The No. 3 Mavericks are back home after two weeks on the road and will face Alaska Anchorage in a series at the Verizon Center. Minnesota State went 3-1-0 on its road swing and now will try to remain unbeaten at home.
The Mavericks' defense has been very good this season. One reason for that is the number of shots the team blocks. Despite what you often see from advanced hockey stats, MSU blocks a lot of shots while also outshooting opponents by quite a lot. Often teams that block many shots are also giving up many more opportunities.
"Blockings hots doesn't take as much skill as will," coach Mike Hastings said.
The Mavericks are third in the WCHA with 198 blocked shots. Leading the way is junior defenseman Edwin Hookenson, who is tops in the conference and third in the country with 42 blocked shots. He's also really turning into quite the reliable defenseman.
"The first year (at MSU) was tough, being in and out of the lineup," Hookenson said, "and the second year a little bit of the same. So now it’s really nice to be in the lineup every night and contributing and playing a lot more minutes than I have in the last couple of years."
For more on the series, check out the College Hockey Gameday feature.
As for Anchorage, the Seawolves are looking to break a 10-game winless streak. They gave North Dakota a scare in their last game, falling 4-3 after leading 3-1 after two periods. They were able to practice at Sullivan Arena this week, although other athletic facilities at UAA suffered damage in last week's earthquake.
Going around the WCHA, all 10 teams are in action against each other this weekend for the first time this season. Here are the other matchups:
Bowling Green at Ferris State: The Falcons want to keep things going when they go on the road to Big Rapids with a three-game winning streak. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are desperate to break a six-game losing streak.
Michigan Tech at/vs. Northern Michigan: Big home-and-home rivalry weekend in the U.P. between the No. 20 Huskies and the Wildcats, who haven't played a game in 10 days. Tech hasn't lost in WCHA play yet and holds a two-point lead over Minnesota State atop the league standings.
Alabama Huntsville at Bemidji State: The one-win Chargers are in northern Minnesota to take on their old CHA rivals, the Beavers, although that rivalry hasn't really carried over to the new WCHA.
Lake Superior State at Alaska: The Lakers will try to bounce back from getting swept by MSU in the Soo last weekend but are on the road to Fairbanks where the Nanooks, who are getting some good play lately from junior defenseman Tristen Thompson.
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