursday after getting into an accident near St. Cloud. No one was hurt but the team did have to change busses.

As for tonight, coach Tom Serratore says he's sticking with the hot hand and playing senior Mathieu Dugas in goal. Dugas made just one appearance as a junior but earned the tie and win last weekend against Anchorage.

It's been a crazy week in Bemidji, as the school's athletic director was essentially fired (effective at the end of the school year) after getting a pretty negative review. It appears that funding for BSU's athletic department is the No. 1 issue.

In other Mankato hockey news, I covered the Mankato West vs. Mankato East/Loyola game last night in which West won 11-0. Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings watched most of the game, and former coach Troy Jutting was also there, watching his sons, Ryan and Tyler, play in the game (Ryan finished with three assists). It was a convenient trip for Jutting, now a Nebraska Omaha assistant, who was travelling to Minneapolis for the red Mavericks' series against Minnesota.

And that's a good transition. Let's go around the WCHA ...

Omaha at Minnesota: For the third-ranked Gophers, this is the start of the meat of their schedule, and coach Don Lucia thinks it's time to see if his team is ready for a tough stretch with 13th-ranked Omaha coming to town. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are being led by a former Minnesota commit, Ryan Walters, who, tired of waiting, decided to go to UNO.

Minnesota Duluth at Michigan Tech: The Bulldogs are getting solid play from freshman defenseman  Andy Welinski, a Duluth native and power-play specialist who benefitted from an extra year of junior hockey. The Huskies, meanwhile, were on bye last week. Prior to that, they swept a series against Bemidji State to break a five-game losing streak.

North Dakota at Colorado College: North Dakota has not swept a weekend yet this year and has been outshot seven games in a row, and coach Dave Hakstol says his team has to get uglier. It's been ugly for the Tigers, meanwhile, as they are winless in their last four games and have allowed 5.5 goals per game in that stretch.

Wisconsin at Denver: Despite having just one win this season and losing two games to MSU last weekend, there's plenty of excitement for Badgers fans this weekend as highly touted freshman Nic Kerdiles will make his debut after a 10-game suspension by the NCAA. The Pioneers, meanwhile, are trying to bounce back from a rough Thanksgiving in which they dropped a pair of nonconference games.

St. Cloud State at Alaska Anchorage: The Huskies are getting solid play from Finnish freshman Kalle Kossila, one of the top-scoring rookies in the WCHA. Kossila was the WCHA rookie of the week when St. Cloud swept MSU. The Huskies have split every series since then. The Seawolves, meanwhile, are on a six-game winless streak but have three ties in that run with senior Alex Gellert becoming a key player.

Be sure to check back later for more coverage of the MSU-BSU series.

Leitner, Williams earn league honors

Minnesota State center Matt Leitner and goaltender Stephon Williams earned WCHA player-of-the-week honors on Tuesday for their performances in the Mavericks' series sweep at Wisconsin over the weekend.

Leitner had a five-point weekend, including a goal in each game and was named Offensive Player of the week.

Williams earned two wins by stopping 65 of 69 shots in the series and was named Rookie of the Week.

Read more here.

Highlights from MSU's sweep over Wisconsin

Courtesy of Minnesota State athletics ...

Mavericks 4, Badgers 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game (and MSU's first-ever series sweep in Madison) ...

1. Stars come out to sweep: The best players on the ice were Mavericks, and they were the Mavericks who have to be there for this team night in and night out. Eriah Hayes, the senior captain, scored a pair of power-play goals, including a huge goal to make it a two-goal game in the third period. He had three power-play goals in the series. Matt Leitner, who was lights out all weekend – or should it be Leits out? — had a goal and two assists for a five-point series. He now has 15 points in 12 games, which ranks seventh in the WCHA. Jean-Paul LaFontaine had a pair of assists. Coach Mike Hastings has — and should have — high expectations for those players every single night.

2. Enjoy the show: MSU freshman goalie Stephon Williams stopped 33 shots and made 65 saves for two wins on the weekend. He took some punishment from the Badgers, getting plowed into once by John Ramage (no penalty) in the first period and then enduring two more hits that did draw goalie interference calls in the third. Williams showed off his wacky side along the way, which didn't sit well with the Wisconsin fans. After making a how'd-he-do-that glove save on Derek Lee while sprawled out in the crease, Williams got up, skated off to the side and flung the puck down the rink. After getting taken out by Brendan Woods, he lay on the ice for a bit, perhaps milking the hit a bit. And in the final minute of the game, perhaps letting off some steam, he shoved Michael Mersch's head to the ice and was called for roughing. I'm not sure Hastings loved the act — "Let's just put it this way," the coach said, "he's young." — but it was entertaining.

3. So what? Wisconsin is hurting. One win in 10 games this season. Missing its best playmaker Mark Zengerle with an injury and missing a potential young superstar in Nic Kerdiles, whose NCAA suspension ended after this series. Add to that a Kohl Center that wasn't exactly Wisconsin-like with a Thanksgiving weekend skeleton crew of a student section and plenty of other empty seats. But, yeah, so what? The Mavericks had to take advantage of those circumstances, and they did. I'm not sure MSU teams from recent years would have done that. Minnesota State got the sweep, got the four points for the WCHA standings and are going back to Mankato for two weekends.

Read The Free Press game story here.

Around the WCHA: Notre Dame 5, North Dakota 2 ... Minnesota 3, Vermont 1 ... Bemidji State 5, Alaska Anchorage 4 ... Nebraska Omaha 8, Alabama Huntsville 0 ... St. Cloud State 5, Minnesota Duluth 1 ... New Hampshire 6, Denver 4 ... Yale 6, Colorado College 5 (OT)

Minnesota State at Wisconsin – Game 2 live blog

The Mavericks are going for the road sweep with the same lineup as Friday's opener. Lines can be found under the live chat ...




MINNESOTA STATE
26) Margonari —18) Leitner — 19) Lehrke
24) Knowles — 12) LaFontaine — 25) Hayes
21) Grant — 23) Blueger — 22) McInnis
9) Gervais — 29) Zuck —8) Gaede

16) Elbrecht — 17) Mosey
7) Palmquist — 4) Buchanan
27) Stern — 28) Jutzi

35) Williams
30) Cook

Extras on trip: Leivermann, Mosey. Back in Kato: Burkemper, Herndon, Knoll, Thauwald

WISCONSIN

25) Mersch — 23) Lee — 7) Barnes
16) LaBate — 21) Woods — 12) Meuer
20) R. Little — 14) Dahl — 18) S.Little
26) Navin — 8) Paape — 13) Hartzog

28) Schulze — 55) Ramage
22) Wittchow — 24) Faust
19) McCabe — 27) Simonelli

33) Rumpel
30) Peterson
31) Miller

Referees: Craig Welker, Don Adam. Linesemen: Dan Carey, Ed Moberg

Mavericks 4, Badgers 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. The kids are all right: Minnesota State's young stars shined in the first period tonight, as freshman Dylan Margonari and sophomore Matt Leitner teamed up for a pair of goals that gave MSU leads of 1-0 and 2-1. Important leads in for a team desperately needing WCHA points and playing in a building where it hasn't had much success (more on that in a bit). Meanwhile, rookie goaltender Stephon Williams played his best game of the season and earned his first victory with 32 saves, including 15 in the second period alone. Sophomore defenseman Zach Palmquist assisted on two goals.

2. House of horrors no more: The Mavericks' last win in the Kohl Center came on Feb. 15, 2008, when Mike Zacharias had a 32-save shutout. Friday's victory snapped a seven-game losing streak in Madison. Certainly making it more sweet is the fact that with the conference shakeup coming next summer, this likely will be MSU's final trip here in quite some time. (Given the Badgers 1-6-2 start to the season — and, boy, are they down in the dumps right now — the Mavericks certainly won't be coming back here for the playoffs next March.)

3. Senior salute: A couple of old players sealed the win for the Mavericks. After surviving the second period by allowing just one goal (which came directly off a careless turnover by Jean-Paul LaFontaine),  Minnesota State took the lead on an Eriah Hayes power play goal. It was Hayes' team-leading fifth goal of the season. In the game's final minute, Eli Zuck scored an empty-netter, wisely and carefully making sure he got over the red line before taking the shot so he didn't ice the puck if he missed.

Deep thought: The Mavericks had to like playing in a not-so-hostile Kohl Center. Thanksgiving weekend. Few students. Crowd generously announced at 9,118. I probably said this last year in Mankato, but it's too bad that the WCHA schedules league games on a holiday weekend like this. Nonconference? Sure. Tournament? OK. Trip East? Cool. Off weekend? Even better. The WCHA prides itself on big rivalries in crowded buildings with great atmosphere. Maybe I'm just lamenting that the last games I'm covering in this building (most likely) are when it's a half-empty, quiet cave. Too bad.

Read my Free Press gamer here.

Around the WCHA: Minnesota 5, Vermont 1 ... North Dakota 2, Notre Dame 1 ... Alaska Anchorage 2, Bemidji State 2 (OT) ... Nebraska Omaha 3, Alabama Huntsville 2 ... Minnesota Duluth 2, St. Cloud State 1 ... Yale 2, Denver 1 (OT) ... New Hampshire 4, Colorado College 4 (OT)

Minnesota State at Wisconsin — Game 1 live blog

Lines will be posted when I get to the Kohl Center ...



MINNESOTA STATE
26) Margonari —18) Leitner — 19) Lehrke
24) Knowles — 12) LaFontaine — 25) Hayes
21) Grant — 23) Blueger — 22) McInnis
9) Gervais — 29) Zuck —8) Gaede

16) Elbrecht — 2) Nelson
7) Palmquist — 4) Buchanan
27) Stern — 28) Jutzi

35) Williams
30) Cook

Extras on trip: Leivermann, Mosey. Back in Kato: Burkemper, Herndon, Knoll, Thauwald

WISCONSIN
25) Mersch — 23) Lee — 12) Meuer
16) LaBate — 21) Woods — 7) Barnes
20) R. Little — 14) Dahl — 18) S.Little
26) Navin — 8) Paape — 13) Hartzog

28) Schulze — 55) Ramage
5) Drake — 24) Faust
19) McCabe — 27) Simonelli

30) Peterson
33) Rumpel
31) Miller

Referees: Craig Welker, Don Adam. Linesemen: Dan Carey, Ed Moberg

Friday Morning Skate

Greetings from snowy northern Wisconsin. Yes, I know I'm due in the southern part of the state by the end of the day, so I'll get an early start on this morning.

The Mavericks and the Badgers are both desperate for WCHA wins, as each has just one so far (Wisconsin has just one overall).

Minnesota State had last week off, but coach Mike Hastings didn't give his team a lot of time away from the rink. In some ways, he had more time with his team before this series than he did before the season opener.

A few notes ...

Opponents have outscored MSU 32-27 this season, including a 12-10 edge on special teams (the Mavs have eight power-play goals and two shorties). In third periods, MSU has a 14-11 scoring edge, but it's been outscored 21-12 in the first 40 minutes of games.

The Mavericks are 1-3-1 on the road this season with the lone win coming in the season-opener at Alabama Huntsville. Going back to last season, MSU has lost seven straight WCHA games on the road, with their last one coming on Feb. 1 at Alaska Anchorage. That was also the Mavericks' final win of last season. They went 4-10-0 on the road in league play last year.

As for the Badgers, their best forward, Mark Zengerle, remains out with a broken finger, while these games will be the final two of freshman phenom Nic Kerdiles' NCAA suspension. Wisconsin also lost assistant coach Bill Butters a couple of weeks ago, as he resigned from his post and the search is on for his replacement.

For this weekend, Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves has juggled his lineup in hopes of improving the offense. Read more about the series here.

Here are the other series/games in the WCHA this weekend (sorry, no links this week, as I'll be on the road early) ...

Minnesota at Vermont
North Dakota at Notre Dame
Alaska Anchorage at Bemidji State
Alabama Huntsville at Nebraska Omaha
St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth
New Hampshire at Colorado College (Fri.), Denver (Sat.)
Yale at Denver (Friday), Colorado College (Sat.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I'm already in Wisconsin but not near Madison yet. I'll be headed there for this weekend's Mavericks-Badgers series on Friday morning. There may be an abbreviated Friday Morning Skate posted before I go for what looks like an important series for both teams.

As for the Mavericks, they're spending Thanksgiving together, traveling to Madison and trying to treat it like a normal travel day. Holiday? What holiday? This is a Division I sport!

Upon last check, the Mavericks' lineup appears to have stayed the same as it was during the Denver series. However, I'll post the official lines when they're available on Friday, possibly on Twitter first.

Meanwhile, here's an interesting story out of Wisconsin, which had a players-only meeting this week to figure out its one-win situation..

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Friday morning skate, bye week edition

The Mavericks are off this weekend and will return to play Thanksgiving weekend at Wisconsin. Locally, the MSU women play at No. 1 Minnesota, while the Gustavus teams will play St. Thomas

The MSU men have practiced all week, following their two losses to Denver, and it should be interesting to see how they come out of the bye. Between now and Christmas they will play at Wisconsin, home against Bemidji State, home against Anchorage and at Nebraska Omaha. Based on the old sweep-at-home, split-on-the-road mantra, a 6-2 record in that stretch would be ideal. Can it be done?

As for this weekend, eight WCHA teams are in action. Here's a look:

Wisconsin at Minnesota: The Badgers are reeling a bit with the injury to Mark Zengerle and the unexpected departure of assistant coach Bill Butters, so they're retooling their lineup this week against their Big Ten rival. Beat writer Andy Baggot points out that another problem the Badgers have is their failure to close out games. ... As for the Gophers, star forward Erik Haula may be a native of Finland, but he's all Minnesota. Minnesota also has a blossoming star from Wisconsin in Nate Condon.

Minnesota Duluth at North Dakota: The Bulldogs are looking for a little chemistry from some freshmen after a slow start that has included a five-game winless streak. Ending that run will be no easy task at The Ralph. For UND, Dillon Simpson is emerging as a top defenseman after playing alongside some pretty good blueliners in his first two years of college hockey. Also in Grand Forks, they're thinking of another rivalry, that with Minnesota, which will not take place next year due to the upcoming conference shakeup.

Michigan Tech at Bemidji State: Remember when the Huskies beat Minnesota and were 2-1-0? Five losses in a row later, and coach Mel Pearson is calling his team desperate. To be fair, he's saying the same of the Beavers, who were swept last weekend at Colorado College. Bemidji State is hoping to get things rolling now that Jordan George appears to be heating up.

Denver vs. Colorado College (home and home): The Gold Pan rivalry begins tonight in Colorado Springs where two of the hottest teams in college hockey, the No. 14 Tigers and the No. 2 Pioneers will square off. The Pios are finding much success by recruiting in-state talent. There are seven Coloradans on this year's team.

Read the USCHO weekly WCHA notebook here.

Just a thought ... While the bye week may come at a good time for MSU, the Mavericks, Anchorage, Omaha and St. Cloud State are all idle this weekend. Three of those teams (MSU, UAA, SCSU) will play league series over Thanksgiving weekend, while UNO will play nonconference games, as will four other WCHA teams. Seems like this would be a good weekend to play league games while giving Thanksgiving weekend as an option for a bye week or tournaments or nonconference games. There are too few weekends in which all 12 WCHA teams are in action against each other, and the league is better served when that happens. The fewer "games in hand" fans have to calculate late in the season when trying to follow the race for the McNaughton Cup or home ice, the better.

Recruits sign with Mavericks

Four recruits signed their letters of intent to play at Minnesota State on Wednesday afternoon. The group includes one forward, two defensemen and a goaltender. Here's a look at the group:

Mike Huntebrinker, F, Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL): The 5-11, 187-pound forward missed the start of the USHL season after undergoing offseason wrist surgery, but he's made a big impact since getting healthy, scoring three goals and assisting on four others in just four games. Mike Hastings' first recruit (he committed less than two months after the coach took the MSU job), Huntebrinker had 17 goals and 17 assists last season, including a strong late-season surge that carried over to the Clark Cup playoffs, in which he had 10 points in 13 games. “I think Mike can come in and contribute offensively right away,” Hastings said.

Cole Huggins, G, Coquitlam Express (BCHL): The 6-0, 180-pound netminder is off to a great start this season.  He currently ranks as the BCHL’s leader in save percentage at .938 through 18 games. The 20-year-old Colorado native has a 10-5-1 record with a 2.25 goals-against average. “I really like his demeanor in the net,” Hastings said. “I like what he brings, and I think he can help us between the posts.”

Sean Flanagan, D, Penticton Vees (BCHL): The 6-1, 170-pounder was traded to the Vees from the Salmon Arm SilverBacks on Wednesday. A puck-moving defenseman who could be a future power play presence, he has three goals and five assists in 20 games this season. He had 31 points in 60 games with Salmon Arm last year. He was an alternate captain with the SilverBacks before the trade.

Carter Foguth, D, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL): More of a physical, defensive defenseman a la Tyler Elbrecht, the 6-2, 210-pound Foguth is in his third season in the USHL and a two-year captain with the Lumberjacks. He has one goal and one assist through 14 games this season. In 97 career games, he has 12 points and 233 penalty minutes.

“We’re losing two senior defensemen (Elbrecht and Evan Mosey), and I think it’s a good mix,” Hastings said of Flanagan and Foguth. "We need to get a little better on the blue line."

Read The Free Press' story here.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota State women's team signed two defensemen on Wednesday, including Mankato's own Savannah Quandt. Quandt, a senior at Mankato East and standout for East/Loyola, was a forward when she committed to MSU as a sophomore, but after getting moved to D, she has shined, and Mavericks coach Eric Means says he'll likely keep her there. The other player is Stillwater's Sara Bustad. Read more here.

Pioneers 3, Mavericks 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. No moral victory: Clearly, Mike Hastings isn't interested in a lengthy rebuilding project here. And when his team outplayed No. 3 Denver for much of the weekend, only to get itself in early deficits each night (on Saturday it was 2-0) and get below-par goaltending on top of that, he shouldn't be. Denver will be flying back home on Sunday feeling like it stole two, maybe four points in Mankato. The difference in each game came down to the goalies. On Saturday, Juho Olkinuora (30 saves) outplayed Stephon Williams (20 saves, including a big one on Jarrod Mermis' breakaway early in the second period). "Their goalie made one more save than ours did — actually, more than one," Hastings said.

2. What went right: There were some good things that happened for the Mavericks, just not enough to  put them in the "points for" category, Hastings said. They limited Denver to just 23 shots (43 for the weekend) and went 2 for 9 on the power play, getting goals from Eriah Hayes and Josh Nelson. They also took just two penalties and killed off both of the Pioneers' power plays. Jean-Paul LaFontaine assisted on Hayes' goal, giving him a four-point series

3. Freshman fun: A couple of highlights from Minnesota State's rookies on Saturday: Teddy Blueger assisted on Nelson's goal, giving him five points so far this season. ... Dylan Margonari also assisted on that goal and continued playing with the confidence of a veteran, it seemed. ... Brett Knowles and Jon Jutzi both had big hits in the third period when the game was still tied 2-2. Knowles was impressive on the penalty kill as well.

Deep thought 1: Saturday's announced crowd was 3,499, a big improvement from Friday's opener and definitely late-arriving, probably due to the unseasonably warm weather. The pep band makes a big difference to the atmosphere in the building, especially in what ended up being another close game.

Deep thought 2: Nice to see MSU honor the 11-0, NSIC-champion Maverick football team by bringing the entire squad out on the ice during the first intermission. Minnesota State closed out its regular season on Saturday with a 70-7 home win over Upper Iowa.

Read my Free Press game story here.

Around the WCHA: Nebraska Omaha 3, Minnesota Duluth 2 ... St. Cloud State 5, North Dakota 2 ... Colorado College 6, Bemidji State 3 ... Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage (late, Gophers won Friday's game 4-0)

Minnesota State vs. Denver — Game 2

Lines are posted below the live blog. A couple of juggles on the chart. Stephon Williams will start in goal for MSU.



MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles      29-LaFontaine    25-Hayes
26-Margonari    18-Leitner           19-Lehrke
21-Grant           23-Blueger          22-McInnis
9-Gervais          29-Zuck              8-Gaede

16-Elbrecht       2-Nelson
7-Palmquist       4-Buchanan
27-Stern            28-Jutzi

35-Williams
30-Cook
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald

DENVER
22-Mermis        27-Q.Shore      25-Tabrum
16-Larraza        26-Ostrow       19-Doremus
11-Knowlton    23-N.Shore      12-Loney
17-Allen           9-Levin            39-Arnold        

21-LaLeggia     4-Didier
7-Phillips          2-Mayfield
10-Makowski   6-Mermis

31-Olkinuora
1-Brittain

Referees: Scott Bokal, Jarod Moen. Linesmen: Dan Dineen, Matt Anderson

Pioneers 4, Mavericks 3

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Big hole: Blame a lax start, the goaltending or the penalties. Either way, the Mavericks put themselves into too big of a deficit — 3-0 — early against the third-ranked Pioneers before finally waking up and doing something about it. First the penalties ... Three penalties in the first 10 minutes of the game got MSU out of its rhythm, even as it killed them all off (Denver was 0 for 6 on the power play). "I think we've gotten better at killing penalties," coach Mike Hastings said. "But I'm OK if we don't keep practicing it on Fridays and Saturdays." The Mavericks were called for 12 penalties totaling 35 minutes.  With just under two minutes left in the game, Jean-Paul LaFontaine's major for checking from behind, all but quelled MSU's comeback attempt.

2. Goaltending issues: On to the goaltending ... Denver's Sam Brittain stopped 33 of 36 shots, and coach George Gwozdecky called him his team's best player. Still, Juho Olkinuora is slated to start Saturday's game, while back in Colorado, Adam Murray is nursing an injury. Three top-flight goaltenders. Not a bad problem for  Gwozdecky. As for the Mavericks, they're looking for one. Starter Phil Cook allowed three goals on 12 shots before being lifted for freshman Stephon Williams at 3:28 of the second period. Williams stopped seven shots in the second and saw only one in the third, which Daniel Doremus ripped over his shoulder from the high slot and ended up as the game-winning goal. Combined, Cook and Williams have a .884 save percentage and a 3.16 goals-against average this season.

3. LaFontaine heats up: Prior to the bad penalty at the end of the game, Jean-Paul LaFontaine showed the spark he had most of last season. Perhaps the empty-net goal against the Gophers a week ago got him going. The sophomore finished Friday's game with two goals and an assist, which moved him up to second place on the Mavericks' scoring list behind Matt Leitner, who had a picture-perfect assist on LaFontaine's second goal, which came with an extra attacker on the ice and made it 4-3 with just under two minutes to play. LaFontaine has three goals and four assists so far and continues to lead the team in shots on goal.

Deep thought: Friday's attendance at The Cell was 3,184, nearly 1,700 fewer than the number who came for last Saturday's game against Minnesota. That's disappointing and puzzling, considering the buzz created by that win over the Gophers and the fact that another top team and national power, No. 3 Denver, was coming in.

Around the WCHA: North Dakota 3, St. Cloud State 0 ... Colorado College 3, Bemidji State 2 ... Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Minnesota State vs. Denver — Game 1

Lines are posted below the live blog. No changes for MSU. Denver rolls with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. ...




MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles      29-LaFontaine    25-Hayes
21-Grant           18-Leitner           19-Lehrke
9-Gervais          23-Blueger          22-McInnis
26-Margonari    29-Zuck              8-Gaede

16-Elbrecht       2-Nelson
7-Palmquist       4-Buchanan
27-Stern            28-Jutzi

30-Cook
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald

DENVER
22-Mermis        27-Q.Shore      25-Tabrum
16-Larraza        26-Ostrow       19-Doremus
11-Knowlton    23-N.Shore      12-Loney
                         9-Levin            17-Allen

21-LaLeggia     4-Didier
8-Zajac             2-Mayfield
7-Phillips          6-Mermis
10-Makowski

1-Brittain
31-Olkinuora

Referees: Scott Bokal, Jarod Moen. Linesmen: Dan Dineen, Matt Anderson

Friday morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

It gets no easier for the Mavericks, as No. 3 Denver comes to town tonight. Minnesota State hasn't beaten the Pioneers in their last 14 meetings, going 0-12-2.

Of course, we all know strange things can happen when these two teams meet, especially in Mankato.

Barring any late-week injuries, don't expect too many lineup changes for Minnesota State from last Saturday's important win over No. 2 Minnesota. As of Thursday afternoon, coach Mike Hastings wasn't committed to a starting goaltender. Phil Cook had the game-saving stop on Saturday, but neither his nor freshman Stephon Williams' numbers have been stellar to start the season.

As the Mavericks try to improve defensively from the net on out, junior defenseman Josh Nelson (pictured) has made some big strides, especially compared to where he was a year ago. He's a minutes eater and is on the second power-play unit. He also scored his second career goal to get things going against the Gophers.

As for the Pioneers, they are making their first road trip of the season. While they lost some top-end forwards to pro contracts in the offseason, there is a belief that Denver is already showing signs of better chemistry with this squad.

Going around the rest of the WCHA ...

North Dakota at St. Cloud State: Tonight, UND hopes to break a 10-game Friday-night losing streak at St. Cloud. It won't be easy, as the Huskies are off to their best eight-game start (5-3-0) since the 2003-04 season. ... Also, UND beat writer Brad Schlossman has a fun story on what the folks at Ralph Engelstad Arena do with all the hats thrown on the ice after a player scores a hat trick.

Bemidji State at Colorado College: Last week's bye week came a little too early for the Beavers' liking, so they're more than glad to be back on the ice this weekend. Meanwhile, the Tigers are back in the rankings and getting a great start from junior defenseman Eamonn McDermott.

Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage: A lot of teams would take the Gophers record, but they're trying to find a way to bounce back from Saturday's loss at Minnesota State. One Minnesota player who was really good in Mankato was Wild draft pick Erik Haula. For the Seawolves, they're digging deep to find talent for their team. Also, Anchorage lost a player, Andrew Pickering, who had to retire due to concussion issues.

Minnesota Duluth at Nebraska Omaha (Saturday-Sunday): The Bulldogs have to wait one extra day off their bye week to start this series. They will face a team that is killing penalties at a 91.4 percent clip as well as one that's expected to get a key player back in the lineup this week.

Also in the WCHA this week, Wisconsin is dealing with issues, including Mark Zengerle's broken finger and subsequent surgery and the surprising departure of assistant coach Bill Butters.

The USCHO preview notebook this week focuses on Denver's luxury in goal.

Be sure to return to the blog later to see tonight's lines and my in-game live chat. And if you're not doing it already, be sure to follow me on Twitter.

Finally, at Gustavus Adolphus tonight, the Gustavus women's team's MIAC-opener against Bethel will be a "White-Out" as a tribute to junior Marah Sobczak, who was critically injured this summer in a head-on traffic collision near her home in Stillwater. Family, friends and fans are encouraged to wear white in honor and in support of Marah and her family. White T-shirts for the event will be sold to raise money for the family and Sobczak's recovery.

Two Mavs win WCHA awards

Following their WCHA series split against No. 2 Minnesota, the Mavericks' Zach Palmquist and Dylan Margonari received league awards for their play.

Palmquist was named the WCHA's defensive player of the week, while Margonari was named rookie of the week.

Palmquuist, a sophomore defenseman from South St. Paul, helped the Mavericks hold the Gophers to just two even-strength goals int he series. He also had a goal and an assist. For the season, Palmquist has five points and is +3.

Margonari, a freshman forward from Greensburg, Pa., scored his first game-winning goal in Saturday's 5-3 victory.

Mavericks 5, Minnesota 3

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Huge win: Not only was the first WCHA victory of the season for the Mavericks, snapping a three-game losing streak, but it was important because of the atmosphere in the Verizon Wireless Center. The crowd of 4,854 the first sellout and largest crowd for hockey since Feb. 28, 2009 when MSU drew 5,013 for a game against Wisconsin. The pep band was back for the first time in years, and a new lounge-like area called the Big Bobber Ice House was unveiled in the dead area of the horseshoe on the  west end of the rink. When Jean-Paul LaFontaine scored an empty-net goal, flipping a backhander from the boards about 150 feet away, the arena made a sound not heard in a long, long time.

2. Play of the game? Which is it? Dylan Margonari's game-winner with 3:41 to play or Phil Cook's sprawling save to stop a Grade A 3-on-1 opportunity with 15 seconds left in the second period. Coach Mike Hastings called Cook's save the game's turning point, and a goal there would have put the Gophers up 4-3 going into the third despite getting outshot 27-17 at that point. Cook said he was disappointed in the first couple of Minnesota goals and "owed it to my teammates to make a big save." Margonari's goal came just after the Mavericks killed a penalty (remember the kill problems on Friday?), and was a huge play in what had been a scoreless period up to that point. Max Gaede won a battle for the puck along the boards and threw the puck out to Margonari, who had fresh legs coming off the bench.

3. Forwards march: Junior defenseman Josh Nelson scored the Mavericks' first goal of the game, and at the time, three of the team's last four goals had come from blueliners. After that though, forwards Zach Lehrke, Johnny McInnis, Margonari and LaFontaine scored. In St. Cloud, Hastings said his forwards have too much talent to be shut out. They sure came to life on Saturday. McInnis' goal was his fourth of the year, and Margonari's was his second. But Lehrke and LaFontaine each got his much-needed first of the season. LaFontaine ended up with two-point game.

Read The Free Press' game story here.

Up next: The Mavericks will host Denver on Friday and Saturday.

Around the WCHA: Nebraska Omaha 5, Michigan Tech 3 ... Boston University 4, North Dakota 2 ... Colorado College 3, Wisconsin 0 ... Denver 6, St. Cloud State 1

Minnesota State vs. Minnesota — Game 2

Lines are posted below the live chat. The same players are in the lineup for the Mavs but the lines have been shuffled a bit. Just one change for Minnesota, with Ryan Reilly at C on the fourth line ...




MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles      29-LaFontaine    25-Hayes
21-Grant           18-Leitner           19-Lehrke
9-Gervais          23-Blueger          22-McInnis
26-Margonari    29-Zuck              8-Gaede

16-Elbrecht       2-Nelson
7-Palmquist       4-Buchanan
27-Stern            28-Jutzi

30-Cook
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald

MINNESOTA
7-Rau               27-Bjugstad         24-Budish
16-Condon       19-Haula             26-Isackson
10-Marshall      22-Boyd              17-Ambroz
14-Serratore      9-R. Reilly          12-Holl

6-Parenteau       29-Schmidt
5-M. Reilly       20-Alt
4-Helgeson       2-Skjei

32-Wilcox
1-Shibrowski

Referees: Don Adam, Timm Walsh. Linesmen: Sam Shikowsy, Nick Bradshaw

Gophers 3, Mavericks 2

Janet Hostetter/The Associated Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Kill joy: The Mavericks allowed three power-play goals to the Gophers and are now a paltry .676 on the penalty kill for the season. A big problem on Friday night was an inability to clear the zone when they had chances. Players fanned on pucks and bobbled passes. Minnesota State had leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but the game-tying (Nate Schmidt) and game-winning (Zach Budish) goals both came after MSU had chances to get the puck to neutral ice and setting things down. Schmidt fired a rocket shot past Phil Cook, using the 6-3, 214-pound Budish as a screen. Budish's goal was a rebound goal on Kyle Rau's second assist of the game.

2. More Blueger, please: Minnesota State freshman Teddy Blueger put the Mavericks up 2-1 in the second period, finishing off a greasy scramble in front of Gophers goalie Adam Wilcox. It was a fourth-line goal with the Penguins second-round draft pick getting assists from linemates Zach Lehrke and Max Gaede, but it will be interesting to see where Blueger is skating in Saturday's rematch. Here's what coach Mike Hastings had to say about him: "I thought Teddy was good tonight, not only offensive but defensively,” Hastings said. “I think I’ve got to find a way to get him more ice. I thought he was good hockey player tonight, and (he’ll get) a little more ice tomorrow.”

3. Next step, a win? All in all, it was a better performance from the Mavericks than they had a week ago at St. Cloud State. Zach Palmquist finished off a pretty play from Jean-Paul LaFontaine for the game's first goal, snapping a three-game streak without a power-play goal. And as Hastings said, the "compete was better." The Gophers agreed. Said Schmidt: "(The Mavericks) play extremely hard. We knew before the game they had a tough weekend at St. Cloud. We knew they would come in and play hard and play tough." Still, after starting the season 2-0-2, the Mavericks are now 0-3-0 in WCHA play. 

Read The Free Press game story here.

Up next: The Mavericks and the Gophers will play again on Saturday night at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato.

Around the WCHA: Nebraska-Omaha 2, Michigan Tech 1 ... Colorado College 5, Wisconsin 4 (OT) ... North Dakota 4, Boston University 2 ... St. Cloud State 3, Denver 0

Minnesota State at Minnesota

Line charts can be found below the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles      29-Zuck              25-Hayes
21-Grant           18-Leitner           22-McInnis
26-Margonari    12-LaFontaine    9-Gervais
8-Gaede            23-Blueger          19-Lehrke

16-Elbrecht       2-Nelson
7-Palmquist       4-Buchanan
27-Stern            28-Jutzi

30-Cook
35-Williams

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Karambelas, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald

MINNESOTA
7-Rau               27-Bjugstad         24-Budish
16-Condon       19-Haula             26-Isackson
10-Marshall      22-Boyd              17-Ambroz
14-Serratore      15-Michaelson    12-Holl

6-Parenteau       29-Schmidt
5-Reilly             20-Alt
4-Helgeson       2-Skjei

32-Wilcox
1-Shibrowski
31-Coyne

Referees: Don Adam, Timm Walsh. Linesmen: Sam Shikowsy, Nick Bradshaw

Friday morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Big weekend for the Mavericks. Not only is it a home-and-home with No. 2-ranked Minnesota (starting tonight at Mariucci Arena), but it's a chance to get back on track after a tough WCHA-opening weekend at St. Cloud State.

That weekend may have exposed some things that Mike Hastings didn't know about his team in nonconference play, and the new coach is trying to nip that in the bud ASAP. No easy task against the Gophers.

"Our compete," Hastings said when asked where MSU needs the most improvement. "I liked where it was for 40 minutes on Saturday (at St. Cloud)."

Hastings said senior Phil Cook (pictured) likely will get the start in goal tonight. Cook has had his ups and downs throughout his career. Yep, some high highs and a couple of low lows. But the last time he played against Minnesota, he was as good as he's ever been. That was two years ago, an MSU sweep in Mankato when he earned WCHA's defensive player of the week honors.

I'll post the Mavericks' official lines later today, but expect them to be mixed up a bit from last week. From there, who knows what may change in the game, Hastings said. Lines changed daily in practice but it appears the top group will be Matt Leitner between Chase Grant and Johnny McInnis. Other groupings from Thursday: Jean-Paul LaFontaine, Dylan Margonari and Bryce Gervais; Eli Zuck, Brett Knowles and Eriah Hayes; and Teddy Blueger, Max Gaede and Zach Lehrke (we'll see if it stays that way). J.P. Burkemper is out with an injury.

"Until we get some consistency, I don't think you'll see consistency in the lines," Hastings said. "We're searching for answers. ... We're trying to come up with some combinations where we get good offensive production without abandoning the defensive side of things."

Read more on The Freep's College Hockey Gameday.

Checking in on the Minnesota coverage, the Star Tribune's Michael Russo wrote about Hastings, who spent one season on the Gophers bench as an assistant coach. Meanwhile Roman Augustoviz predicts a Gophers sweep. At the Pioneer Press, Gophers player Tom Serratore (the son of Hastings' old coach Frank) is featured.

Going around the WCHA ...

Nebraska-Omaha at Michigan Tech: The red Mavs hit the road for Houghton with some hope for their offense after James Polk (any relation to our 11th president?) scored his first goal. The Huskies, meanwhile, are hoping to bounce back after getting swept at Denver last weekend.

Colorado College at Wisconsin: The only team yet to have played a WCHA series, the Tigers hope to start conference play strong in Madison. For the Badgers, everyone knows that Mark Zengerle is more than pretty good, but he thinks he can make himself even better.

St. Cloud State at Denver: Fresh off their sweep of MSU, the Huskies will head west without star forward Ben Hanowski, who was injured in last week's series opener. For the unbeaten Pioneers, much was made about their goaltending and defense in the preseason, but they've scored five goals in each of their first four games.

Boston University at North Dakota: What a treat of a nonconference series in Grand Forks between two national powers. It's the first time since 1996 that the Terriers have played at UND, but with the changes coming to college hockey, it may not take that long to happen again.

Other coverage from USCHO and College Hockey News.

Check back on the blog later today and tonight for more on the Minnesota State vs. Minnesota game from Minneapolis.