Mavericks 7, Seawolves 3

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Power surge: The Mavericks' power play has shown a little more -- and some much-needed -- life over the last three games, but it exploded on Saturday. MSU was 5 for 6 with the man advantage, getting two power-play goals apiece from Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Johnny McInnis and three assists from Matt Leitner. LaFontaine and Palmquist each had three-point nights (Palmquist had an even-strength goal, along with two power-play assists). Zach Stepan had the other power-play goal. The Mavericks improved their power-play success rate by more than 6 percent (13.1 to 19.4).

2. Williams gets the win: Stephon Williams got the start in goal, a somewhat surprising move considering how well Cole Huggins had been playing. Williams, who stopped 23 of 26 shots, got an important confidence boost, winning for the first time since Oct. 19 against UConn. He's now 3-4-0 this season. "Obviously, I was always ready to get  in there," he said. "(Huggins) has played really well. Every day, I go back to work, get after it and hope I can take advantage of my opportunities." Coach Mike Hastings said Williams had a good week of practice. "You gotta go with history," he said. "The kid's won an awful lot of games in a short career, a lot of important games. And tonight was really important for us. He should take confidence out of tonight's game."

3. Starting to roll? The wins over Anchorage gave MSU its first WCHA sweep of the season. The Mavericks have won three games in a row and moved into a tie for third place in the conference standings. Is this team starting to look more like the one folks were expecting to see in the early going? With Zach Lehrke back on the ice and healthy freshmen Zach Stepan and Carter Foguth, they seem to be closer to that. "It came together tonight for sure," McInnis said. "There are some thing we have to continue to work on, but it's nice to have success during the process." Northern Michigan comes to town next.

Read my game story here. Not sure if the box score is going to get into the print edition due to a snafu. See that here.

Around the WCHA: Lake Superior 4, Bowling Green 3 ... Ferris State 1, Northern Michigan 1 (OT) ... Miami 6, Bemidji State 3 ... Western Michigan 1, Alabama Huntsville 0 ... Michigan Tech at Alaska (late)

MSU vs. Alaska Anchorage - Game 2 live blog

Lines can be found below the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
12-LaFontaine ... 23-Blueger ... 19-Lehrke
26-Margonari ... 25-Stepan ... 22-McInnis
21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
24-Knowles ... 16-J. Nelson ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan ... 6-C. Nelson

35-Williams
34-Huggins
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Buchanan, Herndon, Huntebrinker, Knoll, Josh Nelson

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
29-Allen ... 21-Bailey ... 14-Dusyk
20-Trupp ... 10-Cameron ... 39-Hubbs
27-Friesen ... 9-Tatchell ... 17-Kwas
16-Pettitt ... 19-Murphy ... 18-Duwe

7-Coldwell ... 2-Van Allen
3-Docken ... 37-Williams
5-Sevalrud ... 13-Sproule

33-Gunderson
35-Kamal

Referees: Derek Shepherd, Brad Shepherd. Linesmen: Matt Tyree, Rick Nelson.

Mavericks 3, Seawolves 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Mixing things up: The line combination of center Teddy Blueger and wings Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Zach Lehrke played Friday like a a group that had been skating together since early October, teaming up for the first two goals of the game. The reality is: LaFontaine was moved from center to wing on that line this week, and Lehrke was playing in his third game since returning to club. They were listed as the top group on the line chart, and they played like it. Lehrke, who had a goal and an assist, now has four power-play assists in three games. With his return the Mavs already have doubled the power-play production of their first 10 games.

2. Not the Seawolves of old: The Mavericks controlled the early pace, thanks to the group mentioned above, but the second period became a good, old-fashioned, grind-it-out affair. It was fast and physical after Anchorage tied things up. New coach Matt Thomas has that team playing well, and, not unlike MSU last year with its first-year coach, he's had the help of a few wily veterans, including Matt Bailey, who scored his eighth goal of the season, as well as sophomore Blake Tatchell and junior Brett Cameron, who also had a goal. There are good hockey teams in the new WCHA, even if they don't have the name recognition of the power conferences. 

3. They'll take the bounce: It's good to hear a coach or a player talk about a bounce going his way and not just talk about their luck on a bad bounce. Freshman defenseman Sean Flanagan scored the game-winning goal on a shot near the boards in the high zone. The puck deflected off a defender and fluttered in behind unsuspecting goaltender Rob Gunderson. The game was tied 2-2 at the time of the goal, which came at 3:10 of the third period. "You look at college hockey today," coach Mike Hastings said, "it's hard to win. You've got to pay a significant price. We got a bounce late. At least we were in position to take advantage of it." From there, MSU held on for the win. Cole Huggins stopped 21 shots for the win.

Deep thought: Did you notice something on one of the MSU uniforms tonight? Chase Grant was wearing an A on his sweater. The junior forward has been made an alternate captain. The Mavericks have been down that extra A since Josh Nelson went out.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 4, Northern Michigan 1 ... Lake Superior 4, Bowling Green 3 ... Notre Dame 5, Alabama Huntsville 2 ... Bemidji State 4, Miami 4 (OT) ... Michigan Tech 3, Alaska 2

"You look at college hockey today," Hastings said, " it's hard to win. You've got to pay a significant price. We got a bounce late. At least we were in position to take advantage of it."

MSU vs. Alaska Anchorage - Game 1 live blog

Lines can be found under the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
12-LaFontaine ... 23-Blueger ... 19-Lehrke
26-Margonari ... 25-Stepan ... 22-McInnis
21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
24-Knowles ... 16-J. Nelson ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan ... 6-C. Nelson

34-Huggins
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Buchanan, Herndon, Huntebrinker, Knoll, Josh Nelson

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
29-Allen ... 21-Bailey ... 14-Dusyk
20-Trupp ... 10-Cameron ... 39-Hubbs
27-Friesen ... 9-Tatchell ... 17-Kwas
16-Pettitt ... 19-Murphy ... 18-Duwe

7-Coldwell ... 2-Van Allen
3-Docken ... 37-Williams
5-Sevalrud ... 13-Sproule

33-Gunderson
35-Kamal

Referees: Derek Shepherd, Brad Shepherd. Linesmen: Matt Tyree, Rick Nelson.

Friday morning skate (Black Friday edition)

The Mavericks are back home this weekend for another important WCHA series, this one against Alaska Anchorage. There was a time when having Anchorage in town would be just what the doctor ordered. But these are not the Seawolves of old.

Minnesota State is healthier than the last time folks in Mankato saw them, with Zach Stepan back and Zach Lehrke returned to the team. And all of MSU's lineup issues (on defense, Josh Nelson remains out while Carter Foguth began skating this week) have been cause for others to step up and steady their games. One of those players is junior defenseman and alternate captain Brett Stern, who has responded to the challenge.

Check out more on the series in The Free Press' gameday package.

One of the reasons, Anchorage is not the same as the last couple of years (besides a new coach) is the improved play of senior goaltender Rob Gunderson, per the Anchorage Daily News.

Around the WCHA ...

Ferris State at Northern Michigan: NMU has the task this week of slowing down Ferris (8-0-1 in its last nine games), which goes on the road for the first time since Nov. 1-2. The Wildcats' Reed Seckel is featured by The Mining Journal.

Bowling Green at Lake Superior: The Falcons are seeking consistency after splitting a pair of overtime games against Minnesota State last week, and that challenge comes on the road against the Lakers, one of the surprise teams of the WCHA.

Michigan Tech at Alaska: Tech goalie Pheonix Copley goes home for Thanksgiving with the hope of giving the Huskies their first road win of the season. Both teams are coming off of disappointing weekends in league play.

Miami at Bemidji State: The Beavers host the Redhawks in a nonconference series and rematch of the 2009 Frozen Four.

Alabama Huntsville in Notre Dame tournament: The Chargers seek their first win of the season, playing in this year's Shillelagh tournament against the Irish. Western Michigan and Northeastern are the other dams.

Marquette's Matt Wellens and I make our weekend picks.

Mavs get another '14 commitment

Minnesota State had a small early signing class with forwards C.J. Franklin and Zeb Knutson of the Sioux Falls Stampede inking National Letters of Intent this month. The Mavericks will have at least one more player join them next fall, as Brad McClure of the BCHL's Penticton Vees announced his commitment on Monday:

Officially committed to Minnesota State University for next year!! Couldn't be more excited to be a Maverick for the next 4 years!
— Brad McClure (@mcClure20) November 25, 2013

McClure, 20, is the Vees' leading scorer and captain (known as "Captain Clutch"). He has 17 goals and 33 points in 25 games, ranking fourth in the BCHL in both categories. He has 12 points in his last eight games. Last season he had 27 goals and 46 points in 53 games.

The Stratford, Ontario, native originally committed to Ferris State more than a year ago but since changed his mind.

In a Vees press release, coach/general manager Fred Harbison said, "Brad has been an outstanding captain for us and an offensive threat every time he touches the ice. He will be a great addition to the Mavericks."

MSU has a nice pipeline with Penticton. Current player Bryce Gervais, Sean Flanagan and Nick Buchanan played there, and the Vees also have future Mavs Max Coatta,

Mavericks 3, Falcons 2 (OT)

Freddy's three thoughts of the game (from afar) ...

1. I'd keep playing: Minnesota State and Bowling Green may be developing a nice rivalry after playing four games in a 16-day span with three of the games going to overtime. The Mavericks won two of the OT games, getting a very much-needed victory on Saturday night. In their season series, the two teams each scored 10 goals, and Bowling Green had a 117-115 shots-on-goal edge. Doesn't get much closer than that. Perhaps they'll meet again in Grand Rapids.

2. Top players step up: Bryce Gervais scored the overtime winner, his fourth goal of the season. After the game coach Mike Hastings said Gervais has "played well the last 2 1/2 weeks." He sure seemed to have plenty of scoring chances all weekend against the Falcons. He was credited with six shots on goal on Saturday and eight for the series. Chase Grant made a tremendous pass to set up the goal. He out-hustled two defenders and got some Stretch Armstrong arms to tap the puck to Gervais in the slot. Jean-Paul LaFontaine had a goal and an assist, and Matt Leitner scored his first goal of the season.

3. Look in the mirror: The game was a reflection of Friday's game in which MSU had a 2-0 lead in the first period and saw it slip away. On Saturday, the Mavericks trailed 2-0 after one period and came back to force overtime and win it in the extra period, just as Bowling Green did the night before. Stephon Williams got the start in goal and stopped 11 shots in the first period. Cole Huggins, who took the loss Friday, came in in the second and stopped all 21 shots he faced for the win. Said Hastings: "We needed a little change. Willy had done a pretty decent job in there, but we needed to do something to change the momentum."

Deep thought: Check out my story in Sunday's Free Press about Gustavus goaltender Marah Sobczak. She got the surprising start in goal today (and the win). It was her first start (and third appearance) since the horrible 2012 car crash that left her and her sister in critical condition and facing quite the uphill climb.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 4, Alaska 3 ... Northern Michigan 4, Alabama Huntsville 0 .. Bemidji State 2, Lake Superior 1 (OT) ... Michigan Tech 2, Alaska Anchorage 2 (OT)

Falcons 4, Mavs 3 (OT)

Freddy's three thoughts (from afar) ...

1. Good start, rough second and repeat: We've heard this story before, it seems. In a call after the game, coach Mike Hastings said the Mavericks played their best 18+ minutes on the road, getting off to a 2-0 lead in the first period. But everything was back to even after the second. The game turned on Chase Grant's checking-from-behind penalty late in the first period. Bowing Green scored a power-play goal early in the second and had some momentum from there, eventually tying the game with an even-strength goal.

2. Power play problems: The good news for MSU was it scored a power play goal, and the return of Zach Lehrke helped that as he set up Jean-Paul LaFontaine in the first period. The bad news for the Mavericks was they had a seven-minute power play to work with in the second period and couldn't get much going. On another power play in the third, they allowed yet another short-handed goal, the fourth given up this season. The Mavericks remain +1 on their power play this year and are -6 on special teams.

3. Cole in goal: That might not be what we see tomorrow night. Cole Huggins allowed four goals on 25 shots in the loss. In the ol' probably-like-to-have-that-one-back category, he allowed two, the short-handed goal that put the Falcons up 3-2 and the overtime winner scored by Mark Cooper for the hat trick with 31.5 seconds to play. Cooper walked out of a scrum in the corner along the goal line and put the puck over Huggins' shoulder short-side. The Mavs had problems getting the puck out of their own end in the sequence leading up to that. 

Deep thought: I wasn't at Bowling Green tonight but back in Mankato. Took in the MSU women's hockey game against Ohio State. The Mavericks won their first WCHA game of the season after starting 0-8-0 in league play. Mankato native Savannah Quandt scored her first collegiate goal in the win, making life pretty easy for a sportswriter.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 5 Alaska 3 ... Northern Michigan 3, Alabama Huntsville 0 ... Lake Superior State 3, Bemidji State 2 ... Alaska Anchorage 3, Michigan Tech 1

Friday morning skate

All 10 WCHA teams are in action against each other, a rarity in this league (seriously, this has to happen more often; we should be able to look at the standings and know that first place, second place, etc., mean something). Minnesota State is at Bowling Green, playing the Falcons for the second time in three weeks. Both teams have just one win in their last four games and it came against the other.

Staying on the subject of the WCHA, this weekend marks a the start of an important eight-game stretch of conference play for the Mavericks. Four series in four weeks with two on the road (Bowling Green and Alabama Huntsville on Dec. 13-14) and two at home (Alaska Anchorage next weekend followed by Northern Michigan).

Remember, this is the week last season when MSU started to figure things out. The Mavericks went 7-1 in league play from Nov. 23 to Dec. 15 with the seven wins coming consecutively. And they're in better shape conference-wise right now at 2-2 than they were at this point last year when they were 1-5.

Minnesota State has more options this week with the return of Zach Lehrke and a healthy Zach Stepan back in the lineup. Carter Foguth (foot) and Michael Huntebrinker (arm) remain out with their injuries. No update yet on Josh Nelson (lower body) but it's not looking great at the moment.

Read more about the series in The Free Press' gameday preview.

Earlier this week, Bowling Green coach Chris Bergeron raved about MSU's depth. But according to the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune, the Falcons have some pretty good depth, too.

Going around the WCHA ...

Alaska at Ferris State: At 5-0-1, the Bulldogs are off to a fantastic start in WCHA play. They've been home for four of those games and at Huntsville for the other two. They're home again this weekend against the Nanooks, who are returning to Michigan after a bye week.

Alabama Huntsville at Northern Michigan: It was a long bus ride from northern Alabama to the Upper Peninsula, but the winless Chargers made a stop along the way, practicing in Green Bay, Wis., and checking out historic Lambeau Field. As for the Wildcats, they are getting help from a couple of surprising players.

Lake Superior at Bemidji State: This is a matchup of the league's two surprise teams. The Lakers continue to look strong, while a Beavers team that can score (we all know they can defend) should be downright scary to the rest of the conference. But Lake Superior hasn't given up much this year so far.

Michigan Tech at Alaska Anchorage: The Huskies are hoping to win on the road, while the Seawolves have been pretty good in their own barn. Also, things are much happier around Anchorage these days after some early season success.

So what should we expect to see this weekend? According to Marquette, Mich.-based scribe Matt Wellens and me, a lot of splits. For more on the WCHA, check out our USCHO notebook.

Cavalry's comin'

The Mavericks, and especially their feeble offense, received some good news this week when Zach Lehrke returned to the team.

Lehrke had announced just before the season that he was quitting hockey due to a medical condition that causes severe, painful cramping, often during and after practices and games. But after missing seven weeks and 10 games, he decided he could fight through the pain and perhaps help out his team.

Coach Mike Hastings welcomed Lehrke back, as long as he was committed for the rest of the season.

"There's no going back anymore," Lehrke said.

Hastings and Lehrke said they're taking things day to day and neither would speculate on whether or not he'll have a spot in the lineup this weekend at Bowling Green. But if he's in good condition, I see no reason why he couldn't step in and help this team, especially with its thin lineup.

This weekend is the start of an important stretch of four conference series in as many weeks and a chance for the Mavericks to right their ship a bit. Lehrke, who was so strong on the power play last year and had 25 points last year, could make a difference. It will also help to get Zach Stepan back from injury. He's expected to skate on Wednesday.

Gophers 3, Mavericks 0

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. They gave them a game: Mavericks coach Mike Hastings called the game's opening 20 minutes "a playoff-style first period," and indeed it was a physical, tight-checking period with few great chances for either team. Minnesota, which is a darn-good, highly skilled team, came out of it 1-0, but it was a game, unlike the first period of Friday's series opener. And it stayed a good game until the Gophers scored two quick goals in the final half of the third period.

2. Top billing or undercard: Who would have thought a few weeks ago that Michael Shibrowski vs. Cole Huggins would be quite the goaltending battle on a Saturday night at Mariucci. Huggins, the Mavericks freshman, got his third consecutive start and was very good, stopping 33 shots. He said he'd like to have the first one back, and the second was "kind of a fluke goal" (still, a back-breaker). Meanwhile Shibrowski won over the Minnesota fans. The senior and career backup was making his third career start and fifth appearance, and stopped 25 shots for the shutout.

3. Offensive issues: The Mavericks' inability to finish plays and score goals continues to baffle. Captain Johnny McInnis said, "I don't want to say it's embarrassing because we played the best team in the country. But it's pretty unacceptable as a team to score one goal on the weekend. I don't care who we're playing." The Mavericks are now averaging 1.9 goals per game and hit the road again next week for Bowling Green, which already has a pair of shutout wins in its barn.

Read the game story here.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 4, Bowling Green 2 ... Michigan Tech 2, Lake Superior 1 ... Alaska Anchorage 4, Bemidji State 4 (OT) ... St. Cloud State 4, Alabama Huntsville 3

Minnesota State at Minnesota - Game 2 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ...

MINNESOTA STATE

26-Margonari ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
21-Grant ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
24-Knowles ... 12-LaFontaine ... 8-Gaede
14-Herndon ... 16-J. Nelson ... 10-Knoll

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 6-C. Nelson
4-Buchanan ... 11-Flanagan

34-Huggins
35-Williams

Scratches: Foguth, Huntebrinker, Karambelas, Josh Nelson, Stepan

MINNESOTA

11-Warning ... 7-Rau ... 24-Fasching
16-Condon ... 25-Kloos ... 13-Cammarata
21-C. Reilly ... 22-Boyd ... 19-Lettieri
14-Serratore ... 26-Isackson... 17-Ambroz

5-M. Reilly ... 6-Parenteau
2-Skjei ... 12-Holl
28-Bischoff... 10-Marshall

1-Shibrowski

32-Wilcox
31-Coyne

Referees: Marco Hunt, Stephen McInchak. Linesmen: Anthony Czech, Jeff Schultz.

Gophers 4, Mavericks 1

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Tale of two halves: If the Mavericks had played the entire game like they did when they were down 3-0, they might have had a chance to pull of the upset over the No. 1-ranked Gophers. Coach Mike Hastings called his team "passive" early, and defenseman Zach Palmquist described MSU's play as "sluggish." "Kids against men," former Minnesota coach Doug Woog said, sitting next to me in the Mariucci Arena press box. And that's indeed how it looked for 30 minutes. When the Mavericks finally woke up, they really tested goalie Adam Wilcox (34 saves, including 15 of 16 in the third period).

2. Second goal a killer: Despite being on their heels early on, the Mavericks did block some shots (15 for the game) and disrupted some of Minnesota's pretty passing (maybe a little too cute at times for coach Don Lucia's liking). Freshman goaltender Cole Huggins was more than solid, too. Had MSU escaped the first period down 1-0, it might have been in good shape. Instead, Mike Reilly's goal with 1:27 remaining in the first period made it a two-goal game. No matter what they say about the two goal lead being the worst lead in hockey, I think that rule doesn't apply very often at Mariucci Arena.

3. No offense, but ... For the fifth time this season, the Mavericks have been held to one goal or less. Of course last week, one goal was enough to win a game. Finishing is a real issue right now for this team. Palmquist scored MSU's lone goal, ripping an open shot from the slot after a nice feed from Jean-Paul LaFontaine, who was falling down near the goal line and poked the puck out to the defenseman. Wilcox made impressive saves on Johnny McInnis and Bryce Gervais during a third-period power play when the score was still 3-0. But the Mavericks also seemed to miss the net a lot, something that's not going to give them the second and third chances they're looking for in the offensive zone.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 3, Ferris State 3 (OT) ... Lake Superior 5, Michigan Tech 3 ... St. Cloud State 10, Alabama Huntsville 0 ... Bemidji State 4, Alaska Anchorage 1

Minnesota State at Minnesota - Game 1 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ...

MINNESOTA STATE

26-Margonari ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
21-Grant ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
24-Knowles ... 12-LaFontaine ... 8-Gaede
14-Herndon ... 16-J. Nelson ... 10-Knoll

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 6-C. Nelson
4-Buchanan ... 11-Flanagan

34-Huggins
35-Williams

Scratches: Foguth, Huntebrinker, Karambelas, Josh Nelson, Stepan

MINNESOTA

11-Warning ... 7-Rau ... 24-Fasching
16-Condon ... 25-Kloos ... 13-Cammarata
21-C. Reilly ... 22-Boyd ... 19-Lettieri
14-Serratore ... 27-Guertler ... 17-Ambroz

5-M. Reilly ... 6-Parenteau
2-Skjei ... 28-Bischoff
10-Marshall ... 20-Brodzinski

32-Wilcox
1-Shibrowski
31-Coyne

Referees: Marco Hunt, Stephen McInchak. Linesmen: Anthony Czech, Jeff Schultz.

Friday morning skate

The Mavericks head to Minneapolis today to take on the No. 1-ranked Gophers. This will be the first time since the 1998-99 season that the two teams will play each other as nonconference opponents. Minnesota is in the Big Ten now (although it has yet to play a conference game), having departed the WCHA after last season.

For Minnesota State, the key to the weekend might be trying to get its stagnant offense flowing again. The Mavericks are averaging just 2.25 goals per game, and their power-play is working at just a 9.3 percent clip, not exactly numbers we expected to see during the preseason when their forward depth was compared to the best in the country. Matt Leitner has no goals and three assists in six games, and Jean-Paul LaFontaine has one goal and two assists in eight games. Johnny McInnis leads the team in scoring with three goals and three assists.

The Mavericks will also have to try to slow down the Gophers, who are averaging 4.38 goals per game, which ranks second in the country. Freshman goalie Cole Huggins will get the first shot at doing that, coach Mike Hastings said. Hastings said on Thursday that Stephon Williams is taking well to the competition from Huggins and had a good week of practice. More on the series in the Freep's College Hockey Gameday.

As for the Gophers, they are relying on a darn-good freshman class, one that already has 39 points, including 16 goals. They accounted for all five goals in Minnesota's 5-4 win at Notre Dame last Saturday. They have filled in nicely for a team that lost five players early to the pros.

Around the WCHA this weekend ...

Bowling Green is at Ferris State in a matchup of the league's top two teams. The Falcons hoped to have standout forward Ryan Carpenter back from a broken finger finally, but he suffered a setback when he broke his foot in practice this week.

Lake Superior plays at Michigan Tech in what should be another good series. Before the season started, this series looked perhaps to be a reprieve in the Huskies' brutal early season schedule. Now, not so much.

Alaska Anchorage goes to Bemidji State where the Beavers seem to have turned around their offensive woes from a year ago. Both of these teams are much-improved from last season and have a chance to make hay or keep pace in this year's standings.

Alabama Huntsville hosts St. Cloud State in a nonconference series that could get ugly for the winless Chargers. An upset of the third-ranked Huskies would be huge for Huntsville.

Meanwhile, you can see Matt Wellens' and my WCHA picks here, as well as our weekly WCHA notebook here.

Check back on the blog later for my live chat during Minnesota State's game at Mariucci Arena.

Signing day

Minnesota State won't be bringing in a huge class of freshmen next season, but the two who signed NLIs on Wednesday sure are big. The Mavericks closed the deal on Sioux Falls Stampede forwards C.J. Franklin and Zeb Knutson, both of whom committed early last season and have done nothing but get better since.

Read more about them and the future of the MSU women's team here.

Minnesota State has just two seniors on this year's roster: forward Johnny McInnis and injured defenseman Josh Nelson. However, their roster is short some bodies with forwards Zach Lehrke and J.P. Burkemper departing just before the season started. Also remember that Corey Leivermann left the team last Christmas to go to Division III Gustavus, and Charlie Thauwald transferred to D-III Wisconsin-Eau Claire over the summer.

The Mavericks are finding out that they probably need to have a roster of 28 players to account for injuries and to create competition. They have 26 players right now, although one player, Blake Thompson, won't be eligible until the first semester ends.

The point is, while Franklin and Knutson are the only players who are signing during the early signing period, I wouldn't be surprised to see others added to that class during the regular signing period in April.

Huggins earns league honor

Minnesota State goaltender Cole Huggins was named the WCHA's rookie of the week for his performance in last weekend's series against Bowling Green.

Huggins stopped 33 shots for the shutout in the Mavericks' 1-0 overtime victory over Bowling Green on Saturday at the Verizon Wireless Center. On Friday, he stopped all nine shots he faced in relief of starter Stephon Williams in the Mavericks' 4-3 loss.

In four appearances this season, including starts the last two Saturdays, Huggins has a .964 save percentage and a 1.11 goal-against average.

After Saturday's game, MSU captain Johnny McInnis said the Mavericks have a lot of faith in both Huggins and Williams right now.

"It's going to be a healthy relationship (between Huggins and Williams," he said. "It's a good problem to have."

For more on MSU's goalie situation, go here.

Mavericks 1, Falcons 0 (OT)

Freddy's three thoughts of the game

1. A knack for big goals: Johnny McInnis is Mr. Saturday Night for Minnesota State. The Mavericks' captain scored his second huge goal in as many weekends to help his team get a series split. Saturday's overtime goal against Bowling Green was his ninth career game-winner and was reminiscent of an overtime goal he scored against Nebraska Omaha two years ago at the Verizon Wireless Center. He also made life a little more palatable for a sportwriter who didn't know how much copy he'd be able to squeeze out out of a scoreless tie!

2. Huggins has the net: Freshman goaltender Cole Huggins stopped 33 shots for his second career win and first shutout. Huggins, who also won a week ago at Bemidji State, stopped 24 shots over the first two peridos and backstopped a defensive corps that was down to five players -- including two sophomores and two freshmen (neither of which was Carter Foguth) -- after Brett Stern got the early boot for a checking-from-behind penalty. Rookie Casey Nelson rebounded nicely after a tough night Friday, and sophomore Nick Buchanan played his best college game so far.

3. Must win Important win: Being November and all, coach Mike Hastings didn't want to declare Saturday's game to be a must win, but it was huge to get two points out of the series, rather than one or zero, after Friday's rather rough outing. There's a lot of work that needs to be done and plenty of injuries to recover from (Hastings doesn't expect to get any injured players back before next weekend's series at Minnesota), but the Mavericks were able to make sure they didn't get themselves too deep into hole in the WCHA standings.

Box score

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 5, Bemidji State 3 ... Alaska 3, Lake Superior 2 (OT) ... Michigan Tech 3, Michigan State 2 (OT) ... Northern Michigan 5, Western Michigan 4 ... Huntsville at Anchorage (late)

MSU vs. Bowling Green - Game 2 live blog

Lines are posted below the chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
26-Margonari ... 12-LaFonatine ... 22-McInnis
24-Knowles ... 23-Blueger ... 8-Gaede
14-Herndon ... 16-Nelson ... 10-Knoll

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 11-Flanagan
4-Buchanan ... 6- Nelson

34-Huggins
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Foguth, Huntebrinker, Nelson, Stepan

BOWLING GREEN
13-Berkle ... 14-Wojtala ... 20-Pohlkamp
23-Tate ... 11-DeSalvo ... 25-Mingo
12-Williamson ... 26-Cooper ... 17-Murphy
2-Mercier ... 27-Wallace ... 10-Dufour

15-Perrier ... 28-Walker
4-Sullivan ... 3-Kucera
29-Freibergs ... 8-DelGadillo

32-Sholl
31-Burke

Referees: Jared Moen, Mike Elam. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Matt Tyree

MSU vs. Bowling Green - Game 1 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
26-Margonari ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
24-Knowles ... 12-LaFontaine ... 8-Gaede
14-Herndon ... 16-Nelson ... 10-Knoll

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 11-Flanagan
4-Buchanan ... 6- Nelson

35-Williams
34-Huggins
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Foguth, Huntebrinker, Nelson, Stepan

BOWLING GREEN
13-Berkle ... 14-Wojtala ... 20-Pohlkamp
23-Tate ... 11-DeSalvo ... 25-Mingo
12-Williamson ... 26-Cooper ... 17-Murphy
2-Mercier ... 27-Wallace ... 10-Dufour

15-Perrier ... 28-Walker
4-Sullivan ... 3-Kucera
29-Freibergs ... 8-DelGadillo

31-Burke
32-Sholl

Referees: Jared Moen, Mike Elam. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Matt Tyree

Friday Morning Skate

It's been three weeks since Minnesota State played at home. The 18th-ranked Mavericks are back and are hosting Bowling Green in a WCHA series that's drawing interest of many of the sports observers (see, this new WCHA ain't so bad). There will be two pretty good teams going at it this weekend, that's for sure. You can read more about the series here.

For Minnesota State, junior forward Chase Grant is off to a sneaky good start, and more will be expected of him going forward. A case can be made that he's MSU's best two-way forward. Perhaps it's been talked about too many times, but Grant's got those Oklahoma roots, a rarity in college hockey or, really, hockey at any high level. The NHL this season called up its first Oklahoma native, former Denver standout Matt Donovan. There are two players in that state in college hockey; the other is MSU sophomore Taylor Herndon.

While he doesn't wear a letter on his jersey, Grant considers himself one of the team's leaders, especially with Josh Nelson out of the lineup. The roster may look like it has just one senior, Johnny McInnis, who can play. But Grant is in his fourth year at MSU (remember, he missed a year with a hip injury), as is Matt Leitner, who was ineligible as a freshman.

As for Bowling Green, it has yet to win on the road this season and this series marks the beginning of a tough four-week stretch that includes four games against the Mavericks (the two teams will meet Nov. 22-23 in Ohio), as well as series against Ferris State and Lake Superior State, both of which are ranked.

Both teams will be missing some players this weekend. The Mavericks' Carter Foguth and Michael Huntebrinker have been declared out (Huntebrinker was expected to have surgery on his broken wrist this morning), while Bowling Green's top scorer from last year, Ryan Carpenter, has been out all season with a broken finger and is not ready to return. That's been a big loss, but the veteran Falcons have made up for his absence with plenty of scoring from Bryce Williamson, Dan DeSalvo, Ben Murphy and others.

A thought on the other WCHA series this weekend ...

Bemidji State at Ferris State: Another pretty good matchup, this one in Michigan. Ferris was picked to finish second in the league and is playing well, albeit with a soft schedule. And Bemidji State is proving to be no pushover this season.

Alaska at Lake Superior State: The Nanooks are leaving Alaska for the first time this season and going to a place they haven't won at since 2011. The Lakers' hot start got a dousing on Saturday when they lost 8-1 at Wisconsin. Curious to see how they bounce back.

Alabama Huntsville at Alaska Anchorage: These are the teams that were picked to finish ninth and 10th in the WCHA this season. Huntsville's struggles are no surprise; there' a lot of work to be done there. But Anchorage has had a nice start and has a good chance to keep that going.

Michigan State at Michigan Tech: This nonconference series will be the first games between these two teams in Houghton, Mich., since 1984. No one's played a tougher schedule to start the season than Tech. Should be a fun time there.

Northern Michigan at Western Michigan (Sat.-Sun): Another nonconference series in Michigan, as these old CCHA teams keep their rivalry going. Northern's been up and down to start the season but is certainly capable of making some noise this weekend.

On USCHO, Matt Wellens and I give our WCHA picks for this weekend. Our league notebook column can be found here.

Backes donates to Mankato Hockey

The Mankato Area Hockey Association participated in the national Try Hockey For Free Day last weekend, and the day may not have been as successful as it was if not for a significant donation from former Minnesota State player and current St. Louis Blues captain David Backes.

Backes recently made a donation that allowed MAHA to purchase the equivalent $24,000 (retail price) in Bauer hockey gear. The organization was able to outfit new players and stock its equipment room with 150 sticks, 70 pairs of skates, 60 helmets, 60 pairs of gloves, six sets of goaltending gear, 1,000 pucks and more, according to the association's website.

That gear came in handy on Saturday as 91 kids participated in Try Hockey For Free, more than double last year's turnout.

"Without that donation, I don't know what we would have done," said Jim Steiert, MAHA vice president and fundraising chair. "It was complete pandemonium on the ice. It's the greatest thing I've ever seen."

According to the MAHA website, Try Hockey For Free participants who chose to sign up for the season got free use of the equipment for the year.

"We always struggle with sticks," Steiert said. "And it's a struggle to get some kids outfitted. That's part of the experience."

When he learned of Backes' interest in donating to MAHA over the summer, Steiert said he assumed the organization would be able to replenish its supply of sticks. Then Backes informed him that he was committing $12,000 and could get the gear at cost. Steiert said picking out equipment, which also included puck bags, coaching tools and repair kits, was like being a kid in a candy story.

"That's exactly how it felt," he said.

Backes played for the Mavericks from 2003-2006. He is in his eighth season with the Blues.

To see pictures from MAHA's Try Hockey For Free day, go here.

Leitner returns, but Mavs still not healthy

The Mavericks have a big WCHA series this weekend at home against Bowling Green, and the good news is that they expect to have their best playmaker, Matt Leitner, back in the lineup. Leitner missed last weekend's series at Bemidji State with a bad back but is said to be feeling much better this week.

The bad news, however, is that MSU just can't get everyone healthy. Mike Hastings on Wednesday ruled out defenseman Carter Foguth and forward Michael Huntebrinker for the weekend. Both are freshmen.

Foguth has quickly turned into one of the team's most reliable defensemen and has played a lot of minutes in his young career. He said he's "week to week" with a lower-body injury. He blocked a shot with his skate late in Saturday's game at Bemidji State.

Huntebrinker, who has played only in MSU's first two games, said he will have surgery on Friday to repair a broken bone in arm/wrist area. He was hit by a puck in a recent practice and has been unable to play with the injury. Turned out there was a break. Huntebrinker, who made the trip to Bemidji last weekend as an extra forward, did not give a timeline for his return.

"It's part of athletics," Hastings said of injuries. "I don't believe anybody's going to feel sympathy for us. Everybody has injuries. All it does is create opportunities for other players."

Meanwhile, senior defenseman Josh Nelson remains out with a "significant lower-body injury." Nelson said he's exploring his options for his future. "There are a lot of things up in the air," he said. Stay tuned.

Falcons flying in

Minnesota State's first home WCHA games of the season will take place on Friday and Saturday at the Verizon Wireless Center. Bowling Green, a team somewhat unfamiliar to MSU fans, comes to town for what should be a pretty good matchup.

The Falcons have played in Mankato once, on opening weekend of the 2009-10. The Mavericks swept that series, and they won and tied at Bowing Green the season before.

Bowling Green coach Chris Bergeron talked about the upcoming series on Tuesday. A few items from his press conference:

* The Falcons are hoping to be better on the road, going 0-2-1 away from their home rink so far. "From what I understand, Mankato's a tough place to play," Bergeron said. The MSU series starts a tough stretch that includes 6 of 8 games on the road. The home games over that month? Minnesota State on Nov. 22-23.

* Bergeron's impressed with MSU's depth, as well as with the job Mike Hastings has done in a season-plus. "I think they're well-coached," he said. "I know that's coming from a coach, but Mike Hastings went in and brought some structure or something since he's been there. ... To me it's pretty impressive. He went in there with a plan and saw immediate dividends.

* There had been some talk that the Falcons would get back last season's leading scorer, Ryan Carpenter, who has been out with a broken finger. Bergeron said Carpenter will miss this weekend's series and won't get the pins removed from the finger until early next week.

As for the Mavericks, Matt Leitner was back on the ice this week after missing last weekend's series at Bemidji State with a back issue.

More later ...

Mavericks 4, Beavers 3

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Johnny on the spot: The Mavericks needed a goal, a big momentum-turner, something. "We needed our captain to make a play," coach Mike Hastings said Saturday night. Johnny McInnis, who had been goal-less in MSU's first five games of the season, broke through with 4:52 remaining in the third period. Using a power move that would have made last year's captain, Eriah Hayes, proud, McInnis beat a defender, bee-lined to the net and then put in his own rebound for a go-ahead score. It would have been the ninth game-winning goal of his career if not for a Beavers goal with 1 second left in the game, which came moments after an empty-netter by Teddy Blueger.

2. Still a trend: The Mavericks once again had a strong start followed by a not-so-good second period, just as they did in Friday's 4-1 loss and on the road opening weekend at Providence. The difference on Saturday was that MSU scored in the first period (Zach Stepan on the power play, his first career goal) and increased that lead to 2-0 in the second (Bryce Gervais in the slot off a nice feed from Jean-Paul LaFontaine). But Bemidji came back with a pair of goals, including a power-play goal with just 18 seconds remaining in the period. It seemed like the Beavers had grabbed the momentum in their home building, but McInnis changed that late in the third.

3. A new face in goal: Hastings opted to go with freshman Cole Huggins in goal on Saturday, the first time since Nov. 30, 2012 that Stephon Williams didn't get the start for the Mavericks. Williams allowed four goals on 20 shots on Friday, but Minnesota State also needed to see what they have in the freshman. He was solid on Saturday, stopping 28 of 31 shots, including 14 of 15 in the third period. "He deserved to play," Hastings said. "He's been working his tail off." Huggins said he found out that he would be starting late Friday night. He said he took the news in stride. "For me, it's nothing different than in juniors. ... It was a little different atmosphere, though. We needed the points."

Highlights from Saturday's game here.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 1, Alaska Anchorage 0 ... Ferris State 3, Alabama Huntsville 2 ... Wisconsin 8, Lake Superior State 1 ... Michigan 2, Michigan Tech 1 ... Northern Michigan at Alaska (late)

MSU at Bemidji State -- Game 2 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ... Cole Huggins will start in goal for MSU.



MINNESOTA STATE
25-Stepan ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
21-Grant ... 12-LaFontaine ... 24-Knowles
26-Margonari ... 16-J. Nelson ... 9-Geravis
11-Flanagan ... 14-Herndon ... 8-Gaede

28-Jutzi ... 5-Foguth
27-Stern ... 6-Nelson
4-Buchanan ... 7-Palmquist

34-Huggins
35-Williams

Scratches: Knoll, Huntebrinker. Not on trip: Karambelas, Leitner, Josh Nelson

BEMIDJI STATE
16-Mattson ... 13-Ward ... 28-Harms
9-Marinaccio ... 12-Jubinville ... 29-Brewer
23-Gerbrandt ... 22-O'Connor ... 17-Robbins
26-Kinne ... 27-Cain ... 21-Hartmann

20-Rendle ... 4-Windle
25-Pedan ... 7-Prapavessis
3-Hansen ... 11-McCormack

30-Walsh
33-Mimmack
35-Wilkins

Beavers 4, Mavericks 1

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Third time's a trend: "We started well on the road. I didn't like our second period." Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said that on Friday, but he said something similar after each of his team's games on opening weekend at Providence. Minnesota State came out flying on Friday, outshot the Bemidji State 14-4 in the first period, drew three penalties and had nothing to show for it. Beavers goalie Andrew Walsh was hot and the game was scoreless after 20 minutes. Midway through the second period, momentum changed, and the Beavers grabbed a quick 3-0 lead and were up 3-1 at the break.

2. Leit's out: No Matt Leitner on Friday, as he remained in Mankato with an apparent back issue. He's the Mavericks' leading scorer from last season, the WCHA preseason player of the year and one of nation's scariest power-play guys. The Mavericks definitely missed him, but it wasn't like they couldn't get anything going. They had seven shots on the power play in the first period and fanned on a couple of plays that looked to be sure goals. Said Hastings: "(Leitner's) a player. But it also means opportunities for some other people -- opportunities that have been asked for. We have to find a way to be better tomorrow."

3. Young fellas: The Mavericks' lone goal was scored by freshman Jordan Nelson, who again continues to impress with his play at both ends of the ice. His goal quelled Bemidji State's momentum a bit at the end of the second period (although a 5-minute major/game misconduct by sophomore Taylor Herndon gave some back). Fellow rookie Zach Stepan had the lone assist on the goal for his first collegiate point. Five freshmen played, the others being defensemen Casey Nelson, Carter Foguth and Sean Flanagan. Flanagan played as a forward as he did in MSU's last game. Casey Nelson and D partner junior Zach Palmquist each finished minus-3. With 13 freshmen and sophomores in the lineup (including goalie Stephon Williams -- 16 saves) -- the Mavericks are younger than you think.

Deep thought: I'm all for good sportsmanship but was a little taken aback when the teams shook hands after tonight's game. Not sure if that's a new WCHA thing or a new college hockey thing. I prefer it after the series, though. While it's not the Stanley Cup playoffs, I like to see the handshake take place after a hard-fought pair of games.

Some game highlights can be seen here.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 6, Alaska Anchorage 1 ... Ferris State 5, Alabama Huntsville 0 ... Michigan 3, Michigan Tech 2 (OT) ... Lake Superior 3, Wisconsin 3 (OT) ... Alaska 5, Northern Michigan 4

MSU at Bemidji State -- Game 1 live blog

Lines are posted below the chat. ... No Matt Leitner (back) or Josh Nelson (lower body) for MSU. ... No Radoslav Illo for BSU.



MINNESOTA STATE
26-Margonari ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
25-Stepan ... 12-LaFontaine ... 24-Knowles
21-Grant ... 16-J. Nelson ... 9-Gervais
11-Flanagan ... 14-Herndon ... 8-Gaede

7-Palmquist ... 6-C. Nelson
28-Jutzi ... 5-Foguth
27-Stern ... 10-Knoll

35-Williams
34-Huggins

Scratches: Buchanan, Huntebrinker, Karambelas, Leitner, Josh Nelson

BEMIDJI STATE
16-Mattson ... 13-Ward ... 28-Harms
9-Marinaccio ... 12-Jubinville ... 29-Brewer
23-Gerbrandt ... 22-O'Connor ... 17-Robbins
26-Kinne ... 27-Cain ... 21-Hartmann

20-Rendle ... 4-Windle
25-Pedan ... 7-Prapavessis
3-Hansen ... 11-McCormack

30-Walsh
33-Mimmack
35-Wilkins

Referees: Albers, Albindia. Linesmen: Missling, Anderson

Friday morning skate

The Mavericks will open the WCHA schedule this weekend in Bemidji, and I'll be making the trek north this morning. A few notes about the series and the WCHA:

This will be MSU's shortest road trip in league play, which kind puts the whole conference shakeup thing into perspective. Bemidji once ranked fourth on MSU's in-conference travel list behind Minneapolis, St. Cloud and Duluth and was similar in length to Omaha and Madison. Sure makes it less fun for the beat writer!

The Mavericks will be without senior defenseman Josh Nelson, who remains out with a lower-body injury. He missed MSU's last game against Connecticut and has since undergone tests on the injury to find out just how long-term this could be.

For more on the series, read The Free Press' gameday preview.

The Beavers are coming off a league sweep at Alabama Huntsville. Those were the first two victories of the season for Bemidji State, which had a tough early season schedule with games against St. Cloud State and Minnesota.

Interested in watching the games? It turns out a lot of people are, according to WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod, who told Matt Wellens as part of USCHO's weekly league notebook that there is money coming in from the league's online streaming package with America One Sports.

In other WCHA coverage, Kevin Gordon of the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune says that just a few weeks into the first season of the conference shakeup there's already talk of another re-alignment in the next 3-5 years. This is hardly shocking, especially coming out of Bowling Green, which seemed to be the most reluctant of the CCHA schools to jump to the WCHA. It will be interesting to see after this season just how happy everyone is with the current situation. Looking at all of the new and revamped conferences, Minnesota State certainly isn't the only team facing a much tougher travel schedule.

In action this weekend ...

Bowling Green will host Alaska Anchorage this weekend in the conference opener for both of those teams.

Ferris State will open WCHA play at Alabama Huntsville, and Alaska will do the same by hosting Northern Michigan (both UAH and NMU began conference play a week ago).

In nonconference play, Michigan Tech heads to Michigan, continuing its brutal schedule to start the season (at Duluth, at Notre Dame, at/vs. NMU, at Michigan, vs. Michigan State!), while Lake Superior State has a challenge in keeping its perfect early season record going as it goes to Wisconsin in a matchup of No. 12 vs. No. 13 (who would have thought?).

Matt and I make our weekend picks on USCHO's WCHA blog.

Closer to home, the Gustavus Adolphus men's and women's teams begin play this weekend. The men were picked to take third in the MIAC this season, while the fourth-ranked women were picked to win their 10th straight conference title. Check out my preview features on each team from Thursday's Freep: GAC men, GAC women.

Also, the Minnesota State women will play No. 1 Minnesota in a home and home, with Saturday afternoon's game taking place in Mankato. The Mavericks face the tough task of trying to end the Gophers' 57-game winning streak.

I'll have the live chat up and running during tonight's MSU streak, so check back later today for any pregame news/notes, line charts and the chat.