Saturday morning skate

The hockey season is finally here, and the Mavericks will host St. Cloud State in a clash between longtime rivals.

For Minnesota State, Brad McClure is hoping to build off last year's 28-point season while also cautioning his younger teammates about the pitfalls that might lie ahead. He doesn't want them to suffer the sophomore slump, as he did two years ago.

It will be interesting to see the Mavericks' lineup. Many of the lines this week were similar to what was together during Sunday's exhibition game against Regina, but coach Mike Hastings said things are always in flux. That includes in goal where Jason Pawloski and Connor LaCouvee are competing, along with Aaron Nelson.

Hastings told the St. Cloud Times this week that he's enjoying the increased expectations placed upon his team. The Times' Mick Hatten also reports that last year's leading scorer for St. Cloud State, Mikey Eyssimont, is expected to miss the game with an illness. Mick also has a feature on the Huskies' Blake Winiecki.

Other WCHA teams got their seasons cranked up on Friday night with Michigan Tech defeating No. 16 Union 6-3 in the IceBreaker in Duluth. Today, the Huskies will play No. 6 Minnesota Duluth, which topped No. 3 Minnesota in overtime.

A few other league teams didn't fare as well, as Ferris State lost to No. 20 Western Michigan 6-1, Alabama Huntsville fell to No. 8 Notre Dame 5-3 and Alaska lost to Air Force 3-2.

Lake Superior State defeated WCHA-rival Northern Michigan in a nonconference game, spoiling new coach Grant Potulny's debut. That series moves Sault Ste. Marie to Marquette tonight.

But the surprise was in Anchorage where Alaska Anchorage played No. 7 North Dakota to a 1-1 overtime tie.