Mavericks 3, Beavers 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Tough road: Friday's game was a great way to start a stretch of games in which the Mavericks will play six of their next eight WCHA games on the road. Playing the Beavers at Bemidji is never easy, and that was the case on Friday. Mathias Israelsson's 11 saves in the first period and eight during the penalty kill allowed his team to build a 2-0 lead after a scoreless first period and then break a 2-2 tie late on Marc Michaelis' power play goal with 4:15 remaining. "We talked about the week. Coming here, it’s hard," coach Mike Hastings said. "Glad we got away with the first one."

2. French dressing: Ask Hastings about Josh French, and he won't worry about the lack of goals. The junior forward kills penalties, defends and is good in the faceoff circle. On Friday, French scored his second goal of his career. It came in Game 82 for him. You can read a little more from French in my gamer (linked below), but here's more from Hastings: "Really important goal. And he’s been playing well. … He can impact our team even though he’s not scoring a lot, killing penalties, tonight scoring a big goal. Thats what you need from your upperclassmen."

3. Confusing finish: Max Coatta could have two empty-net goals added to his total this season, but apparently they're hard to score. He was slashed going to the goal against Alaska, and although a penalty was called, the goal was not awarded (probably should have been). On Friday, he scored in the empty net for a 4-2 lead, but the officials went to review the goal and determined MSU had too many players on the ice. They also added time on the clock. Very strange. Not sure if it was an automatic review or if Bemidji State challenged the call. Either way, the least the officials could do is have the rink announcer let us know what the heck is happening. It made for a wild, albeit confusing, finish.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Lake Superior State 4, Northern Michigan 2 ... Michigan Tech 2, Alaska 1 ... North Dakota 5, Alaska Anchorage 2