Frozen Four field set

The Frozen Four in Philadelphia next week should be a good one — even without Minnesota State there.

On Sunday, Boston College, led by the great Johnny Gaudreau, found a way to get the puck past UMass Lowell goalie Connor Hellebuyck in a great game for the Northeast Regional championship in Worcester, Mass. Gaudreau had two assists (for an eight-point weekend) in the game between Hockey East rivals.

The Eagles has to make great individual and team plays to beat Hellebuyck, and Gaudreau, the clear Hobey Baker favorite, was on the ice for three of the four goals. BC made just a few more than the Mavericks did the day before.

BC will play Union, the East Regional winner in the national semifinals, while the other semifinal will pit former WCHA rivals Minnesota and North Dakota against each other after winning the West and Midwest regionals, respectively.

Next season, the Frozen Four returns to Boston, and MSU captain Johnny McInnis, who played his final college game Saturday, says he expects the Mavericks to be there.

River Hawks 2, Mavericks 1

The Associated Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Different feeling: Minnesota State lost in the first round of the national tournament for the second year in a row. While the Mavericks' bar has been raised to the point where the hope and expectation is to win at this level, the team seemed less disheartened than they did last year in Toledo against Miami. Not that there wasn't disappointment and frustration, but they truly felt like they laid it all on the line on Saturday in Worcester. The ran into a great goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, who was inexplicably left off the Hobey Baker top 10 list. Hellebuyck was nothing short of amazing at times, stopping 35 shots, and he had the help of relentless defense that was "hunting us down," according to the Mavs' Johnny McInnis. Minnesota State put 16 shots on goal in the second period and also hit two posts in that frame. Chase Grant will be seeing a couple of Hellebuyck saves in his sleep until next season arrives.

2. Don't forget Cole: Lurking in Hellebuyck's shadow this weekend was Cole Huggins, the Mavericks' freshman goaltender. He, too, had a great game, allowing only a short-handed breakaway goal to Lowell's leading scorer, Joe Pendenza at 12:54 of the first period. Huggins even joked about the play during the postgame press conference. "I've kinda had a problem with my 5-hole all year. The guys have scored on me there all year." That drew a chuckle from McInnis and Zach Stepan (who scored MSU's lone goal with 10 seconds left in the game). It actually was a pretty sweet move by Pendenza, nothing Huggins should be ashamed of. But the future seems pretty bright for Huggins. "Everybody was talking about the guy who won the game tonight, and well-deserved, well-deserved. He put up some scary numbers" MSU coach Mike Hastings said. "But if you go ahead and stack Cole's numbers over the last 14 games, they're comparable. I thought it was a great battle tonight."

3. Looking ahead: The future continues to look bright for Hastings' Mavericks. Huggins returns, as do all but four seniors, only two of whom played in Saturday's game (McInnis and Zach Lehrke) — barring any surprises, of course. Two 40-point scorers will be back, Matt Leitner and Jean-Paul LaFontaine (who went surprisingly cold down the stretch), along with another potential 40-pointer in Bryce Gervais. One defenseman graduates, and, on paper, there's a nice recruiting class coming in. The next step for this team, of course, is winning at the top level. They went 3-0 against WCHA-rival Ferris State, but their record against other NCAA qualifiers was 0-6. It also will be interesting to see what happens with McInnis, who, it appears, will have a chance to sign somewhere and keep playing this season. He became a darn-good college hockey player while at Minnesota State and deserved all the recognition and accolades he received this weekend in Massachusetts. It will be fun to follow what he does next.

Read my game story here. And, yes, there were a few MSU fans in the building.

Elsewhere in the NCAA tournament, North Dakota defeated the WCHA's other team, Ferris State, 2-1 in double overtime to get to the Frozen Four. Union is also in the final four after defeating Providence 3-1. On Sunday, Lowell will play Boston College (and the amazing Johnny Gaudreau), and St. Cloud State and Minnesota will play for the West Regional title. St. Cloud State defeated Notre Dame 4-3 in double overtime. The Gophers beat Robert Morris 7-3.

MSU vs. UMass Lowell - live blog

Minnesota State takes on UMass Lowell in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Worcester, Mass. Lines can be found below the live chat ...

MINNESOTA STATE

21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
25-Stepan ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
12-LaFontaine ... 26-Margonari ... 19-Lehrke
24-Knowles ... 17-Huntebrinker ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 6-C. Nelson
11-Flanagan ... 3-Thompson

34-Huggins
35-Williams

Scratches: Buchanan, Foguth (inj.), Herndon, Knoll, Jor. Nelson, Josh Nelson (inj.)

UMASS LOWELL

18-White ... 14-Pendenza ... 12-Holmstrom
23-Wilson ... 5-Gambardella ... 29-Arnold
8-Campbell ... 20-Fallon ... 13-Chapie
10-McGrath ... 24-Colantone ... 9-Wallin

25-Zink ... 27-Kamrass
26-Folin ... 3-Kapla
7-Thompson ... 28-Suter

37-Hellebuyck
31-Carr
30-Robbins

Saturday Morning Skate (NCAA edition)

The Mavericks will take on UMass Lowell in the Northeast Regional on Saturday evening in what should be an excellent matchup between two pretty good teams.

It all starts in goal for MSU and Lowell. Lowell has, statistically, the nation's top goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck, while the Mavericks' Cole Huggins has been huge over his team's 13-game unbeaten streak. 

Read more about the matchup, as well as some nuggets from the day's early game, Boston College vs. Denver, here.

On Friday, Minnesota State's Johnny McInnis was the talk of the town. Read more about that as well as other items in my regional notebook.

Haven't gotten your Johnny Mac fix? Read more in the Worcester Telegram, College Hockey News, the Boston Herald and Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Herald also looked at the similarities between the Mavericks and River Hawks, who have undergone big transformations, going from also-rans to became conference champions in just a couple of years.

Read more coverage of the regional from the Boston Globe and the Lowell Sun.

Meanwhile, the first day of the tournament saw a No. 1 seed, Wisconsin, fall to North Dakota 5-2 (two empty-netters) in Cincinnati. North Dakota will play the WCHA's Ferris State, a 1-0 winner over Colgate, today in the Midwest Regional final for a trip to the Frozen Four.

In the East Regional, top-seeded Union defeated Vermont 5-2, and Providence shut out Quinnipiac 4-0.

Remember: tonight's Minnesota State game, which starts at 6:30 p.m. CDT, will be broadcast online only on ESPN3. Folks in Mankato can attend a viewing party at the downtown Buffalo Wild Wings. 

You can also follow along on my live chat right here on the Puckato blog.

Notes from practice day

Minnesota State got its hour of practice time on Friday at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The Mavericks appear to have the same lineup as they did during last weekend's Final Five in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Saturday's Free Press will have lots of coverage from the regional, but here are a few highlights from the day:

• Johnny McInnis was the star of the show Friday, as the Massachusetts media were fascinated by his situation of being the rare New Englander who plays college hockey in the west. He grew up in Boston, which is less than an hour east of Worcester and played prep hockey at Lawrence Academy, which is about 40 miles north of here and just 15 miles or so from UMass Lowell, MSU's opponent on Saturday. Truth is, he wasn't really recruited by a Hockey East school, and MSU gave him his opportunity. "Now it's kind of come full circle for me," he said. "It's been a long road ... but I wouldn't change a thing about it."

• Lowell coach Norm Bazin said that his team and Minnesota State are not all that different from each other. And he wasn't talking about the Division II history or even the recent turnarounds that both programs have undergone. "I think both teams have a similar style," he said. "(The Mavericks) play an up-tempo style. They're an aggressive team. They're very much a puck-pursuit team. It should be a very interesting game tomorrow because I think both teams are similar from those aspects."

• Minnesota State is approaching this year's regional a little differently than last year, namely because it comes in knowing what to expect, from the travel to the TV coverage to the press conferences, etc. "Experience ... is the best teacher that you can have," MSU coach Mike Hastings said. "And whether it is positive or negative, we have had an experience of being in an NCAA regional. It didn't go real well for us last time. It is not brand new for us anymore."

Friday morning flight

I'm sitting in the MSP airport very early Friday morning, getting set to fly to Boston, then drive to Worcester, for this weekend's Northeast Regional. If all goes as planned, I'll be there in time for MSU's practice and press conference and will have updates after that.

For now, enjoy a bit of a recap on the way this season has played out for the Mavericks. They ended up where most folks thought they would way back in October. But the road back to the national tournament didn't necessarily go exactly as they figured. Sure made things interesting.

I'll be back on the blog later today. 

Viewing party

Don't have ESPN3? Don't understand how to watch ESPN3?

Problem solved.

Mankato's Buffalo Wild Wings (downtown location) will hold a viewing party for Minnesota State's Northeast Regional game against UMass Lowell on Saturday.

The game begins at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

The game will be aired on tape-delay at 10:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU.

Some mid-week prep

Minnesota State leave for Worcester, Mass., today (Thursday) as it prepares for the NCAA Northeast Regional. The Mavericks will practice at the DCU Center on Friday afternoon and will play UMass-Lowell at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday, following the Boston College-Denver game.

This won't be the first time MSU and Lowell have met in the national tournament. You have to go back 30 years, however, to the schools' Division II era when they met three times in the final four.

The two teams have undergone transformations in recent years to get to the top of their respective conferences and onto the national stage — Lowell under Norm Bazin over the last three years and MSU under Mike Hastings over the last two.

Some more about the River Hawks ... goalie Connor Hellebuyck is, statistically, the best goaltender in the country but he did not land a spot on the Hobey Baker top 10. Three other goalies did. Read more about that snub and other notes from Barry Scanlon of the Lowell Sun.

The runaway favorite for the Hobey is Boston College's Johnny Gaudreau, who leads the nation in goals and points (he has 69 points, 12 more than the next player). The junior forward was featured in the New York Times this week.

It might be strange to think that Denver slipped into the NCAA tournament, needing to win the NCHC tournament to get there. But now that the Pioneers are in, they look like they're peaking at the right time.

If anyone from Mankato is going to Worcester for the games this weekend drop me a line at sfrederick@mankatofreepress.com. I'm hoping to do a story on weary travelers while I'm out there.

A quick look at the River Hawks

Minnesota State is back in the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. The Mavericks are playing an old national-tourney foe, UMass-Lowell. The two teams squared off three years in a row as Division II opponents from 1979 to 1981. They played in the '79 title game, with Lowell winning 6-4. MSU won the next year in the semifinals and went on to win the national title. Lowell won a semifinal matchup in '81 and won another championship.

Here's a look at this year's Lowell team ...

Overall record: 25-10-4

Hockey East record: 11-6-4 (second place, won Hockey East tournament)

Coach: Norm Bazin (sixth season)

Leading scorers: sr. Joseph Pendenza (13-16—29), so. Adam Chapie (12-11—23), sr. Derek Arnold (11-12—23)

Top goaltender: so. Connor Hellebuyck (17-8-2, .943, 1.73)

Notes: Lowell was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the USCHO preseason poll and is ranked fifth in the final poll (MSU is 11th) and seventh in the Pairwise (MSU is 10th). ... The River Hawks won the Hockey East tournament, shutting out Notre Dame 4-0 and New Hampshire 4-0 over the weekend in Boston. ... Hellebuyck, a Winnipeg Jets draft pick and first-team Hockey East pick, leads the nation in goals-against average and save percentage. He was named the Hockey East tournament's most outstanding player.

Mavs will go to Worcester

Minnesota State will be the No. 3 seed in the Northeast Region and play Hockey East tournament champion UMass-Lowell at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Worcester, Mass.

UPDATE: Read The Free Press coverage here and here (second link includes video).

"This time of year, it doesn't matter who you get slotted up against," Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said during a viewing party Sunday morning at Mankato's Buffalo Wild Wings. "It's going to be a challenge."

The game will be broadcast online on ESPN3. According to a Tweet from @NCAAIceHockey, non-televised games will not be syndicated.

The winner of the Mavericks-River Hawks game will play either Boston College, the region's top seed, or Denver at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Here are the other regionals:

West (St. Paul)
Minnesota vs. Robert Morris
St. Cloud State vs. Notre Dame

Midwest (Cincinnati)
Wisconsin vs. North Dakota
Ferris State vs. Colgate

East (Bridgeport)
Union vs. Vermont
Providence vs. Quinnipiac

The Mavericks are in the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row and third time in their Division I history. Last year they fell in the first round to Miami in Toledo, Ohio.

Mavericks 4, Bulldogs 1 — MSU claims Broadmoor

Adelle Whitefoot

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. If you have a job to do: Do it yourself, right? That's what the Mavericks did. They didn't mess with the Pairwise, scoreboard watch or wait for Wisconsin or UMass-Lowell to help them. They went out and won the darn thing. They claimed the Broadmoor Trophy and the WCHA's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. They stretched their unbeaten streak to 13 games. They're 10th in the Pairwise and will be a No. 3 seed somewhere (St. Paul sure would be nice, although two prognosticators have them going to Worcester, Mass.). That will be determined during the NCAA Selection Show at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPNU. The Mavericks will hold a viewing party at Mankato's downtown Buffalo Wild Wings. My guess is that the Broadmoor will make an appearance.

2. Unlikely heroes: Michael Huntebrinker, Brett Stern and Brett Knowles came into the game with one goal combined, but they were the stars of the show, as each netted a goal against the regular-season champs. Huntebrinker and Knowles play on the team's Gold Line, an energy group (which also includes Max Gaede) that when playing well, rolls with the rest of the crew but really steps up after special team time ends. "They're our energy line, and they're always wheeling around," Stern said. Stern, a defensive defenseman, had just two career goals before Saturday. Teddy Blueger set up two of the goals, and also had an empty-netter. Even he had just three goals before the championship game.

3. Huggy is huge: Goaltender Cole Huggins was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, stopping 25 of 26 shots against Ferris State and 61 of 62 shots in the two games. He made it look easy at times and got significant help from his teammates (Zach Stepan took a puck to the knee blocking a shot late in the game and had trouble getting off the rink; he finally had to be helped over the boards by Stephan Williams. No word on his health, although he was on the ice celebrating.), however he made a few of those saves "that he shouldn't have." He was the goalie on the All-Tournament Team, of course. Other MSU players on the team were Stern at defense and forwards Blueger and Bryce Gervais.

Deep thought: Attendance tonight was listed at 3,968. That would have been a decent crowd at the Verizon Wireless Center. The WCHA — and the other leagues — have some things to figure out going forward. But that's for another day.

MSU vs. Ferris State, Final Five championship

Lines are posted below the live chat ...

MINNESOTA STATE

21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
25-Stepan ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
12-LaFontaine ... 26-Margonari ... 19-Lehrke
24-Knowles ... 17-Huntebrinker ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 6-C. Nelson
11-Flanagan ... 3-Thompson

34-Huggins
35-Williams

Scratches: Buchanan, Foguth (inj.), Herndon, Knoll, Jor. Nelson, Josh Nelson (inj.)

FERRIS STATE
21-Buzzeo ... 17-VanWormer ... 16-Thompson
18-Huff ... 8-Kane ... 20-Mayhew
22-Robertson ... 11-Babinski ... 9-McDonald
25-O'Rourke ... 6-Schempp ... 28-Adams

2-Czarnowczan ... 3-White
23-Anselmini ... 7-Binkley
4-Dorer ... 10-Lowney

30-Motte
29-Williams
31-Pennock

Mavericks-Bulldogs for the Broadmoor

Ferris State defeated upset-minded Alaska Anchorage 5-4 in overtime in the second Final Five semifinal on Friday at Van Andel Arena to set up a Broadmoor Trophy championship game matchup between the conference's top two teams.

Gerald Mayhew scored the game-winning goal at 2:38 of overtime. It was his second goal of the game. Anchorage outshot the Bulldogs 38-24 and led 4-2 midway through the second period.

Minnesota State swept Ferris State in January in Mankato, and the series got a little rough-and-tumble. Should be a fun one Saturday night.

"It will be a great hockey game," Bulldogs coach Bob Daniels said. "It will be a fun hockey game. (The Mavericks) are a really, really good hockey team."

As of the end of the Ferris-Anchorage game, the Mavericks were still tied for 11th in the Pairwise. Still not sure how much of a lock MSU is. They didn't get much help from Minnesota, which lost to Ohio State, or North Dakota, which was losing to Miami.

They probably need to keep the mentality that they need to win to keep their season going.

"I think we're at the point where both teams are in the national tournament," Daniels said. "All eyes will be set on the Broadmoor Trophy, and we'll worry about the NCAAs down the road."

Mavericks 4, Falcons 0

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Call him 'Greasy': Coach Mike Hastings revealed Bryce Gervais' nickname afterward, and the sophomore forward certainly was a little slippery. He finished with a goal and two assists, remaining red-hot. He now has seven goals and four assists in his last six games.  Going back over his last 14 games, he has 11 goals and seven assists. His short-handed goal was huge, giving the Mavericks a 2-0 lead at 12:47 of the second period. He beat a defenseman to a puck left along the wall behind the net by goalie Tommy Burke. Definitely some miscommunication there on the Falcons' part. Burke didn't see Gervais, and "Greasy" was able to wrap the puck into an open net.

2. Huggins sets record: Goaltender Cole Huggins set Minnesota State's team record for shutouts in a season by recording the sixth of his rookie year. He had work to do, stopping 36 shots, including 13 in the first period. The Mavericks took a few too many penalties but held Bowling Green scoreless on six power plays. He needed to stop just five shots while short-handed, though, as the Mavericks blocked 21 shots for the game. "I was seeing the puck really well," he said. "Compared to Saturday against Northern Michigan, I was seeing it a lot better."

3. Great goals: Burke was very good for the Falcons, stopping 31 shots, including all 14 he faced in the first period and all 10 he saw on MSU power plays. The Mavericks needed playmakers to to beat him. The first goal came on a beautiful 3-on-2 rush by the top line. Gervais to Matt Leitner to Chase Grant for the goal at 3:52 of the first period. Johnny McInnis gave the Mavs a little breathing room with his goal at 10:47 of the third period. Blueger made a nice cross-ice pass to McInnis, who, in one motion, caught and shot the puck over the goalie's glove. Leitner sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.

Deep thoughts: The Mavericks won their team-record 25th game of the season as well as their first-ever WCHA Final Five game (they were 0-4 in the event). ... They will play Ferris State or Alaska Anchorage in the Broadmoor Trophy championship game at 6 p.m. (CDT) Saturday. ... The crowd was generously announced at 2,700, but it was, sadly, a smattering of ticket holders, hardly the packed houses we've been used to seeing in previous years.

Pairwise report: The Mavericks moved up to a tie for 11th in the Pairwise Rankings after the victory. It's certainly a more comfortable spot but not necessarily one that guarantees anything for the NCAA tournament. Suffice to say that MSU is looking at getting in the old-fashioned way: by winning the Broadmoor Trophy.

Final Five live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat



MINNESOTA STATE
21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
25-Stepan ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
12-LaFontaine ... 26-Margonari ... 19-Lehrke
24-Knowles ... 17-Huntebrinker ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 6-C. Nelson
11-Flanagan ... 3-Thompson

34-Huggins
35-Williams

Scratches: Buchanan, Foguth (inj.), Herndon, Knoll, Jor. Nelson, Josh Nelson (inj.)

BOWLING GREEN
2-Mercier ... 22-Carpetner ... 20-Pohlkamp
10-Dufour ... 11-DeSalvo ... 13-Berkle
12-Williamson ... 26-Cooper ... 17-Murphy
14-Wojtala ... 27-Wallace ... 24-MMohler

15-Perrier ... 29-Freibergs
3-Kucera ... 28-Walker
7-Sloat ... 4-Sullivan

31-Burke
32-Sholl

Referees: Pete Friesema, Butch Mousseaux. Linesmen: Paul Tunison, Eric Forberg

Friday Morning Skate (Final Five edition)

Greetings from Grand Rapids, site of this year's WCHA Final Five. This seems like a great city to host a tournament such as this. Lots of downtown restaurants and bars. Plenty of other things to do. Will people show up (they didn't during the first game of the Big Ten tournament in St. Paul)? Will find out at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. CDT) today.

The Final Five features Minnesota State vs. Bowling Green, followed by Ferris State vs. Alaska Anchorage. The coaches involved don't expect a cakewalk for anybody — just like the regular season.

Minnesota State is in the Final Five for the fourth time and is looking for its first win (it's 0-4). The Mavericks will have to do it without two defensemen, Carter Foguth and Josh Nelson, who suffered injuries last Saturday. Expect Blake Thompson and Casey Nelson to take their spots in the lineup.

Speaking of defensemen, junior D Zach Palmquist has upped his game — along with several other players — over the course of the team's 11-game unbeaten streak. A great skater, Palmquist continues to log many minutes — 22-30 a game, coach Mike Hastings said, and probably closer to the latter —as he has since his freshman year.

The Mavericks are still considered a bubble team for the NCAA tournament and are approaching the Final Five with the idea that they probably have to win it. They remain ranked 12th in the Pairwise following Thursday's Big Ten play-in games (including Michigan's 2-1 2OT loss to Penn State).

As for Bowling Green, the Falcons are playing well, entering the weekend with five wins in a row. A big key to their recent success has been their power play, something that Hastings said has kept him up at night.

In the other matchup, Ferris State enters the tournament with the WCHA's only Hobey Baker Award finalist, as goaltender C.J. Motte was named one of the top 10 nominees on Thursday. The Bulldogs could have some home-ice advantage with their campus located just 60 miles away. There was a push in Big Rapids, Mich., to fill five fan buses for the games. Alaska Anchorage won't be a pushover, especially the way the Seawolves played on the road at Alaska last week and the week before. First-team All-WCHA forward Matt Bailey leads the way for college hockey's biggest turnaround team.

All three of this weekend's games are televised on Fox Sports North.

Matt Wellens and I preview the Final Five here and give our weekend picks here.

The Grand Rapids Press also has a tournament primer. Read that here.

For those of you who are in Grand Rapids, a restaurant called Peppino's Downtown Sports Grille is considered MSU's official fan/team restaurant. Also, tonight's game between the Seawolves and the Bulldogs will continue a Friday-night tradition of the Grand Rapids Griffins, the minor-league hockey team that place in Van Andel Arena and will serve $2 beer and $2 hot dogs.

Viewing party

Minnesota State's WCHA Final Five semifinal game against Bowling Green on Friday will be shown during a viewing party at Mankato's Buffalo Wild Wings downtown location. The Mavericks and Falcons will play at 1 p.m. Friday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. The game will be televised on Fox Sports North. It will also be carried on the radio locally on KTOE.

Everybody do the 'Michigan Rag'

PucKato is leaving for Michigan today (Wednesday morning) and has a few other duties before his Final Five coverage begins.

Look for my tournament preview story in Thursday's edition of The Free Press and the usual gameday coverage here and in the paper on Friday. Hoping to get a post-practice report on Thursday for the blog, too.

The Mavericks are scheduled to fly to Grand Rapids on Thursday morning.

Sounds like a fun town. We'll see if the WCHA can bring in some decent crowds.

Final Five tickets

Minnesota State announced on Sunday morning that it has a limited number of reserved ticket packages available for the Final Five, which takes place Friday and Saturday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The $95 package includes both semifinal games and the Broadmoor Trophy championship game. Call 507-389-6111 for more information.

According to the WCHA, three-game packages are also available for $95 and $50 through the Van Andel Arena box office and through Ticketmaster. Prices for individual games are $35 and $18 for the semifinals and $40 and $25 for the championship game.

The WCHA's fan guide can be found here.

If it's the playoffs, it must be overtime

Of course, Minnesota State's first-round WCHA playoff series went to overtime Saturday night. That was not an uncommon occurrence. The Mavericks have played at least one overtime game in each of the last five seasons. Here's a look at their first-round OT history:

March 15, 2014: MSU 5, Northern Michigan 4. GWG: Zach Stepan, 16:32, OT (MSU clinches series 2-0)

March 15, 2013: MSU 4, Nebraska Omaha 3. GWG: Chase Grant, 7:04, OT (MSU up 1-0)

March 10, 2012: Minnesota Duluth 3, MSU 2, 2OT. GWG: Mike Seidel, 4:07, 2OT (UMD wins series 2-0)

March 12, 2011: Denver 3, MSU 2. GWG: Jason Zucker, 1:29, OT (DU clinches series 2-0)

March 12, 2010: MSU 5, St. Cloud State 4. GWG: Kael Mouillierat, :20, OT (MSU up 1-0)

March 14, 2010: St. Cloud State 3, MSU 2. GWG: Drew LeBlanc, 3:21, OT (SCSU wins series 3-1)

March 14, 2008: MSU 1, Minnesota 0. GWG: Trevor Bruess, 17:36, 2OT (MSU up 1-0)

March 15, 2008: Minnesota 2, MSU 1. GWG: Mike Carman, 7:33, OT (UM ties series 1-1)

March 16, 2008: Minnesota 3, MSU 2. GWG: Tony Lucia, 16:59, 2OT (UM wins series 2-1)

March 10, 2006: MSU 3, North Dakota 2. GWG: Rob Rankin, 3:18, OT (MSU up 1-0)

March 12, 2004: MSU 4, Minnesota Duluth 3. GWG: Lucas Fransen, 12:18, OT (MSU up 1-0)

March 15, 2003: MSU 6, Wisconsin 5. GWG: Grant Stevenson, 1:21, 2OT (MSU wins series 2-0)

March 8, 2002: Wisconsin 3, MSU 2. GWG: Matt Murray, 7:06, OT (UW up 1-0)

March 10, 2000: MSU 2, Alaska Anchorage 1. GWG: Jesse Rooney, :53, OT (MSU up 1-0)

(Home team in bold)

Mavericks 5, Wildcats 4 (OT)

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

But first, check out Pat Christman's great photo gallery from the game, including pics of the game-winning goal in OT.

1. Ain't it Grand? Rapids, that is. The Mavericks are off to Grand Rapids, Mich., for the Final Five following a thrilling overtime game on Saturday. Despite putting 58 shots on goal, Minnesota State never led in the game until Zach Stepan (above, center) scored with 3:28 remaining in overtime. They fell behind by a goal four times and kept finding ways to tie it up. Even though a loss would have meant a Sunday game, the Mavericks were thrilled about the sweep. They're going to the Final Five in back-to-back years for the first time in their history and still might need to win the whole thing to get to the NCAAs.

2. Young guns: Stepan (read more about him in my game story here) had a goal and two assists in the game and a goal and four assists in the series. He now has 20 points. There were some high expectations on him coming into the season and he didn't make the All-Rookie team, but he scored  MSU's biggest goal of the season. Then there's sophomore Bryce Gervais, who continues his hot streak. He also had a five-point weekend, with three goals — two in the third period on Saturday. He has 10 goals in his last 13 games games and has 15. Sophomore Teddy Blueger had an assist and showed his physical side throughout the game.

3. Stay aggressive: The Mavericks didn't play scared or not to lose in overtime. They outshot the Wildcats 14-7 and put two shots off pipes (blasts by Johnny McInnis and Brett Stern). Stepan said confidence in goalie Cole Huggins (28 saves) as well as a solid defensive corps allowed them to keep pushing without having to look over their shoulders. Hastings praised defenseman Zach Palmquist for his all-around play. Palmquist's blast from the point got through goalie Mathias Dahlstrom, but the puck trickled to the side of the net where Stepan picked it up and tucked into the net for the game-winner.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 3, Bemidji State 2, 2OT (FSU wins series 2-0) ... Bowling Green 5, Michigan Tech 2 (BG win series 2-0) ... Alaska Anchorage 5, Alaska 4 (UAA wins series 2-1)

What's next: The Mavericks will play in the 1 p.m. CST game on Friday against Bowling Green. Anchorage and Ferris State will play in the nightcap.

Around college hockey: Big upsets in the NCHC with Miami (over St. Cloud State), Denver (over Nebraska Omaha) and Western Michigan (over Minnesota Duluth) keeping the local flavor out of Target Center next week. North Dakota and Colorado College will play Game 3 of their series on Sunday night.

MSU vs. Northern Michigan, WCHA Playoff Game 2

Lines can be found before the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
25-Stepan ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
12-LaFontaine ... 26-Margonari ... 19-Lehrke
24-Knowles ... 17-Huntebrinker ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan ... 2-Nelson

34-Huggins
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Buchanan, Herndon, Knoll, C. Nelson, Jo. Nelson, Thompson

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
9-Seckel ... 11-Sooth ... 15-Shine
26-Higby ... 40-Vigier ... 29-Daugherty
10-Hanson ... 20-Nowick ... 17-Siemer
16-Johnson ... 3-Kesti ... 5-Trenz

27-Epp ... 18-Eibler
23-Baker ... 42-Kaib
4-Jones ... 14-Maschmeyer

30-Dahlstrom
1-Doan

Referees: Chris Perrault, Jared Moen. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Matt Tyree.

Mavericks 3, Wildcats 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Power surge: A week after going scoreless on the power play, the Mavericks scored two big power-play goals in the second period on Friday night. But it wasn't the usual suspects who did the scoring. It was the second unit, with the red-hot Bryce Gervais (eight goals in his last 12 games) and defenseman Sean Flanagan scoring the goals and Teddy Blueger and Zach Stepan each assisting on the two goals. Flanagan's goal put MSU up 3-0 before the game's midway point, and the Mavs needed it as Northern Michigan made a third-period push.

2. Solid in goal: Just two pucks got to goalie Cole Huggins in the first period and after two he saw eight in all (giving up one goal). But he didn't get sleepy back there. The freshman stopped a short-handed breakaway in the second period and 9 of 10 shots in the third to help the Mavericks win Game 1. "It can be hard for a goaltender," coach Mike Hastings said. "You have to stay mentally strong. When (the Wildcats) put their foot to the floor and we started to back in and let them dictate pace, he showed some mental stability and some mental toughness."

3. Big picture: The Mavericks moved up to 13th in the Pairwise Rankings. But that shouldn't make the team too comfortable considering how fluid those standings can be. The goal is to keep winning and get to the Final Five in Grand Rapids next week. Minnesota State can wrap that up with a win on Saturday night or, if necessary, Sunday. Certainly, the Mavericks would like to get it done in two games.

Deep thought: Attendance was 2,157, kind of another head-scratcher, even with the students on spring break (as they were a week ago). Lots of purple seats, even in the season-ticket areas. (By comparison, last year's Game 1 against Nebraska Omaha drew 2,855, so maybe it shouldn't be too surprising.)

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 8, Bemidji State 0 ... Bowling Green 2, Michigan Tech 1 ... Alaska Anchorage 2, Alaska 1

MSU vs. Northern Michigan, WCHA Playoff Game 1

Lines can be found below the live blog ...



MINNESOTA STATE
21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
25-Stepan ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
12-LaFontaine ... 26-Margonari ... 19-Lehrke
24-Knowles ... 17-Huntebrinker ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan ... 2-Nelson

34-Huggins
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Buchanan, Herndon, Knoll, C. Nelson, Jo. Nelson, Thompson

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
9-Seckel ... 11-Sooth ... 15-Shine
26-Higby ... 40-Vigier ... 29-Daugherty
10-Hanson ... 20-Nowick ... 17-Siemer
16-Johnson ... 3-Kesti ... 5-Trenz

27-Epp ... 18-Eibler
23-Baker ... 42-Kaib
4-Jones ... 14-Maschmeyer

30-Dahlstrom
1-Doan

Referees: Chris Perrault, Jared Moen. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Matt Tyree.

Friday Morning Skate (Playoff Edition)

For the second year in a row, Minnesota State is hosting a WCHA first-round playoff series, this time as the second seed hosting seventh-place Northern Michigan. The starts at 7:07 p.m. tonight.

If last week was any indication of how the playoffs will go, expect a close, tight-checking affair between a pair of teams a lot closer than the difference in their spot in the final standings might show.

If that's the case, the Mavericks will need contributions all throughout their lineup, just as they have over the course of their nine-game unbeaten streak. That includes the fourth line where junior forward Max Gaede has accepted and owned an important role. Gaede may not be the goal scorer he thought he might be (although the biggest of his six career goals came in last season's playoffs), but scoring doesn't have to define his game.

"You won't see me stickhandling over the blue line," he said in a quote not used in the story. "I'm just going t throw it behind the D and make them sweat when I come in on them. I just gotta be the best at that, and that' pretty much what (coach Mike Hastings) wants from me. It's not too bad. I don't mind it anymore. I used to."

As for the series itself, MSU went 3-1 against Northern Michigan this season in their first-ever meetings with each other. Read more about the matchup in today's gameday preview.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, have a group of seniors that has not yet won a playoff series and hopes to check that off its list before graduation.

In the other first-round matchups ...

Alaska Anchorage at Alaska: The series got underway Thursday night in Fairbanks with the host Nanooks winning 3-2 in overtime. Colton Beck scored the game-winner 3:40 into OT. Alaska, which boasts WCHA player of the year Cody Kunyk (good choice) trailed twice in the game, including a 2-1 deficit in the third period, but now has the edge in the series.

Michigan Tech at Bowling Green: This could be a good one in Ohio. Tech went 2-1-1 against the Falcons this season, including a road sweep. Bowling Green hasn't hosted a playoff series since 2008 and hope to capitalize on the comforts of home as the Huskies go on the road for the 21st time in a row.

Bemidji State State at Ferris State: The champions and WCHA coach of the year Bob Daniels host the Beavers in what could also be a better series than a 1-8 matchup should be (the Bulldogs aren't playing Alabama Huntsville, after all). Still, Ferris' players aren't feeling too much pressure. As for Bemidji, it may have squeaked into the playoffs but there's an upset win over the Bulldogs from Feb. 15 that's pretty fresh in the Beavers' minds.

My and Matt Wellens' WCHA playoff preview can be found here, and our playoff picks can be found here. More from College Hockey News here.

Also from College Hockey News, Adam Wodon takes a closer look at the Lake Superior State situation following the ouster of coach Jim Roque.

One of the complaints I've heard about college hockey's realignment this year has been how little each conference pays attention to the others. So, in case you missed it, here's what else is happening in college hockey land ...

The Big Ten is in its final weekend of regular season play.

The NCHC is in first-round action. Nebraska Omaha beat Denver in the first of their three-game series last night, while the other matchups are Miami at St. Cloud State, Colorado College at North Dakota and Western Michigan at Minnesota Duluth.

In the Hockey East quarterfinals, Northeastern is at New Hampshire, Maine plays at Providence, Vermont goes to UMass-Lowell and Notre Dame plays at Boston College.

In the ECAC, Clarkson goes to Cornell, Yale plays at Quinnipiac, St. Lawrence is at Colgate and Dartmouth is at Union.

In Atlantic Hockey, Robert Morris plays at UConn, Canisius goes to Bentley, Holy Cross is at Mercyhurst and Niagara is at Air Force.

WCHA awards

Seven Minnesota State players were named All-WCHA on Thursday.

The Mavericks had representatives on each of the four teams, including first-team forward Matt Leitner and first-team defenseman Zach Palmquist.

Second-team picks included forward Jean-Paul LaFontaine and goaltender Cole Huggins.

Forwards Johnny McInnis and Zach Lehrke were named to the third team.

Huggins, the league’s goaltending champion and defenseman Sean Flanagan were selected to the all-rookie team.

Voting was done by head and assistant coaches, players and sports information directors.

“When you’re judged by coaches competing against you and players competing against you and you’re voted to one of he teams, it’s something you should be very proud of,” MSU coach Mike Hastings said. “We had multiple guys contribute to our season, and I think that’s a recognition for the number of guys who contributed to our regular season.”

Ferris State and Alaska each had five players picked. 

Here are the awards:

  

FIRST TEAM—Forwards: Matt Leitner, MSU; Cody Kunyk, Alaska; Matt Bailey, UAA. Defensemen: Zach Palmquist, MSU; Colton Parayko, Alaska. Goaltender: C.J. Motte, FSU.

SECOND TEAM—Forwards: Jean-Paul LaFontaine, MSU; Colton Beck, Alaska; Garrett Thompson, FSU. Defensemen: Scott Czarnowczan, FSU; Kevin Czuczman, LSSU. Goaltender: Cole Huggins, MSU.

THIRD TEAM—Forwards: Johnny McInnis, MSU; Zach Lehrke, MSU; Tyler Morley, Alaska. Defensemen: Matt Prapavessis, BSU; Jason Binkley, FSU. Goaltender: Kevin Kapalka, LSSU.

ROOKIE TEAM—Forwards: Alex Globke, LSSU; Marcus Basara, Alaska; Kyle Schempp, FSU. Defensemen: Sean Flanagan, MSU; Shane Hanna, MTU; Ruslan Pedan, MSU. Goaltender: Cole Huggins, MSU.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cody Kunyk, F, Alaska

COACH OF THE YEAR: Bob Daniels, Ferris State

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Alex Globke, Lake Superior State

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Colton Parayko, Alaska

STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Chad Brears, Alabama Huntsville 

The Mavericks also had the following players make the WCHA's All-Academic Team: Teddy Blueger, Nick Buchanan, Max Gaede, Bryce Gervais, Chase Grant, Jon Jutzi, Evan Karambelas, Mat Knoll, Zach Lehrke, Dylan Margonari, Josh Nelson, Zach Palmquist, Brett Stern, Blake Thompson and Stephon Williams.

First departure, first casualty

The new WCHA playoff format that tossed the bottom two teams out of postseason contention meant it was early season for pro prospects and coaching changes.

Lake Superior State, which needed just one point over its last four games to get a playoff spot, saw two big changes on Tuesday afternoon.

First, junior defenseman Kevin Czuczman signed a free-agent contract with the New York Islanders, opting to forgo his senior season. Czuczman was the top goal-scoring defenseman in the WCHA and sixth in the league in points.

Then the big blow game.

Lake Superior State fired coach Jim Roque, announcing that it would not be renewing his contract for next year. Roque was the Lakers' coach for nine years. He went 16-19-1 this year, the first year of the new WCHA and had his team ranked in the top 20 early on when it started 4-0-1, including a sweep of now-third-ranked Union. His record with the Lakers is 136-165-46.

Of course, a national search for his replacement will begin immediately.

WCHA final standings vs. preseason picks

Minnesota State was the overwhelming favorite to win the WCHA last fall. The Mavericks came close, falling one point short of the MacNaughton Cup. Here are the final WCHA standings and how they compare to how the coaches and media predicted things would go.

Final standings

1. Ferris State

2. Minnesota State

3. Alaska*

3. Bowling Green

5. Michigan Tech

6. Alaska Anchorage

7. Northern Michigan

8. Bemidji State*

8. Lake Superior State

10. Alabama Huntsville

* wins tiebreaker

Coaches poll

1. Minnesota State

2. Ferris State

3. Michigan Tech

4. Bowling Green

5. Alaska

6. Northern Michigan

7. Bemidji State

8. Lake Superior State

9. Alaska Anchorage

10. Alabama Huntsville

Media poll

1. Minnesota State

2. Ferris State

3. Alaska

4. Bowling Green

5. Michigan Tech

6. Northern Michigan

7. Lake Superior State

8. Bemidji State

9. Alaska Anchorage

10. Alabama Huntsville

PucKato's picks
1. Minnesota State
2. Ferris State
3. Bowling Green
4. Michigan Tech
5. Alaska
6. NorthernMichigan
7. Bemidji State
8. Lake Superior State
9. Alaska Anchorage
10. Alabama Huntsville

Mavericks 1, Huskies 1 (OT)

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Run to the Cup comes up short: The Mavericks needed to win nine games in a row to clinch a conference championship, and instead they went 8-0-1. The anticlimactic ending left the Mavericks without a share of the MacNaughton Cup (Ferris State won it outright), and it also left the Huskies to go on the road for next week's playoffs. With 13.1 seconds left in overtime, the Mavericks called timeout before an offensive-zone faceoff. Coach Mike Hastings put five forwards on the ice but didn't pull goalie Cole Huggins, figuring a loss might hurt the team's Pairwise Ranking and NCAA tournament chances. That might not have made a difference There wasn't much time for number crunching at that point but a loss would have been a big blow. Bryce Gervais scored MSU's lone goal.

2. Tech tightens up (so does MSU): The Huskies blocked 25 shots, the same number goalie Pheonix Copley stopped. Minnesota State had trouble generating goals against a team that had allowed 24 goals in its previous five games before this weekend. Matt Leitner and Jean-Paul LaFontaine lost out on the league's scoring title, as they were held without a point in the game. Meanwhile, MSU allowed just one goal in the series, and Huggins (25 saves) won the goaltending title with a 1.73 goals-against average in league play. That marks the second year in a row that a Maverick goalie won that honor. Stephon Williams won it last year.

3. Penalty problems: The Mavericks did themselves no favors on the penalty front. While they did not allow a power-play goal, they still got themselves in trouble. Dylan Margonari's unnecessary hit late in the first period put his team down a man for five minutes and also got him kicked out of the game. The latter likely hurt more, as he has been one of MSU's better players over the course of the unbeaten streak. At the end of the second, when Tech's Bradley Stebner got a major/game for a hit to Johnny McInnis' head, the first two minutes of that penalty were nullified by Jon Jutzi's retaliatory cross-check to Stebner. Minnesota State ended up scoreless on the power play for the weekend.

Read my game story here.

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

First-round playoff matchups: Bemidji State at Ferris State ... Northern Michigan at Minnesota State ... Alaska Anchorage at Alaska ... Michigan Tech at Bowling Green

MSU vs. Michigan Tech - Game 2 live blog

Lines are posted below the chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
12-LaFontaine ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
21-Grant ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
25-Stepan ... 26-Margonari ... 19-Lehrke
24-Knowles ... 17-Huntebrinker ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan ... 2-Josh Nelson

34-Huggins
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Buchanan, Herndon, Knoll, C. Nelson, Jor. Nelson, Thompson

MICHIGAN TECH
15-D. Johnstone ... 19-Pietila ... 7-Sturos
18-Eick ... 25-Neville ... 14-Gould
20-Hietala ... 10-Kero ... 23-Petan
11-Holmberg ... 9-Rix ... 8-J. Johnstone

3-Stebner ... 22-Hanna
6-Leibinger ... 29-Hyland
2-Watson ... 17-Sweeney

31-Copley
30-Phillips

Referees: Pete Friesma, Butch Mousseaux. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Matt Tyree.

Mavericks 3, Huskies 0

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. It just got real: Minnesota State will play for the MacNaughton Cup on Saturday night after winning a tightly played, playoff-like game against a defensive-minded Michigan Tech team. Ferris State also won, which means the two teams could share the trophy and the regular-season championship, although MSU currently has the tiebreaker for seeing purposes. The Mavericks have never won a WCHA title. The closest they came was a tie for second in 2002-03 when they finished six points out of first. Last year, they were just four points out of first but in a three-way tie for fourth. "We still have to look at it as just another game," goalie Cole Huggins said. "We need to come out tomorrow better than we were tonight."

2. Floodgates open: The game was scoreless until the final 3:42 when the Mavericks scored three goals to end the game. Dylan Margonari redirected a great, heads-up slap pass from Stern to get the scoring started. It was a rare clean play allowed by Tech, which did a great job bottling up the Mavericks, especially their power play, which was scoreless on five chances, getting seven shots. "Stern and I were talking about the goal after the game and said it was like the Red Sea parted," Margonari said. "It was tape to tape." Two minutes later, Chase Grant made it 2-0, with 69 seconds remaining, Bryce Gervais added an empty-net goal.

3. Shutout City: Huggins didn't see a lot of action early on, as the Mavericks allowed just three shots in the first period, one being a dump-in from center ice. But the freshman goalie stayed focused and ended up with a 26-save shutout. It was Huggins' fifth shutout (and 17th win) of the season. He has shutouts in three of his last four starts, and the Mavericks have four shutouts in their last five games. Asked about the confidence the team has in Huggins, Grant said, "Obviously, it's through the roof. It's not just is ability on the ice. He 's just calm out there. He never looks out of sorts."

Deep thought: At game's end, the Mavericks were tied for 15th in the Pairwise Rankings.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 2, Lake Superior 1 ... Bowling Green 5, Bemidji State 3 ... Northern Michigan 4, Alabama Huntsville 1 ... Alaska 7, Alaska Anchorage 2

What was decided Saturday? Alaska clinched home ice and the No. 3 seed for the WCHA playoffs. Bowling Green and Alaska Anchorage secured playoff spots, leaving four teams — Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, Bemidji State and Lake Superior State — vying for three spots on Saturday night.

MSU vs. Michigan Tech - Game 1 live blog

Lines can be found below the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
12-LaFontaine ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
21-Grant ... 23-Blueger ... 22-McInnis
25-Stepan ... 26-Margonari ... 19-Lehrke
24-Knowles ... 17-Huntebrinker ... 8-Gaede

27-Stern ... 7-Palmquist
28-Jutzi ... 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan ... 2-Josh Nelson

34-Huggins
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Buchanan, Herndon, Knoll, C. Nelson, Jor. Nelson, Thompson

MICHIGAN TECH
15-D. Johnstone ... 19-Pietila ... 7-Sturos
18-Eick ... 25-Neville ... 14-Gould
20-Hietala ... 10-Kero ... 23-Petan
12-Furne ... 9-Rix ... 8-J. Johnstone

3-Stebner ... 22-Hanna
6-Leibinger ... 29-Hyland
2-Watson ... 17-Sweeney

30-Phillips
31-Copley

Referees: Pete Friesma, Butch Mousseaux. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Matt Tyree.

Friday Morning Skate ('Much at Stake' Edition)

Nearly every newspaper and website that covers the WCHA this week used these words in their headlines: 'Much at stake.' Well, it's true ...

Minnesota State can clinch its first MacNaughton Cup this weekend when it plays Michigan Tech in a series to close out the regular season. The Mavericks are tied with Ferris State atop the WCHA standings. Two wins will give MSU at least a share of the title. The Mavericks could even clinch a share tonight with a win and a Ferris State loss to Lake Superior State.

On Saturday, MSU will honor the team's four seniors — Johnny McInnis, Josh Nelson, Zach Lehrke and Evan Karambelas. That class certainly has given the Mavericks some strong leadership. But remember in November when Lehrke was retired and Nelson appeared to be done for the season? Their return has been a big key to why the team is where it's at this weekend.

Talking to McInnis about that, he mentioned how that class came in as a much bigger freshman group. Besides those four, juniors Chase Grant and Matt Leitner entered college at the same time (both had redshirt year), and the class also included Corey Leivermann (now at Gustavus), Danny Heath (student-assistant with Mavs) and J.P. Burkemper (turned pro).

For Michigan Tech, there are some things riding in this series, too (there is for nine of the 10 teams in the conference), as the Huskies hope to grab one of the two remaining home-ice spots for next week's playoffs. They're currently in position for that now, but the standings are tight.

Read more about this weekend's series (including which MSU players are in contention for individual accolades after this weekend) here.

Going around the WCHA ...

Lake Superior State at Ferris State: Minnesota State beat up on the Lakers last week, now it hopes they can take some points away from the Bulldogs. Ferris State was swept at Alaska last week, which, combined with MSU's seven-game win streak, put it into the first-place tie. Like MSU, the Bulldogs have been very good at home. Lake Superior, meanwhile, is trying to avoid slipping out of playoff contention.

Bemidji State at Bowling Green: Kind of a weird two-series stretch for the Beavers. First, there was a big home split with Ferris State. Then, after a week off, they split at home with Alabama-Huntsville. Now, they're going on the road and playing for their postseason lives. Bowling Green is playing for the same thing; it could get home ice, make the playoffs or miss out completely. One thing's for sure about the Falcons, they've turned around their program. And eight seniors had a hand in that resurgence.

Northern Michigan at Alabama Huntsville: The Wildcats are the team holding that ninth-place spot this week, and they desperately hope they're out of it by the end of the weekend. One thing's for sure: The Chargers' win at Bemidji last week proved that four points are anything but automatic against Huntsville. UAH may have just two wins this season, but coach Mike Corbett believes the program is finally headed in the right direction.

Alaska Anchorage at Alaska: All eyes will be on Fairbanks, Alaska, late Saturday night/early Sunday morning (don't forget to turn your clocks ahead) as that final game between two rivals likely will decide plenty for the playoffs. The Seawolves have had quite the turnaround this season, but they haven't clinched a postseason spot just yet. The Nanooks might be the hottest team in the conference this week (they're at least right up there with MSU). They're in the playoffs but want home ice. 

Read more about the tight standings and how things might shake out in my and Matt Wellens' USCHO column. See our weekend predictions here.

ICYMI, there's a good column by The Bemidji Pioneer's Jack Hittinger about all the excitement in the newlook WCHA this season.

Huggins earns WCHA honor

Minnesota State freshman goaltender Cole Huggins was named WCHA defensive player player of the week for his performance in the Mavericks' sweep of Lake Superior State last weekend.

Huggins had 14-save shutout on Friday (the fourth shutout of the season for the freshman) and stopped 27 of 30 shots, allowing one even-strength goal, on Saturday for a weekend save percentage of .932.

Huggins improved his record to 16-7-0. He leads the WCHA in goals-against average for both overall games (2.08) and league games (1.86).

Other WCHA players of the week were Alaska forward Colton Beck (offensive) and Alabama Huntsville goaltender Matt Larose (rookie).

Mavericks 4, Lakers 3

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

1. Johnny on the spot: Minnesota State captain Johnny McInnis scored two goals, including his sixth game-winner of the season. The senior forward now has 19 goals and, I believe, if he didn't before, has made himself a lock to be an All-WCHA player. Talk about a player who's gotten better every year and who's saving his best for last. McInnis ain't afraid to shoot the puck and put eight on net against the Lakers. He ranks 10th in the country with 135 shots on goal, and his shot is a cannon.

2. Road tough: It's been well-documented that the Mavericks haven't been great on the road this season, but they found a way to get a road sweep — just their second of the season — on Saturday. While they dominated on Friday, Saturday's game was a grind, and the Lakers "came out and punched us right in the nose," coach Mike Hastings said in a phone interview afterward. Lake Superior had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 and quickly cut MSU's 4-2 lead to 3-2 with more than 15 minutes to play in the game.

3. Unsung heroes: Hastings said a lot of different players stepped up in the series, noting Dylan Margonari, who had an assist for a three-point weekend, and Max Gaede. Gaede got a lot of extra minutes, power-play time and late-game action. The reason, Hastings said, is because he was playing well and deserved them. The Mavericks appears to be a team firing on all cylinders.

Deep thought: How about the MSU women's hockey team Saturday night? The Mavericks forced a decisive third game in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs by shutting out No. 2 Wisconsin 3-0 in Game 2. Danielle Butters stopped a career-high 51 shots, and got some goal support with an early score in each period. That was the Mavericks' second win all-time against the Badgers. Game 3 is at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 3, Northern Michigan 2 ... Bemidji State 4, Alabama Huntsville 1 ... Alaska 5, Ferris State 3

WCHA standings
1. Minnesota State (38 points)
    Ferris State (38)
3. Alaska (28)
    Michigan Tech (28)
5. Alaska Anchorage (26)
    Bowling Green (26)
7. Bemidji State (24)
    Lake Superior State (24)
9. Northern Michigan (23)
10. Alabama Huntsville (5)

Next week's matchups
Michigan Tech at Minnesota State
Lake Superior at Ferris State
Bemidji State at Bowling Green
Northern Michigan at Alabama Huntsville
Alaska Anchorage at Alaska