Mavericks 7, Bulldogs 1

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Great start: Sometimes it takes a little time to shake off the rust after a bye week. That wasn't the case on Friday for the Mavericks. They scored three first-period goals, outshooting Ferris State 14-5 in the process. The first of two goals by Marc Michaelis just 40 seconds into the second period put the home team up 4-0, and the game was never in doubt after that. "As the (first) period went on we kept getting better," coach Mike Hastings said. "We started to get into a little bit of a rhythm where we were playing four lines and we were playing six-seven defensemen. And when we can do that, (when) you get everybody to play, it really gets your bench in a good mindset."

2. Scoring barrage: Michaelis (2 goals, 1 assist) and Parker Tuomie (1 goal, 2 assists) each had three-point games, as did sophomore defenseman Connor Mackey with three assists. Thirteen different players had at least one point — good feelings all around. Jared Spooner, with a goal and assist, also had a multi-point game. Tuomie now has 16 points (6-10) in nine games, and Michaelis has 14 (7-7). No one has been able to slow them down yet this season.

3. Getting involved: The Mavericks' defensemen had six points, becoming more involved in the offensive game. "For us to get better over this stretch we have, we need to get better support from our back end offensively ... creating more shots from the blue line." First off, there was Mackey, who now has nine points. And then there was Jack McNeely, another sophomore, who finished off a 2-on-1 with Max Coatta with a pretty backhander for his first career goal. "It’s great," Hastings said. "I wish I could share with people out there how our bench reacted to it. It’s very uplifting. Jack works hard every day."

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Clarkson 3, Michigan Tech 1 ... Lake Superior State 5, Bowling Green 0 ... Northern Michigan 3, Alaska Anchorage 0 ... St. Cloud State 2, Bemidji State 0 ... Alabama Huntsville 3, Alaska 1