Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...
1. Kill shot: Minnesota State's penalty kill has been stellar over the last couple of weeks, but the penalties finally caught up to the Mavericks on Saturday (read more in my gamer linked below). In all, MSU took nine penalties for 29 minutes. The more important number was that it put the Wildcats on the power play six times again. The Mavericks shut them down on Friday but allowed two goals on Saturday, and that was the difference. Northern Michigan scored three goals in the second period to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead. The other goal was penalty-related, too. It was short-handed and came during a delayed penalty on MSU.
2. Points on the road: The Mavericks left Marquette with a split, meaning three points for the WCHA standings. This has rarely been an easy place for the Mavericks to play. Since the two became WCHA mates, Minnesota State has never swept at the Berry. However, it's always come away with points. Including this weekend, they are 3-2-3 here. Mike Hastings complimented both current NMU coach Grant Potulny and previous coach Walt Kyle for how the Wildcats played. "If you ever got one out of here, like we did last night, you knew the second night was going to be incredibly difficult, just like it was tonight."
3. Northern going up: Jumping off the previous thought, this Northern Michigan team looks good. It's 5-3-0 now, with wins against Minnesota State, Wisconsin and a sweep at Ferris State. Potulny definitely inherited a team in which the cupboard was not bare. Robbie Payne (1 goal, 1 assist) and Troy Loggins (2 goals, 1 assist) were excellent on Saturday, as was Mathias Israelsson in goal, a pretty good backup to the excellent Atte Tolvanen.
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA: Alaska Anchorage 4, Lake Superior State 1 ... Bowling Green 2, Michigan Tech 2 (BG wins in shootout) ... Alabama Huntsville at Arizona State (late) ... Bemidji State at Alaska (late
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