Blueger, Pawloski earn WCHA honors

Not surprisingly, Minnesota State senior center Teddy Blueger was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for his five-point performance in the first period of Saturday's 6-2 victory over Alaska Anchorage. Blueger had a goal and four assists as the Mavericks jumped out to the 5-0 lead. Lost in all the stats in Sunday morning's game story was the fact that his goal was also the game-winner. It was also the fifth time a WCHA player had at least five points in a period and was the first five-point game by a WCHA player since Minnesota Duluth's Jack Connolly did it on Feb. 11, 2012. Blueger also had six shots on goal in the sweep and was 25 for 32 (.781) on faceoffs.

Blueger's teammate, goaltender Jason Pawloski, also was honored, earning WCHA Rookie of the Week after earning both wins in the Mavericks' sweep over the Seawolves. Pawloski stopped 36 of 38 shots in the two games, including a 12-save shutout on Friday, for a .947 save percentge. Pawloski improved his rookie record to 5-0-2.

Bowling Green sophomore defenseman Mark Friedman was the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Falcons' sweep of Northern Michigan. Minnesota State travels to Bowling Green this week.

For more on the WCHA players of the week, go here.

Mavericks 6, Seawolves 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Teddy Time: It's not often that you see a team score five goals in one period. And when it does happen, it's even more rare that you hear the same player's name announced on every goal. But that's what happened Saturday night, as Teddy Blueger had a hand in all five of Minnesota State's goals in an offensive outburst in the first period. He scored one and assisted on four others, including two to linemate Bryce Gervais. If that pair starts heating up and playing as many hoped they would at the beginning of the season, they Mavericks could be in good shape going forward. "I thought Blueger, Gervais and (Zeb) Knutson were a spark for us the entire night," coach Mike Hastings said. Knutson also had a goal, and the three combined for 18 shots on goal. Gervais had nine of those shots and 17 for the series.

2. Power goes on: The Mavericks finally got their power play going, scoring twice on five chances Saturday to snap an 0 for 29 streak that lasted more than six games. Both goals came during a major penalty in the first period, with Blueger crashing down the weak side to tap in Michael Huntebrinker's shot pass from the others side and Gervais putting back a Huntebrinker rebound just 44 seconds after that. "Good puck movement, decisiveness," Hastings said of the power play. "Made some plays and finished." Special teams were big, as the Mavericks kept the Seawolves' power play off the board and got a short-handed goal from C.J. Franklin that made it 5-0 with nearly five minutes still to play in the first period.

3. Pawloski still unbeaten: Freshman goaltender Jason Pawloski stopped 24 shots, including a few very impressive saves, to improve his record to 5-0-2. He has played five games in a row. He finally got a nice cushion to work with, with the 5-0 lead, but the Seawolves did make a strong push, scoring twice and putting 14 shots on goal in a scoreless third period. The goalie wasn't the only rookie to make an impact on the game. Forward Max Coatta scored MSU's sixth goal of the game, his second of the year, and defenseman Alec Vanko had the second assist on Blueger's goal for his first collegiate point. The fourth line was an all freshman group of Coatta, Ryan Schwalbe and Chandler Madry.

Read my gamer here.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 4, Northern Michigan 3 (OT) ... Lake Superior State 3, Ferris State 2 ... Michigan Tech 3, Alaska 1

MSU vs. Alaska Anchorage – Game 2 live blog

The Mavericks will go for the series sweep tonight against the Seawolves. Follow along or join the conversation on the live chat below tonight's lines.

MINNESOTA STATE
9-Gervais, 23-Blueger, 10-Knutson
15-Franklin, 17-Huntebrinker, 19-McClure
24-Knowles, 26-Margonari, 14-Mullin
12-Coatta, 27-Schwalbe, 13-Madry

28-Jutzi, 6-C. Nelson
8-Brickley, 5-Foguth
22-Schmeisser, 21-Vanko

39-Pawloski
34-Huggins
29-A. Nelson

Scratches: Cooper, Flanagan, Lewis, J. Nelson, Stepan

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
8-Mitchell, 9-Tatchell, 21-Kozun
19-Jackstadt, 17-Anholt, 13-Hubbs
15-Conti, 29-Mactavish, 18-Duwe
10-Erb-Ekholm, 27-Luedtke

2-Van Allen, 7-Ege
37-Williams, 4-Johnson
5-Sevalrud, 22-Leask
6-Brown

33-Mantha
35-D'Amico

Mavericks 2, Seawolves 0

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Dominant defense: The fans at the Verizon Wireless Center saw another shutout on Friday night. Only this time, it was the Mavericks doing the blanking. Minnesota State, which had been shut out twice in five previous home games, outshot Alaska Anchorage 42-12, and freshman goalie Jason Pawloski earned a fairly easy shutout — his first as a Maverick. Pawloski credited his defense, of course, for how it played in front of him. Really, MSU kept the puck way, way, way in front of him, as in the other end of the ice where Seawolves goalie Olivier Mantha was busy. The Mavericks out-attempted the Seawolves 71-21 and allowed just two shots on goal in the third period.

2. Out of power: Minnesota State's power play went 0 for 7 and extended its scoreless streak to 29 in a row over six-plus games. It looked much better than it did against Northern Michigan a week earlier, however, as MSU had 15 shots on goal with the man advantage. Mantha came up huge on the penalty kill for the Seawolves, stopping a few tough rebound chances that easily could have been goals. Still, Minnesota State was not able to make Anchorage pay for its parade to the penalty box. The Mavericks had four chances in the first period alone, with one of those carrying over to the second period.

3. M*A*S*H unit: Who knows when the Mavericks will be fully healthy this season? They received some good news this week, as Jimmy Mullin, Jaden Schmeisser and Alec Vanko were cleared. They all played against the Seawolves and had solid moments. Mullin started strong after missing seven games following that bad hit on Oct. 30 against Alaska. Vanko missed 10 games and Schmeisser two. However, Dylan Margonari, who showed so much promise last Saturday, his fourth game back after missing the first 10, was a scratch on Friday with a lower body injury. It's not expected to keep him out long. Zach Stepan (upper body) missed his second game in a row, and defenseman Sean Flanagan (upper body) missed his first after getting hurt in overtime last Saturday.

Read my gamer here.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 2, Northern Michigan 1 ... Ferris State 1, Lake Superior State 0 ... Bemidji State 4, Alabama Huntsville 1 ... Michigan Tech 4, Alaska 1

MSU vs. Alaska Anchorage

Join the conversation or follow along during tonight's game between the Mavericks and the Seawolves. Chat can be found below tonight's lines.

MINNESOTA STATE
9-Gervais, 23-Blueger, 10-Knutson
15-Franklin, 17-Huntebrinker, 19-McClure
24-Knowles, 16-J. Nelson, 14-Mullin
12-Coatta, 27-Schwalbe, 13-Madry

28-Jutzi, 6-C. Nelson
8-Brickley, 5-Foguth
22-Schmeisser, 21-Vanko

39-Pawloski
34-Huggins
29-A. Nelson

Scratches: Cooper, Flanagan, Lewis, Margonari, Stepan

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
21-Kozun, 9-Tatchell, 11-Azurdia
8-Mitchell, 10-Erb-Ekholm, 27-Luedtke
19-Jackstadt, 17-Anholt, 13-Hubbs
15-Conti, 29-Mactavish, 18-Duwe

2-Van Allen, 7-Ege
5-Sevalrud, 22-Leask
37-Williams, 4-Johnson

33-Mantha
35-D'Amico

Black Friday Morning Skate

Good morning and happy Black Friday. Or as I like to call it, Another Hockey Day.

The Mavericks are back home after three straight games on the road and will host Alaska Anchorage in a WCHA series.

Minnesota State has only played five home games this season, going 2-3 with two shutout losses at the Verizon Wireless Center. "We want to get back on the right foot at home," senior forward Dylan Margonari said.

Margonari seems to be getting on the right foot, playing his best game last Saturday. It was also his fourth game back from an injury that kept him out of the first 10 games of the season.

It will be interesting to see MSU's lineup tonight, as it got some good news, health-wise, with senior forward Jimmy Mullin and freshman defensemen Jade Schmeisser and Alec Vanko getting cleared to play. Junior forward Zach Stepan was still being evaluated at last update after missing last Saturday's game with an upper-body injury. Junior defenseman Sean Flanagan, who suffered an upper-body injury late Saturday at Northern Michigan, remains out, as does sophomore defenseman Clint Lewis (upper body).

Read more about the series in The Free Press' College Hockey Gameday here.

Alaska Anchorage got off to a good start this season, going 5-1-1. However, the Seawolves are 1-3-1 since then, including last weekend's home loss and tie against Penn State.

The Mavericks women's team is also in action at the Verizon Wireless Center today, hosting No. 3 Minnesota as it tries to snap a 12-game losing streak.

Going around the WCHA ...

Bemidji State at Alabama Huntsville: The Beavers and Chargers wrap up their series, which began Wednesday night with a 4-1 BSU victory. Bemidji State scored three goals in the third period of that game to win its second conference game.

Northern Michigan at Bowling Green: Following their two ties against the Mavericks, the Wildcats go on the road to play a tough Falcons team that might be gaining some steam thanks to an improving power play. Bowling Green has won three straight.

Ferris State at Lake Superior State: The Bulldogs have won just once in their last five games and will head to the U.P. to face a Lakers team that has won just once its last nine games and has one win at home.

Michigan Tech at Alaska: The Huskies have been playing well, going 4-1-1 in its last six games and 6-2-1 in its last nine. The Nanooks, meanwhile, are back home where they have played just four times so far this season. They went 1-1-2 on their last road trip.

For more on the WCHA, including some comments on the controversial Big Ten age-restriction proposal, check out my and Jack Hittinger's USCHO column. Also, read our weekend predictions here.

And staying on the subject of the Big Ten, Dan Myers got some time with Minnesota coach Don Lucia and had a good back-and-forth on the proposal.

Agism in college hockey?

College Hockey News had an fascinating story on Tuesday, discovering a controversial proposal being floated (somewhat secretly) by Big Ten schools to lower the age limit for incoming players. From the story.

The legislation calls for lowering the age limit for incoming recruits from 21 to 20 years old, or, more accurately, two years past the player's expected high school graduation date. Anyone enrolling in college after 20 years old, would lose one year of NCAA eligibility for each year.

Please click on the link above and read the story, as it is excellent work by Adam Woden and CHN. But the proposal seems to be a reaction to teams that have had success against those big schools. Minnesota State, for instance, has had success in recent years against Minnesota and Wisconsin and is a school whose players often come in with up to two years of junior-hockey experience post-high school.

Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said he echoes what Northern Michigan coach Walt Kyle said in the story and added this:

"I've always been a proponent that we provide the student-athlete and the student, in general, the greatest opportunity to become contributing people to society — academically, socially, athletically.

"If you're looking at trying to take a year away from someone who's trying to better himself, someone needs to explain to me the motivation for that. I though the goal was to provide opportunities for young men and young women to better themselves."

Several college teams, including Minnesota State, have brought in players who have developed as older players and might not have gotten a college opportunity otherwise. Casey Nelson on this year's MSU team comes to mind. Another is Rylan Galiardi, who tweeted this to me in reaction to the story today:

"If that rule existed ruing my career I don't think I would have ended up at MSU."

Mavericks 2, Wildcats 2 (OT)

Freddy’s three thoughts of the game …

1. Power outage: What is up with Minnesota State’s power play? Going 0 for 4 on Saturday meant the difference in a tie vs. a win. Two of their power plays were on Wildcats majors in the second period, with the penalties overlapping and giving MSU a fairly lengthy 5 on 3, and two of them were in overtime. You can read comments about the power play from Mike Hastings in my gamer (link below), but the Mavericks have now failed to score a power play goal in their last five games and are on an 0 for 22 slump going back six games. For the season they’re 8 for 64 (12.5 percent).

2. Killer instinct: At the same time, the difference between a tie and a loss was the Mavericks’ penalty kill. Northern Michigan was 1 for 8 despite having two major penalties of its own to work with. That includes Teddy Blueger’s not-so-wise contact-to-the-head major/game misconduct that came with under 8 minutes remaining in the third period. The Mavericks killed that off to keep it a 2-2 game. (The Wildcats helped the cause by taking a minor penalty in the middle of it.) “We did a good job answering the bell,” captain Carter Foguth said. “There were a lot of ups and downs, and we had to fight to stay in it.”

3. Freshmen figuring it out: Freshman defenseman Daniel Brickley scored his first career goal, tying the game at 1-1 early in the first period. He has had a solid start to his college career. Freshman forward Chandler Madry made his college debut and ended up with an assist on C.J. Franklin’s goal, which tied the game at 2-2 early in the third. Madry got in the lineup as Zach Stepan was out with an undisclosed injury. Finally, goalie Jason Pawloski started his third game in the row and both games of a series for the first time this season. He is unbeaten at 3-0-2 and looking more and more comfortable in the net. “It was good,” he said. “The guys in front of me really played hard. I just gotta get that one extra save.”

Deep thought: After watching two tie games that were partially the result of one team’s (successful) defensive style, it might be time to spice things up in the WCHA with some 3-on-3 overtime to break ties. Give each team a point after regulation and open things up in OT for an extra point like the NHL does. Let’s see some goals!

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Michigan Tech 5, Michigan State 4 … Bowling Green 4, Alabama Huntsville 3 … Ferris State 3, Alaska 3 (OT) … Lake Superior State 1, Bemidji State 1 (OT) … Penn State at Alaska Anchorage (late)

MSU at Northern Michigan — Game 2 live blog

The Mavericks will try to wrap up a three-point weekend in the U.P. when they take on the Wildcats in the second game of a WCHA series. The puck drops at 6:07 p.m. CST. Join the conversation or follow along below tonight's lines.

MINNESOTA STATE
9-Gervais, 23-Blueger, 10-Knutson
15-Franklin, 26-Margonari, 19-McClure
24-Knowles, 16-J. Nelson, 12-Coatta
7-Cooper, 17-Huntebrinker, 13-Madry

28-Jutzi, 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan, 6-C. Nelson
8-Brickley, 27-Schwalbe

39-Pawloski
34-Huggins

Scratches: Lewis, Mullin, A. Nelson, Schmeisser, Stepan, Vanko

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
10-Hanson, 20-Nowick, 15-Shine
29-Payne, 11-Sooth, 17-Siemer
22-Adair, 2-Purpur, 24-Diamantoni
9-Loggins, 19-Starzynski, 18-Paskaruk

14-Maschmeyer, 4-Frantti
40-Klimek, 44-Black
3-Vermeulen, 5-Trenz

41-Tolvanen, 34-Dun

Mavericks 1, Wildcats 1 (OT)

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Well, that was fast: Friday night's game, which included a 5-minute overtime, ended in a cool 2 hours, 13 minutes. The first period, which had no penalties and no goals and just not a lot of stoppages at all, finished in about 25 minutes or so. And with the time change, I even have an extra hour of deadline time to work with. Why couldn't this happen for a 7:37 Central Time game? That first-period trend continued for the most part, with each team scoring a goal and each team taking two penalties. So there was that, Northern Michigan's defensive style of play and a sparse crowd of 1,334. Talk about a quiet night at the rink. Doesn't leave with much to write about either.

2. Time to get gritty: The Mavericks can come out of the U.P. with three points, but it will have to work harder to penetrate the Wildcats' packed in defense and get to rebounds and loose pucks. Dirty, gritty, greasy ... call it what you will, but that's what it will take to put a crooked number on the board and beat a tough freshman goalie in Atte Tolvanen, who has a goals-against average of 1.82 and a save percentage of .944 in seven WCHA games. "We felt like we did a pretty good job of puck possession," said Michael Huntebrinker, who led MSU with four shots on goal and made the pass that led to Brad McClure's goal. "But we didn't get the puck to the dangerous areas of the ice enough. We need to create more chances in front. We're not getting to the dirty areas."

3. New defensive hero: So much for my prediction of Zach Stepan staying at defense for the weekend, as he did down the stretch in last week's come-from-behind win over Minnesota. Stepan was the left win on the Mavericks No. 1 line (which was very good, despite not scoring, on Friday night). Instead, freshman forward Ryan Schwalbe filled in as the sixth defenseman and looked the part throughout the night. There was one third-period shift in which he was the last man back on a pair of low 2-on-1 plays and he found ways to break them up an keep the puck out of harm's way. He also had the second assist on McClure's goal. "I thought Schwalbe was solid back there." coach Mike Hastings said. "He did a good job with it."

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 3, Alabama Huntsville 2 (OT) ... Ferris State 2, Alaska 2 (OT) ... Lake Superior State 3, Bemidji State 2, ... Penn Sate at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Minnesota State at Northern Michigan — Game 1 live blog

The Mavericks and the Wildcats will faceoff at 6:07 p.m. CST. Live chat is located below tonight's lines.

MINNESOTA STATE
25-Stepan, 23-Blueger, 10-Knutson
15-Franklin, 26-Margonari, 9-Gervais
24-Knowles, 16-J. Nelson, 12-Coatta
7-Cooper, 17-Huntebrinker, 19-McClure

28-Jutzi, 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan, 6-C. Nelson
8-Brickley, 27-Schwalbe

39-Pawloski
34-Huggins

Scratches: Lewis, Madry, Mullin, A. Nelson, Schmieisser, Vanko

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
10-Hanson, 20-Nowick, 17-Siemer
29-Payne, 11-Sooth, 24-Diamantoni
22-Adair, 2-Purpur, 8-Pierce
9-Loggins, 19-Starzynski, 18-Paskaruk

14-Maschmeyer, 4-Frantti
40-Klimek, 44-Black
3-Vermeulen, 5-Trenz

41-Tolvanen
34-Dun

Friday Morning Skate

The Mavericks are playing for the first time since their big come-from-behind victory over Minnesota on Saturday night. They're back in WCHA play with a series at Northern Michigan. MSU is hoping to continue its solid start in league play, building off its 5-1 start.

Minnesota State junior forward Zach Stepan was one of the unsung heroes of Saturday's game against the Gophers, moving to defense after Jon Jutzi and Jaden Schmeisser went down after blocking shots. Stepan appears to be staying in his temporary new position for another week.

For more on the series, see The Free Press' College Hockey Gameday feature.

For more on the WCHA this week, see my and Jack Hittinger's USCHO column. And check out our weekend picks here (hope I fare better than I did last week!)

Speaking of Jack, here is a feature by him on Bemidji State goalie Reid Mimmack, who got a rare start last week.

In Bowling Green, Ryan Satkowiak writes about the Falcons trying to build momentum when they begin a six-game homestand.

In Anchorage, Doyle Woody features three Alaska Anchorage freshmen who are making an impact on the Seawolves' strong star.

It's an abbreviated skate this morning, as I'll be making the drive to Marquette. Be sure to check back later for pre- and in-game updates.

Mavericks add another recruit

Minnesota State announced a class of seven recruits when the early signing period began last week. 

Make it eight.

On Wednesday, the Mavericks announced that Edwin Hookenson, a defenseman from the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League, has signed for next season. He's the second defenseman in an otherwise forward-heavy group and is the only member of that class not from the USHL.

A 6-foot-0, 185-pound native of Lampman, Saskatchewan, Hookenson is in his third season with the Clippers. He has two goals and five assists in 24 games and is an alternate captain. Last season, he scored five goals and had 28 points in 58 games as Nanaimo won the BCHL's Interior Division regular-season title and advanced to the playoff championship series.

Mavericks 3, Gophers 2 (OT)

GOAL: @MavHockey net 3 goals in 3.5 minutes to top @gopherhockey 3-2 in OT! Teddy Blueger with the GWG. https://t.co/0pAQsRCqoK

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) November 15, 2015

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Not a typo: Just texted my son, asked him if he watched the Mavericks. He said he turned it off when they were down 2-0. Went to the video games, I'm sure. He probably wasn't the only one with that idea. Minnesota State was on the verge of getting shut out for the second night in a row to the Gophers and the fifth time this season. But won't people be surprised when they see that final score? The Mavericks scored twice with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker in the final 4 minutes or so — Bryce Gervais with 3:32 left and Brett Knowles with 44.9 to go — to tie the game and force overtime. Teddy Blueger won it in OT with 42.7 seconds on the clock and the celebration was on.

2. Stepan up: The Mavericks lost two defensemen to injury in the game, and played with just four down the stretch. Jon Jutzi didn't return after he was shaken up by a slap shot off the helmet in the second period, and Jaden Schmeisser was also out with an injury. Junior forward Zach Stepan moved back to D to spell the others. "Stepan did a great job in there acting as (a defenseman)," MSU coach Mike Hastings said. "That third period was a lot of guts." The remaining defensemen made plays, too. Casey Nelson took the shot that Gervais redirected in to get MSU on the board. And 6-foot-3 Daniel Brickley reached high to pull down a puck and keep it in the offensive zone to set up Knowles' goal. Brickley didn't get an assist on the play but he did on the game-winner.

3. Playing with poise: Brickley wasn't the only freshman who played like a veteran in the game. Goalie Jason Pawloski got his third win of the year, making 24 saves, including eight in the third period and overtime. He didn't get rattled despite giving up two late-period goals. And rookie forward Max Coatta made the best pass of the game, getting the puck down low and, instead of throwing it on goal in desperation mode, waited for Knowles to move into scoring position before dishing across the goal mouth to Knowles for the game-tying goal. "I thought Max Coatta's assist to Knowles, he showed some poise there," Hastings said.

Deep thought: Knowles' game-tying goal was the second big one he scored at Mariucci Arena. As a freshman, he scored the game-winner with 44 seconds to play in a 2-1 victory over the Gophers.

Read my game story here. Check out highlights from the game here.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 3, Michigan Tech 2 ... Arizona State 3, Lake Superior State 2 ... Bemidji State 6, Alaska 3 ... Ferris State at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Minnesota State at Minnesota — Game 2 live blog

The Mavericks will try to rebound from Friday's shutout loss and get a series split on the road. The lines have been shuffled, and Jason Pawloski starting in goal with Aaron Nelson, not Cole Huggins, dressing as the backup. Live chat can be found below tonight's lines.

MINNESOTA STATE
25-Stepan, 23-Blueger, 9-Gervais
15-Franklin, 26-Margonari, 10-Knutson
24-Knowles, 16-J. Nelson, 12-Coatta
7-Cooper, 17-Huntebrinker, 19-McClure

28-Jutzi, 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan, 6-C. Nelson
8-Brickley, 22-Schmeisser

39-Pawloski
29-A. Nelson

Scratches: Huggins, Madry, Lewis, Mullin, Schwalbe, Vanko

MINNESOTA
21-Reilly, 25-Kloos, 22-Sheehy
18-Bristedt, 17-Novak, 24-Fasching
10-Gates, 19-Lettieri, 13-Cammarata
23-Norman, 26-Romanko, 16-Ramsey

11-Seeler, 6-Collins
4-Johnson, 3-Glover
28-Bischoff, 20-Brodzinski

37-Schierhorn
34-Lehr
31-Coyne

Gophers 4, Mavericks 0

Freddy's three thoughts of the game:

1. Blank space: The Mavericks' nonconference struggles continued despite their 5-1 WCHA record in between out-of-league games. They were 0-4 with three shutouts against Omaha and St. Cloud State and, on Friday, were blanked again, this time by Minnesota. Minnesota State didn't outplay the Gophers for a whole game like it did against Omaha back in Week 1, but it did carry play for nearly the entire first period. Minnesota goalie Eric Schierhorn was very good, but the Mavericks simply missed the net on two of their best chances in the period. They outshot the Gophers 13-5 yet went into the first intermission down 1-0 on a late short-handed goal by Justin Kloos.

2. Need a Hug? While Cole Huggins didn't get any goal support — and, for the ninth time in 11 games, the Mavericks trailed 1-0 — it wasn't a night he's going to look back at too fondly. He allowed four goals on 25 shots and probably would have liked a couple of those back. The game's second goal came at the end of an extended shift in the defensive zone by Teddy Blueger's line and the third set of D, but Huggins' didn't seem to see the shot. On the third goal, he made a tough save on the initial shot but kicked out a fat rebound that was slammed into a wide-open goal after Huggins' momentum carried him several feet away from his crease.

3. Welcome back: Mavericks senior forward Dylan Margonari made his return to the rink after missing the first five weekends with a stress fracture. There's little doubt he'll be a boost to Minnesota State's lineup, having scored 14 goals last season and 32 for his career, but there definitely was some rust on Friday. He finished the game with three shots on goal and was minus-2. With Margonari in the lineup, Michael Huntebrinker was moved from center to wing. I'll be curious to see the line combinations for Saturday night's rematch at Mariucci Arena.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Michigan Tech 2, Bowling Green 0 ... Arizona State 3, Lake Superior State 0 ... Alaska 4, Bemidji State 3 ... Ferris State at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Mavericks vs. Gophers — Game 1 live chat

Follow along with tonight's action or join the conversation below tonight's lines.

MINNESOTA STATE
15-Franklin, 23-Blueger, 9-Gervais
25-Stepan, 26-Margonari, 10-Knutson
24-Knoles, 16-J. Nelson, 19-McClure
17-Huntebrinker, 27-Schwalbe, 12-Coatta

28-Jutzi, 5-Foguth
11-Flanagan, 6-C. Nelson
8-Brickley, 22-Schmeisser

34-Huggins
39-Pawloski
29-A. Nelson

Scratches: Madry, Lewis, Mullin, Cooper, Vanko

MINNESOTA
21-Reilly, 25-Kloos, 22-Sheehy
18-Bristedt, 17-Novak, 24-Fasching
10-Gates, 19-Lettieri, 13-Cammarata
23-Norman, 26-Romanko, 16-Ramsey

11-Seeler, 6-Collins
4-Johnson, 3-Glover
28-Bischoff, 20-Brodzinski

37-Schierhorn
34-Lehr
31-Coyne

Friday Morning Skate

The Gophers return to Mankato on Friday night, the first time since about midway through 2012-13 season. As of late Thursday night, Ticketmaster showed that there were only a handful of seats remaining for the game. The series moves to Minneapolis on Saturday.

Minnesota State hopes to get back on track in nonconference play after going 5-1 in WCHA play since their 0-4 start. Junior defenseman Casey Nelson appears to be back to where he left off last season, and the spotlight is on him now on the blue line with Zach Palmquist graduated.

Some good news for the Mavericks on the injury front: Dylan Margonari is back, recovered from a stress fracture and skating. He's expected to be in the lineup against the Gophers. He had 14 goals last season and also brings speed and energy. Curious to see how much rust needs to be knocked off. 

Read more about the series in The Free Press' College Hockey Gameday.

There are some parallels between these two teams this season, as the Star Tribune's Jason Gonzalez points out. Both were slow out of the gates, with losses and little scoring, and both seem to have righted the ship over the last few weeks. One area where Minnesota might be a little more consistent than MSU is in goal where freshman Eric Schierhorn has settled in nicely.

Going around the WCHA ...

• Bowling Green at Michigan Tech: These are the only two ranked teams in the conference, and they're squaring off in what should be one of the weekend's marquee matchups. Tech is learning to deal with high expectations (see the USCHO link below), while Bowling Green is looking for scoring. The Falcons do, however, feel like they have a top goalie, and Chris Nell is the guy right now.

• Alaska at Bemidji State: The Nanooks return to Minnesota after a week away but this time go north to take on the Beavers, who should be well-rested after a week off. Check out the News-Miner's feature on Alaska freshman and Montreal Canadiens draft pick Nikolas Koberstein here.

• Ferris State at Alaska Anchorage: The question in Anchorage is this: Will the Seawolves stay hot after having a week off? The Alaska Dispatch News' Doyle Woody examines what they did well to start the season. They'll be playing a team they haven't beaten in the last two seasons, the Bulldogs, who are coming off their split with Minnesota State.

• Arizona State at Lake Superior State: The Sun Devils are going to find out just what they got themselves into by making the long trip to Sault Ste. Marie this weekend. 

Read Jack Hittinger's and my USCHO column on the WCHA and check out our weekend predictions. You can also see what the Big Ten writers think of the weekend.

It's signing day (updated)

Parker Tuomie signs his NLI.

The early signing period for college hockey began Wednesday, and several players wasted no time getting their signature on the scholarship.

Minnesota State signed seven players at the start of the early periods, bringing in a rather dynamic class of USHL talent that has been lighting up that league.

"You never know about freshmen, but I like their history," MSU coach Mike Hastings said, praising assistant coach Todd Knott along with assistant Darren Blue for their work in the recruiting process. "They going to have to have an impact on our team immediately."

Here's a look at the group, with further comments from Hastings.

• Parker Tuomie, F, Sioux Falls Stampede. A a native of Hassfurt, Germany, of the Sioux Falls Stampede ranks second in the USHL in points with 16 and is first in goals with 11 through 13 games. His father, Tray Tuomie, is a Minneapolis native who played at St. Cloud State and Wisconsin before playing professionally in Germany. "I like his history of scoring goals," Hastings said. "He's a shooter. He also has a history of being a leader."

• Jake Jaremko, F, Chicago Steel. The Elk River native was Minnesota's Mr. Hockey in 2015 and currently is tied for seventh in the USHL in scoring with 12 points, including eight goals. He had 193 points in four high school seasons, including 68 as a senior when he was named the state's top player. "Jake has started off really well in the USHL," Hastings said. "He's solid down the middle. He can see the ice. He's been a distributor and a finisher."

• Nick Rivera, F, Omaha Lancers. A native of Pacific Palisades, Calif., the Lancers captain has nine points, including five goals currently. He scored 28 points last season and spent the year before that with the NAHL's Wenatchee Wild. "We were impressed with (his leadership) in the recruiting process," Hastings said. "He can play a lot of different ways. He's a hard player and is all the time, but he can finish, too."

• Michael Bigelbach, D, Omaha Lancers. A Red Wing native, Bigelbach is a 6-2 defenseman who is in his second season in Omaha where he is an assistant captain. He had eight points and 133 penalty minutes last season. He also spent a year in the NAHL after high school. "He's a transition-type of D," Hastings said. "From the red line to our end is his greatest strength, but he's got some offense. ... He's got some mental toughness. He's quiet and unassuming, but he's got some bite to him."

• Josh French, F, Omaha Lancers. A third member of the Lancers' leadership group is French, a Woodbury native who played high school hockey at Hill-Murray. He has 11 points in his second season with the Lancers and had 27 last year. As a high school senior, he had 24 goals and 43 points in 25 games. "If there's a word I can say about French, it's 'substance,'" Hastings said. "He'll help us down the middle, on the power play, penalty kill. He plays in all situations. He's a heady player and can skate."

• Charlie Gerard, F, Madison Capitols. A second-year USHL player, the Rocky River, Ohio, native has five goals and eight points so far this season. He had 33 points last season and previously played for the U18 Ohio Blue Jackets. "He has a history of scoring goals," Hastings said. "He has a great release and will shoot from everywhere. (Capitols coach) Troy Ward has really helped round out his game."

• Marc Michaelis, F, Green Bay Gamblers. Another native of Germany, who has 11 points, including 10 assists in his second junior season, and was a teammate of Tuomie's on Germany's World Junior team last winter. "Parker (Tuomie) went to bat for Marc, and we liked what we saw," Hastings said. "He sees the rink very well and is a good skater."

Casey Nelson honored

Mavericks junior defenseman Casey Nelson was named WCHA defensive player of the week for his performance in the weekend's series split at Ferris State.

Nelson had two goals and four points in the 7-4 loss and 3-2 victory. He put nine shots on goal and blocked two shots, too. Nelson had a goal and two assists in the first game and an important, game-tying goal in the second game. He was +2 for the weekend.

Nelson has three goals and six assists this season and his nine points lead the Mavericks. He is also first int the WCHA and tied for third in the nation in scoring by a defenseman.

Other players of the week were Alaska forward Tyler Morley (offensive) and Ferris State forward Corey Mackin (rookie). Read more about them here.

Mavericks 3, Bulldogs 2

Freddy's three thoughts from afar:

1. On the rebound, Part I: Nice bounce-back win for the Mavericks to get the series split after losing 7-4 in Friday's opener. Zach Stepan got things going less than two minutes into the game, and even though the Bulldogs pushed back and took the lead, the Mavericks got it back and then clamped down to hold on to the 3-2 victory. Coach Mike Hastings said his team played well enough offensively to win on Friday but was "as loose defensively as we've been." Twas not the case on Saturday. Casey Nelson had MSU's other goal for a four-point weekend, and Zeb Knutson got the game-winner and had a two-point night.

2. On the rebound, Part II: The Mavericks not only needed to tighten things up defensively, they needed a goaltender to play better. Cole Huggins stopped 29 shots, including all 13 he faced in the third period, as well as a penalty shot in the first period — "Huge momentum swing," Hastings said of the penalty shot — to earn the victory. He and Jason Pawloski struggled on Friday, with Pawloski getting pulled after one period and Huggins allowing four goals on 21 shots after that. Assuming third-stringer Aaron Nelson was back in Mankato, one of those two was going to have to go again, and the veteran got the nod. "He found a way," Hastings said. "He played calm in the third period."

3. Secondary scoring: Hastings said he liked his team's balance on Saturday after moving C.J. Franklin back to the top line with Teddy Blueger and Bryce Gervais. Those three didn't register a point on Saturday (although they did have seven shots on goal combined). But the other three groups did get MSU on the board. Stepan scored from Jordan Nelson and Knutson. Casey Nelson, a defenseman, scored from fellow D-man Sean Flanagan and fourth-line center Ryan Schwalbe. And Knutson later scored from Michael Huntebrinker. All three goals came in even-strength situations (MSU finished 0 for 6 on the power play.)

Read more here.

Around the WCHA: Lake Superior State 1, Bowling Green 1 (OT) ... Michigan Tech 2, Alabama Huntsville 1 ... Northern Michigan at Alaska (late).

Bulldogs 7, Mavericks 4

Freddy's three thoughts from afar ...

1. Surprising result: Tough to beat a team nine times in a row, so the Mavericks' loss at Ferris State on Friday wasn't surprising. What was, however, was the allowing of seven goals (one an empty netter), something MSU hasn't done since playing Wisconsin in the 2013 Final Five. Jason Pawloski allowed two goals on five shots in the first period and got the hook. Cole Huggins didn't fare much better, allowing four goals on 21 shots over the next two periods. When MSU tied the game at 4-all with a pair of goals midway through the third period and seemingly had all the momentum, they didn't get the big save they needed to maintain that. Just as quickly, Ferris State was back up by two.

2. Penalty-plagued: Twenty penalties were called in the game, including nine on the Mavericks. That's too much time in the box, especially on the road. Bulldogs power-play goals gave them leads of 2-1 and 4-2. Ferris State had eight power-play chances in all. A week ago, MSU was disciplined and put Alaska on the power play once — in the entire series. The Mavericks scored two power-plays, too against the Bulldogs, getting goals from C.J. Franklin and Casey Nelson. However, Franklin also had six PIMs. They need him on the ice.

3. Kid friendly: Freshman forward Max Coatta scored his first goal as a Minnesota State player, tying the game at 4-4 at 9:51 of the third period. He finished the game +1 with three shots on goal, playing on the fourth line with fellow rookies Ryan Schwalbe and Steen Cooper. Confidence in defenseman Daniel Brickley's game appears to be growing, too, especially after his struggles in the Mavericks' exhibition game. Ferris State's highly touted freshman, Corey Mackin, finished with two assists. Bulldogs goalie Darren Smith (34 saves) also is a freshman.

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

Friday Morning Skate

The Mavericks are on the road again, for the third time in five weeks, this time in Big Rapids, Mich., to take on Ferris State in a WCHA series. This looked like it would be quite the rivalry when the two teams came together in the same conference, and the games certainly have been intense affairs. However, the Mavericks are 8-0-0 over the past two seasons against the Bulldogs, including five wins last season. Will they be able to keep that streak going this year?

The trip to Michigan is always special for Mavericks junior defenseman Carter Foguth, a Fenton, Mich., native. And the seven Division I programs in that state missed out on a good one by letting him escape to Minnesota State.

(Another fun fact about Carter Foguth. Damon Whitten, Lake Superior State's head coach, is his cousin.)

Ferris State, meanwhile, is coming off a road split at Michigan Tech (its second split against the Huskies in three weeks), getting coach Bob Daniels his 400th career victory along the way. All 400 wins have come at Ferris State, where he is now in his 24th season.

I'll be monitoring the MSU-FSU series from afar, as this is one of the trips I don't take during the season.

The Minnesota State women's team is idle this weekend, but if you need your fix, here is my Tuesday Free Press column about Miracle on Ice members John Harrington and Mark Johnson squaring off against each other for the first time last weekend in Mankato.

There are three other WCHA series going on this weekend, too:

Lake Superior State at Bowling Green: The Falcons started the season with six of their first seven games on the road and are glad to finally be home for a full weekend when they host the Lakers. Hard to argue with a 4-2-1 record given those travels. The Lakers, meanwhile are hoping to snap a three-game skid.

Michigan Tech at Alabama Huntsville: The Huskies have split their first three weekends, playing Ferris State twice and Northern Michigan. They'll try to better that this weekend in Huntsville against an improved Chargers team that's lost just once in its last five games.

Northern Michigan at Alaska: The Wildcats haven't left the UP since opening weekend when they went to Wisconsin. Now they're on a long trip to Fairbanks where they will play a Nanooks team that was just swept in Mankato. Alaska will have Tyler Morley back in the lineup following his one-game suspension for that unpenalized hit on MSU's Jimmy Mullin (Mullin, by the way is not on the trip to Ferris and did not practice this week).

Read more about the WCHA, including Alaska Anchorage's strong start to the season in my and Jack Hittinger's USCHO column. Our picks will be posted later.