1. How much did we learn? There's no question the team and the coaches get something out of these exhibition games — teaching moments, practicing some systems, work on special teams, etc. But for the rest of us, gleaning too much from a preseason game that followed the first official day of practice might be tough. The freshmen looked very good (see my gamer below) and should gain a lot of confidence from their first time in an MSU uniform, but it's all uphill from here for them. This was the fourth blowout exhibition win in coach Mike Hastings' six seasons. There was also a 5-3 win last year against Regina and a 3-2 loss the previous year to Alberta. In the other seasons that started with a dominating exhibition win, the Mavericks made the NCAA tournament at the end of the year.
2. Goalies got game: My gamer didn't go into too much detail about the goaltending. Jason Pawloski (10 saves) and Aaron Nelson (11) got the most work in the first and third periods, respectively. Newcomer Connor LaCouvee didn't see as much action, facing just four shots in the second period as the Maverick put 23 on net in the middle frame. "We came out really well in the first five minutes and then, after that, kind of went into a little bit of a slumber. (Pawloski) had to be good," Hastings said. "We need him to be that way. LaCouvee didn't have as much traffic, as much rubber thrown at him. And then Nelson, as he always has, comes in prepared, even though he's been sitting on the bench for two periods. From that standpoint, I'm really happy with what those guys did tonight."
3. And away we go: Now the season starts for real with the Mavericks hosting St. Cloud State on Saturday night (also Hockey Night in Mankato). The Huskies played Regina on Saturday and also won 8-0. St. Cloud State had a 53-25 shot advantage (MSU's was 44-25) and was 2 for 6 on the power play (MSU was 3 for 6). Very similar games — by those numbers, anyway. Should be a fun atmosphere at the Verizon Center for that one. Another good thing in preparation for that game is that some of the Mavericks' veterans stood out in limited time Sunday. C.J. Suess scored a goal, and Brad McClure and a goal and two assists. Marc Michaelis, Parker Tuomie and Ian Scheid each had two assists. Max Coatta also scored.
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA (games from the weekend): Wisconsin 3, Michigan Tech 2 ... Alaska 6, Simon Fraser 0 (ex.) ... Alaska Anchorage 6, Simon Fraser 1 (ex.) ... Bowling Green 3, Wilfrid Laurier 1 (ex.) ... Lake Superior State 3, Laurentian 2
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