Bulldogs 3, Mavericks 1

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Where'd the scoring go? This was the theme of my gamer (see link below), but Minnesota State scored just one goal for the second game in a row and lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. In what was otherwise an entertaining, up-and-down-the-rink game, the difference came down to the Bulldogs getting to the net to score two rebound goals and the Mavericks not creating second chances despite putting 34 shots on goal. "I'll use a golf analogy," coach Mike Hastings said. "Just get it in the hole, right? It doesn't matter if it goes off a tree and goes in the hole." In other words, goals don't just have to come on pretty plays, even though MSU had a nice stretch of games in which it did make many of those plays. Can the Mavericks get gritty when they have to? We'll see.

2. Big guns go silent: Minnesota State was carried early in the season by the top line of C.J. Suess, Zeb Knutson and Marc Michaelis, along with defenseman Daniel Brickley. They all had quiet nights on Saturday. Suess, who missed a chunk of the game getting a skate repaired, and Knutson had no points. They played with Parker Tuomie as Michaelis moved on a line with Jake Jaremko and Brad McClure. Brickley was minus-3 and Knutson was minus-2. Suess and Knutson, who lead MSU with 16 and 15 points, respectively, each have just one assist in the last three games. Brickley has been held of the scoresheet over that same stretch.

3. Break time: Minnesota State will get its first bye week of the year next week and it probably comes at a good time. The Mavericks have had games in eight straight weekends to start the season. Following the week off, they will play a WCHA series at Lake Superior State and one at home against Alabama Huntsville before getting another break during Christmas week. "We're going to continue to practice and get better," Hastings said. "That's what I'm looking forward to this week. Get our rest when we need our rest. But we've got to go back and tighten some bolts — and then ask a little bit more of the guys that are getting more, whether that's ice time, opportunities. Those are things you really want to ask the guys to earn, and so that's what we'll ask them to do next week."

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 2, Miami 2 (OT) ... Alabama Huntsville 5, Ferris State 3 ... Omaha 4, Northern Michigan 1 ... Michigan Tech at Alaska (late)