Blueger makes NHL debut

The Associated Press

Former Minnesota State center Teddy Blueger made his National Hockey League debut Thursday when he suited up for Pittsburgh in a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Blueger, who was called up from the AHL on Tuesday, became the 13th former Mavericks player to play in the NHL.

Blueger played 6:22 in the 4-2 victory and was plus-1, being on the ice for the game's first goal (53, pictured above). He also had a penalty. Here are a couple of tweets worth noting:

Coach Sullivan on Blueger: “I thought Teddy had a strong game. He’s a real conscientious player. I think the more comfortable he gets here, the more his game will grow. I know he’s a good penalty killer and my intention is to get him more involved with that moving forward.” pic.twitter.com/fU8l6VBYlL

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2019

Congrats to one of the most determined, hardest working players we have been lucky enough to have in Mankato!!! https://t.co/NoEwiSBzVN

— Darren Blue (@DarrenBlue4) January 31, 2019

Blueger recalled by Pittsburgh

Free Press file photo

Former Mavericks player Teddy Blueger was called up to the NHL by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

The third-year pro, who played at Minnesota State from 2012 to 2016, hopes that he'll get his first big-league shot this time after getting called up last season, only to be sent down without ever getting in a game. If he gets in a game he will be the 13th former MSU player to skate in the NHL and the fifth this season (David Backes, Tyler Pitlick, Casey Nelson, Daniel Brickley*).

Blueger is leading his AHL team in scoring and has eight points over a five-game point streak that he's on. Click the link above to read more.

Also, here's a good story from earlier this month on what his teammates have to say about him.

* Brickley played four games with LA and is back in the AHL.

Gerads, McMahan receive honors

Two Minnesota State forwards received WCHA awards for their play in last weekend's victories at Northern Michigan. 

Sophomore Dallas Gerads was named the league's Forward of the Week after recording five points — three goals and two assists — in the series. He had a goal and an assist in Friday's 3-2 win and two goals and an assist in Saturday's 8-2 victory. (A postgame scoring change on MSU's second goal gave Gerads the goal.) Gerads now has 12 goals and 17 points. 

Freshman Shane McMahan was named Rookie of the Week, scoring two goals and setting up another on Saturday to double his point total to six, including three goals, for the season. 

For more on the WCHA weekly awards, go here.

Mavericks 6th in national polls

Minnesota State bumped up a spot to No. 6 in both national polls on Monday following its impressive series sweep at Northern Michigan. The Mavericks, who are No. 7 in the all-important Pairwise Rankings, were seventh in both opinion polls last week.

For more on this past weekend's series, read my weekend review here.

Below is the USCHO poll. Go here for the USA Today/USA Hockey rankings.

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
Minneapolis, Minn./January 28, 2019

   Team             (First Place)    Record   Pts  Last Week
 1 St. Cloud State           (33)   18- 4-2   980     1
 2 Massachusetts             ( 3)   19- 5-0   920     2
 3 Minnesota Duluth          ( 7)   16- 6-2   888     5
 4 Ohio State                ( 6)   15- 5-4   878     3
 5 Quinnipiac                ( 1)   18- 5-1   792     6
 6 Minnesota State                  21- 6-1   764     7
 7 Denver                           14- 6-3   696     4
 8 Western Michigan                 15- 8-1   594    13
 9 Providence                       15- 7-4   546    14
10 Clarkson                         17- 7-0   509    10
11 Notre Dame                       14- 8-3   496    11
12 Northeastern                     15- 7-1   475     8
13 Bowling Green                    17- 7-3   424     9
13 Cornell                          12- 6-1   424    12
15 Penn State                       14-10-2   224    15
16 Arizona State                    17-10-1   221    17
17 UMass Lowell                     14- 8-2   195    19
18 Union                            12- 7-4   168    16
19 Harvard                          10- 6-3   101    NR
20 Lake Superior                    16- 8-2    99    18

Others receiving votes: North Dakota 70, Yale 19, Air Force
7, Boston University 7, American International 2, Bemidji
State 1.

Brownlee sings 'O Canada' at NHL All-Star Game

Hockey player-turned country music singer Chad Brownlee, a former Minnesota State defenseman and captain, sang the Canadian national anthem prior to the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday night in San Jose. Check it out:

Mavericks 8, Wildcats 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. You get a point! You get a point! Seven different players scored goals and 13 players had points in a stunning rout at Northern Michigan. The Mavericks' eight goals was the most they've scored this season. Coach Mike Hastings praised the play of his top line of Marc Michaelis, Parker Tuomie and Charlie Gerard for the way they played from the get-go. The trio accounts for two goals and five points. "They gave us a great start in the first period," Hasting said. "We’ve been looking for (that line)for awhile to assert themselves." Michaelis now has 30 points for the season. Tuomie has 27, and Gerard has 21.

2. Depth coming through: With Max Coatta, Nick Rivera and Riese Zmolek still out with injuries, the Mavericks, as they did on Friday with Walker Duehr, got a boost from others down the line chart on Saturday. Most notable was Shane McMahan, who entered the game with three points, doubled his scoring with two goals and an assist. "I'm starting to getting a little more confidence in my game and everything I do on the ice," McMahan said. "Tonight felt pretty good." McMahan's second goal, which was MSU's eighth of the game, came on an assist from freshman defenseman Zak Galambos, his first career point.

3. Pulling away: When Minnesota State lost 1-0 at home to Lake Superior State a week ago, it kept its gap atop the WCHA standings pretty close at five points. But the sweep of the Wildcats, combined with Bowling Green's upset loss at home to ninth-place Ferris State, allowed the Mavericks to increase their lead over the Falcons to eight points. Northern Michigan is now 12 points behind MSU but with two games in hand. "Now it’s behind us, and this journey doesn’t stop," Hastings said, adding that the team will be at the Anthony Ford Pond Hockey Tournament in North Mankato on Sunday.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 3, Bowling Green 0 ... Bemidji State 5, Lake Superior State 3 ... Alaska 5, Alabama Huntsville 2 ... Michigan Tech at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Live: MSU at Northern Michigan, Game 2

MINNESOTA STATE
6-Tuomie, 20-Michaelis, 9-Gerard
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 17-Duehr
10-McMahan, 26-French, 15-Napravnik
19-Van Os-Shaw, 11-Spooner, 22-Gerads

2-Mackey, 3-McNeely
7-Aamodt, 18-Scheid
4-Carroll, 24-Hookenson
13-Galambos

29-McKay
32-Israelsson

Scratches: Berger, Bigelbach, Coatta, Schwalbe, Vanko

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
9-Loggins, 11-Rockwood, 8-Pierce
26-Readman, 18-Nardi, 16-Loughran
5-Lee, 13-Voltin, 37-Craighead
20-Klee, 29-Loven, 15-Schroer
23-Slattery

7-Bretzman, 25-Beaulieu
2-Vermeulen, 3-Fosdick
44-Black, 4-Frantti

41-Tolvanen
34-Kent

***

Mavericks 3, Wildcats 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. A tale of three periods: The Mavericks and Wildcats were scoreless in the first period, thanks mostly to Dryden McKay's outstanding play in the MSU net. He made a couple of big-time saves over the first 20 minutes and finished the game with 32 stops. In the second, Minnesota State grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by Charlie Gerard and Dallas Gerads, and the Mavericks went up 3-0 less than 2 minutes into the third. But then the ice titled the Wildcats' way, and everything seemed to be rushing back into the MSU zone. Northern scored twice, but that was all, and Minnesota State ensured no worse than a series split in a tough building.

2. Duehr the Doer: I wrote a bit about Walker Duehr in my gamer (linked below), but I left out a few quotes from coach Mike Hastings on his team's top candidate for MSU's most-improved player this season. Duehr scored one goal, had an empty-netter taken away due to a close offsides and found his defensive game to help secure the win. "One of his issues was on the defensive side of the puck, and I’m just seeing him grow that way," Hastings said. "He played some very important minutes for us down the stretch. ... It’s amazing in this game when you play the game the right way it has a tendency to pay you back and it paid him back tonight."

3. Playing short-handed: Duehr's improved play in the defensive zone was really important, especially in the third period, considering the Maverickss were missing three reliable defenders in forwards Max Coatta and Nick Rivera and defenseman Riese Zmolek. Coatta and Zmolek were injury scratches, and Rivera was hurt in the first period; his status for Saturday is unknown. Duehr acknowledged how much those players are relied, and that he and others had to step up in their stead. Minnesota State will need Duehr and others to do the same on Saturday night if it's to get a sweep against the tough Wildcats.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Lake Superior State 5, Bemidji State 2 ... Bowling Green 3, Ferris State 0 ... Alaska 3, Alabama Huntsville 1 ... Michigan Tech at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Live: MSU at Northern Michigan

Follow along with the action below tonight's lines ...

MINNESOTA STATE
6-Tuomie, 20-Michaelis, 22-Gerads
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 17-Duehr
23-Rivera, 26-French, 9-Gerard
19-Van Os-Shaw, 11-Spooner, 15-Napravnik
10-McMahan

2-Mackey, 3-McNeely
7-Aamodt, 18-Scheid
4-Carroll, 24-Hookenson

29-McKay
32-Israelsson

Scratches: Berger, Bigelbach, Coatta, Galambos, Schwalbe, Manko, Zmolek

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
9-Loggins, 11-Rockwood, 8-Pierce
26-Readman, 18-Nardi, 16-Loughran
23-Slattery, 13-Voltin, 37-Craighead
20-Klee, 29-Loven, 15-Schroer
5-Lee

7-Bretzman, 25-Beaulieu
2-Vermeulen, 3-Fosdick
44-Black, 4-Frantti

41-Tolvanen
34-Kent

***

Friday Morning Skate

The Mavericks are in the UP this weekend to take on Northern Michigan in an intriguing WCHA matchup between the league's first- and third-place teams.

Minnesota State certainly hopes it can get off to a good start in each game in order to maintain its five-point lead over Bowling Green and six-point lead over the Wildcats. They're 16-1-0 when they score first this season.

The two teams split two series last season, so expect another competitive one this week. (Here are a few things to know about the weekend.)

Northern Michigan is red-hot right now, winning its last six games, including four straight in Alaska. The Wildcats were idle last weekend after that trip. They'll be playing at home for the first time since Dec. 15. According to The Mining Journal of Marquette, coach Grant Potulny is expecting a matchup this weekend of two very similar teams.

Going around the WCHA ...

Bemidji State at Lake Superior State: This should be a good series in the Soo, as the Beavers, coming off their big Hockey Day Minnesota weekend, will try to leapfrog the up-and-coming Lakers, whom they trail in the standings by a single point. Lake State is coming off its big split at Minnesota State.

Ferris State at Bowling Green: The host Falcons are in second place but trying to figure out their offense, which has scored just 11 times in the last six games. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are trying to get out of ninth place in the standings and into playoff position.

Alaska at Alabama Huntsville: The Nanooks have split their last two series and are tied with the Chargers for seventh place in the league. Huntsville is unbeaten in four of its last five games with three wins.

Michigan Tech at Alaska Anchorage: Tech has won just one of its last seven games and hopes the two-win Seawolves will cure what's ailing them. Anchorage hasn't won since Dec. 15.

A couple cool news items:

• Read about the MSU student who won $30,000 for making the amazing shot last weekend's at a Mavericks game. Story also includes some notes on Gustavus men's coach Brett Petersen's 500th game and a recruit who recently committed to Minnesota State.

• Former Mavericks captain and country music singer Chad Brownlee will sing the Canadian national anthem at the NHL All-Star Game this weekend:

The U.S. and Canadian national anthems at the 2019 @Honda #NHLAllStar Game will be performed by @LaurenJauregui 🇺🇲 and @ChadBrownlee 🇨🇦! pic.twitter.com/bYZny2Cf5q

— NHL (@NHL) January 25, 2019

Lakers 1, Mavericks 0

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Paging Morgan Ward: Ward was the woman who won $30,000 on Friday night with an almost-impossible, nearly three-quarter rink shot into an opening barely bigger than a puck. On Saturday, the Mavericks were stopped on all 29 of their shots, thanks to goalie Mareks Mitens and some hard-nosed, physical play by the Lakers, who seemed content to ride their 1-0 lead for nearly 52 minutes after scoring the game's lone goal. MSU outshot Lake State 29-11, 11-1 in the third period. "We can't flush this," coach Mike Hastings said. "(We had) effort, discipline ... the only thing that was missing a little bit tonight, I thought, was execution. I can't beat up our guys for tonight's game."

2. Home and away: There was a nice crowd of 4,838 on hand hoping to witness MSU extend its home winning streak to 13 games. But that didn't happen, as the Lakers improved to 12-2 on the road this season. They moved into a tie for fourth place in the WCHA standings, and it looks like they'll be tough to beat no matter where they play. The Mavericks, meanwhile, have four home games left in the regular season and have three tough road trips of their own remaining: next week at Northern Michigan and later at Michigan Tech and Alaska.

3. Injury report: Just when the Mavericks get one important player, Parker Tuomie, back in the lineup, they lose another, as senior forward and captain Max Coatta was scratched from Saturday's lineup with a lower-body injury. Not sure when he got hurt, but it was sometime during Friday's game. Walker Duehr moved into Coatta's spot on the second line with Jake Jaremko and Reggie Lutz. Hastings didn't have a timeline for Coatta's return and hoped to know more early this week.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Bemidji State 3, Michigan Tech 0 ... Alabama Huntsville 6, Alaska Anchorage 3 ... Bowling Green at Alaska (late)

Live: Mavericks vs. Lakers, Game 2

The Mavericks and Lakers will conclude their seasons series at 7:07 p.m. at the Verizon Center. Minnesota State is hoping for the weekend and season sweep. Follow along with the action below tonight's lines:

MINNESOTA STATE
6-Tuomie, 20-Michaelis, 9-Gerard
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 17-Duehr
22-Gerads, 10-McMahan, 15-Napravnik
23-Rivera, 11-Spooner, 26-French
19-Van Os-Shaw

2-Mackey, 3-McNeely
25-Zmolek, 18-Scheid
7-Aamodt, 24-Hookenson

29-McKay
32-Israelsson
31-Berger

Scratches: Bigelbach, Carroll, Coatta, Galambos, Schwalbe, Vanko

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE
21-Humitz, 8-Cuglietta, 16-Calder
11-Gelsinger, 29-Torrel, 25-Karlsson
26-Veillette, 24-Eriksson, 19-Nellis
18-Basilico, 10-McKay, 17-Gamelin
14-Miura

27-Ruggiero, 4-Anderson
22-Kaelble, 23-Saccoman
3-Riedell, 15-Nordqvist

33-Kossoff
30-Mitens

***

Mavericks 5, Lakers 3

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

First things first ... The $30,000 shot:

Oh you know, just a casual THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLAR SHOT!!!!! ICE IN HER VEINS! #SCtop10 @espn @SportsCenter @Buccigross pic.twitter.com/FLc2rsfuRg

— Maverick Hockey Weekend (@MaverickHW) January 19, 2019

1. Stop thief! I spent a lot of the gamer (linked below) writing about MSU winning at home and the return of Parker Tuomie, so be sure to read that! But the Mavericks' first goal on Friday was a thing of beauty, a highlight almost as cool as the $30K shot. Nick Rivera, playing on the penalty kill, snuck up behind a defender at the Lakers blue line, picked his pocket and dashed away for a breakaway goal. One of the cooler plays you'll see. It was one of two breakaway goals for the MSU. Tuomie had the other one, and he showed off some nifty moves to make that happen.

2. Lessons learned: The Mavericks have played some close games over the last month or so, including last weekend at Ferris State, in which they had trouble extending leads. That wasn't a problem on Friday as they went up 3-0 and then answered Lake State's first two goals to maintain a fairly comfortable lead. "In games recently, we’ve taken some penalties late, and I thought our discipline was good through the third period where we didn’t create the other team’s opportunity through power plays," coach Mike Hastings said. "You need to do that. We’ve hopefully learned from some of our mistakes that way."

3. There's a Wyatt going on: I wrote about freshman defenseman Wyatt Aamodt a bit in my gamer, but he's worth mentioning here after scoring his first career goal and having a two-point night. The Hermantown native, who now has six points, and fellow rookie Andy Carroll (Friday's 19th skater) have split time among the top six D and seem to be getting more comfortable in their play. "He’s playing with some poise," Hastings said. "I think he can be a defender because he’s a 200 pounder back there that can move. I like where his game is right now, and hopefuly he can put back to back together."

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Bemidji State 4, Michigan Tech 3 (OT) ... Alabama Huntsville 6, Alaska Anchorage 2 ... Bowling Green at Alaska (late)

Live: Minnesota State vs. Lake Superior State

The Mavericks and Lakers will face off at 7:07 p.m. from the Verizon Center. Follow along with the action below tonight's lines:

MINNESOTA STATE
6-Tuomie, 20-Michaelis, 9-Gerard
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 12-Coatta
22-Gerads, 26-French, 17-Duehr
23-Rivera, 11-Spooner, 15-Napravnik

2-Mackey, 3-McNeely
25-Zmolek, 24-Hookenson
7-Aamodt, 18-Scheid
4-Carroll

29-McKay
32-Israelsson
31-Berger

Scratches: Bigelbach, Galambos, McMahan, Schwalbe, Vanko, Van Os-Shaw

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE
21-Humitz, 8-Cuglietta, 16-Calder
11-Gelsinger, 29-Torrel, 25-Karlsson
26-Veillette, 24-Eriksson, 19-Nellis
18-Basilico, 10-McKay, 17-Gamelin
9-Ambrosio

27-Ruggiero, 4-Anderson
22-Kaelble, 23-Saccoman
3-Riedell, 15-Nordqvist

33-Kossoff
30-Mitens

***

Friday Morning Skate

The Mavericks are back at home this weekend for a big series against Lake Superior State, a team that hasn't lost since the last time it played MSU on Dec. 1.  Minnesota State is looking to maintain its position atop the WCHA standings, while the Lakers are trying to get in home-ice position for the first round of the playoffs.

Minnesota State has been getting solid goaltending from freshman Dryden McKay, this week's WCHA Goaltender of the Week. He's named after Hall-of-Famer Ken Dryden, something I talked to him about for today's story. Earlier this week, I opined about the resurgence of MSU's "Elk River boys," a potentially positive trend for the Mavericks for the stretch run.

It looks like the Mavericks will be fully healthy for the series, something they haven't been able to say for awhile. That nugget, and more, can be found in The Free Press' College Hockey Gameday.

Going around the WCHA ...

Michigan Tech at Bemidji State: It's Hockey Day Minnesota in Bemidji, and the Beavers will host the Huskies in a league game outdoors tonight in what's expected to be frigid conditions. The series will move back indoors on Saturday, but there will be plenty more activities as part of the big event, including the Minnesota State women's team will be playing outside against Bemidji State on Saturday afternoon. As for Tech, it has more to get ready for than just playing outdoors this weekend;  it's hoping to get out of its 1-4-1 funk.

Bowling Green at Alaska: The Falcons have split their last two series and are hoping to pick things up in Fairbanks. They currently boast the best defense in the country, allowing 1.78 goals per game. The Nanooks are coming off their first win in six tries, an overtime victory at Bemidji State last Saturday.

Alaska Anchorage at Alabama Huntsville: These two teams have six combined wins, although the host Chargers are 1-1-1 in their last three games and have played four overtimes in their last seven games. Huntsville currently holds the eighth and final playoff position in the WCHA standings. The Seawolves, meanwhile, are in last place and have lost six straight.

Mavericks 2, Bulldogs 1

Freddy's three thoughts from afar:

1. Sweepin' ain't easy: Sure, a lot of MSU fans expected the Mavericks to win twice at ninth-place Ferris State, fearing a disastrous Pairwise hit if they come out of Big Rapids with two wins. Minnesota State won another squeaker on Saturday to get the sweep. But all you have to do is look at the other scores from around the WCHA and realize how tough a task it can be. Bemidji State and Lake Superior State couldn't sweep at home this weekend, and Bowling Green and Michigan Tech split in Houghton. Perhaps Northern Michigan will win two at last-place Alaska Anchorage. It took good goaltending by Dryden McKay and a couple of fortuitous bounces for the Mavericks to pull it off this weekend, and they're in a good spot atop the standings because of it.

2. Injury report: Mike Hastings called the win "gutsy," and indeed, the Mavericks were playing without a couple of key players. Junior forward Parker Tuomie missed his sixth straight game with a lower-body injury, and sophomore defenseman Riese Zmolek was out with an upper-body injury suffered on Friday night. Hastings said he believes Zmolek is going to be fine, but Saturday night in that small rink was the kind of game where you need good, minutes-eating, defensive defensemen. Andy Carroll filled in at Zmolek's spot on the line chart and showed that he's continuing to get better as his rookie season progresses.

3. Elk's club: I didn't quite declare the sophomore slumps of Jake Jaremko and Reggie Lutz to be over on Friday night, but I didn't jinx them either. Lutz scored a goal (while lying on his stomach), Jaremko assisted on it, and the duo from Elk River were called the Mavericks' "two best players all weekend" by Hastings after the game. As I said on Friday, if those two start playing like most people expected they would this season, MSU's depth will be hard for anyone to handle. As for Lutz's prone-position goal, Hastings said, "That's one of those where, if you do things the right way, this game has the tendency to pay you back. He did things the right way all weekend. He played hard, and he played honest."

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Alaska 2, Bemidji State 1 (OT) ... Alabama Huntsville 1, Lake Superior State 1 (OT) ... Bowling Green 3, Michigan Tech 2 ... Northern Michigan at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Mavericks 3, Bulldogs 2 (OT)

Freddy's three thoughts from afar ...

1. OT winner: Ian Scheid scored the game-winning goal at 3:03 overtime, giving the Mavericks their first win in six overtime games dating back to last season. They defeated Alabama Huntsville 3-2 in OT on Feb. 9, 2018 but then went 0-3-2 in overtime, including two playoff losses last season (Game 3 of the WCHA semifinal series to Michigan Tech and the first round of the NCAA West Regional to Minnesota Duluth). Like it did two weeks ago in Arizona, Minnesota State failed to extend or hold on to a one-goal lead in the third period. But instead of losing or tying like it did in Arizona, MSU found a way to win.

2. End of the sophomore slump? Jake Jaremko and Reggie Lutz each had a goal and an assist and played big-time minutes, coach Mike Hastings said. The Mavericks have to hope that remains a trend for the second half of the conference season. Jaremko, last season's WCHA rookie of the year with 39 points, had just five before Friday's game. Lutz, who had a 27-point rookie season, had seven. If those two get hot and stay hot, Minnesota State's depth could be tough to overcome. Of course, it also means the Mavericks have to get production from its usual suspects this season, too.

3. Different goalie: When the Mavericks and Bulldogs played each other in Mankato in November, Ferris State had freshman Roni Salmenkangas in net, and he gave up 11 of MSU's 12 goals (the other was an empty-netter). On Friday, junior Justin Kapelmaster was in goal, and he stopped 38 of 41 shots, including all 26 he faced in the second and third periods, to allow the Bulldogs to get themselves back in the game after being down 2-0 in the first period. The game was the third consecutive overtime game and sixth of the season for Ferris State.

Read my gamer here.

Around the WCHA: Lake Superior State 7, Alabama Huntsville 2 ... Michigan Tech 2, Bowling Green 0 ... Bemidji State 3, Alaska 0 ... Northern Michigan at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Friday Morning Skate

Minnesota State is back on the road, going to Ferris State for a WCHA series. The Mavericks will have head coach Mike Hastings back behind the bench for the first time since early December, having missed six games while with the U.S.'s World Junior team.

College Hockey News this week did a Q&A with Hastings about his experience at the WJC.

The Mavericks are hoping to improve their play away from Mankato, where they are 5-5-1. That's one of the five things to know about this weekend's series in the Free Press' College Hockey Gameday story.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a pair of series splits, including two overtime games at Alabama Huntsville last weekend.

Going around the WCHA ...

Bowling Green at Michigan Tech: Big series in Houghton between the second- and fourth-place teams in the WCHA. With the league season at the halfway mark, the Falcons are trying to maintain their good position and improve in order to keep it. The Huskies, meanwhile, are hoping to snap a three-game losing streak that includes games last weekend at Minnesota State.

Alaska at Bemidji State: The Beavers are back at home, fresh off an impressive split at Bowling Green, while the Nanooks are on the road for the first time since late November after going 2-4-0 on its most-recent home stand.

Alabama Huntsville at Lake Superior State: The Lakers haven't been at home for a regular-season game since Dec. 1 but they've been doing just fine since, going 6-0-0 away from Sault Ste. Marie. This weekend, they'll face the Chargers, who have three of their four wins on the road.

Northern Michigan at Alaska Anchorage: The Wildcats have put themselves in the WCHA race by winning four games in a row and five of their last six. They're on the road against the Seawolves, who have just two victories this season. USCHO has a feature on NMU goaltender Atte Tolvanen.

Mavericks 4, Huskies 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Back on track: Mike Hastings will return to Mankato in the next couple of days with a silver medal from the World Junior Championships (the U.S. lost 3-2 in the gold-medal game on Saturday night). While he was away, the Mavericks got derailed a bit at first, going 0-3-1, but they got back on the tracks with the sweep of Michigan Tech. Hastings will come home to a first-place team that's still undefeated at home (11-0-0) and one that might have some improved pieces, if the play of Walker Duehr (seven points in the last six games) and Jake Jaremko this weekend continues.

2. Save of the game: Dryden McKay appears to have taken on the mantle of the No. 1 goalie right now, getting his fourth straight start. He made 21 saves on Saturday, including two on breakaways (Tech scored on the rebound of the second one). But there was none bigger than the glove saves he made on Seamus Donohue with 37.6 seconds to go in the game. Tech had an extra attacker on the ice to try to tie the game, and Donohue was open in the right circle for a one-timer. "He’s very calm, composed and keeps us in games," associate head coach Todd Knott said. "He gives us a chance to win. Very confident in him right now."

3. Power up: After going 1 for 23 on the power play in their previous five games, the Mavericks scored twice with the man advantage on Saturday. Charlie Gerard's game-winner in chronicled in the game story linked below. Duehr also got some net-front presence and put back a rebound on a first-period PPG, a goal that came 38 seconds after Jaremko's game-opening score. "It was nice to burst the bubble with the power play," Knott said.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Alabama Huntsville 4, Ferris State 3 (OT) ... Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage (late) ... Northern Michigan at Alaska (late)

Live: Minnesota State vs. Michigan Tech, Game 2

The Mavericks will go for the sweep tonight when they host the Huskies at 7:07 p.m. Live chat can be found below tonight's lines:

MINNESOTA STATE
22-Gerads, 20-Michaelis, 17-Duehr
23-Rivera, 26-French, 9-Gerard
10-McMahan, 11-Spooner, 12-Coatta
19-Van Os-Shaw, 5-Jaremko, 15-Napravnik
16-Lutz

2-Mackey, 18-Scheid
25-Zmolek, 24-Hookenson
7-Aamodt, 3-McNeely

29-McKay
32-Israelsson
31-Berger

Scratches: Bigelbach, Carroll, Galambos, Schwalbe, Tuomie, Vanko

MICHIGAN TECH
23-Brice, 4-Bellant, 17-Misiak
8-Reitmeier, 20-Smith, 10-Jackson
28-Bliss, 15-Lucchini, 9-Parrottino
29-Broetzman, 8-Steman, 12-Halonen
16-Polglaze

7-Ford, 24-Swoyer
2-Donohue, 22-Rockwell
21-Kiilunen, 19-Gotz

30-Jurusik
35-Beydoun

***

Mavericks 4, Huskies 1

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Slump busted: The Mavericks got a much-needed win, snapping an 0-3-1 slump with a win over the Huskies, who were leading the WCHA when the night began. As I mention in the game story (link below), they did most of the things they didn't do over that stretch: They had a good start, scoring in the first minute. They extended their lead: Going up 2-0 by the end of the first period and quickly responding when Tech made it 2-1. And they killed off a big third-period penalty. Not taking late penalties and scoring on the power play (they were 0 for 5 but had good chances) are still areas that need to be cleaned up.

2. Up and down for Carroll: Andy Carroll, a freshman defenseman, Northfield native and son of MSU's first women's coach, Todd Carroll, scored his first career goal, skating out of the penalty box to create a 2-on-1 rush with Josh French. French set him up nicely, waiting for the goalie to make his move before passing across to the rookie for the finish and the 2-0 MSU lead. In the third period, though, Carroll was called for a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a check from behind. The Mavericks killed off the penalty though to help preserve the win.

3. Lineup shuffle: With Parker Tuomie out (lower-body injury), the Mavericks lines looked much different than they did the last time the team was home. The top line was Marc Michaelis centering Dallas Gerads and Walker Duehr. Still, the group accounted for two goals and two assists. Duehr had an empty-netter and an assist. Gerads had the big goal to make it 3-1 just 57 seconds after Tech cut the score to 2-1. And Michaelis, assisting on Duehr's goal, recorded point No. 100 for his career.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 3, Bemidji State 1 ... Ferris State 6, Alabama Huntsville 5 (OT) ... Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage (late) ... Northern Michigan at Alaska (late)

Live: Minnesota State vs. Michigan Tech

The Mavericks are back home in Mankato where they hope to break a four-game winless streak and leapfrog the first-place Huskies in the WCHA standings. Follow along in the live blog below tonight's lines.

MINNESOTA STATE
22-Gerads, 20-Michaelis, 17-Duehr
23-Rivera, 26-French, 9-Gerard
10-McMahan, 11-Spooner, 12-Coatta
19-Van Os-Shaw, 5-Jaremko, 15-Napravnik
16-Lutz

2-Mackey, 18-Scheid
25-Zmolek, 24-Hookenson
4-Carroll, 3-McNeely

29-McKay
32-Israelsson
31-Berger

Scratches: Aamodt, Bigelbach, Galambos, Schwalbe, Tuomie, Vanko

MICHIGAN TECH
15-Lucchini, 8-Steman, 9-Parrottino
10-Jackson, 20-Smith, 13-Beretta
29-Broetzman, 18-Reitmeier, 12-Halonen
23-Brice, 4-Bellant, 17-Misiak
16-Polglaze

2-Donohue, 22-Rockwell
6-Watson, 21-Kiilunen
7-Ford, 19-Gotz

35-Beydoun
30-Jurusik

***

Friday Morning Skate

The Mavericks are back in Mankato for the first time in nearly a month and will host Michigan Tech in a WCHA series. Minnesota State will try to stop the bleeding from a four-game winless streak and get a win or two while coach Mike Hastings is still away (by the way, the U.S. and Russia will play in the World Junior Championships semifinals at 3 p.m. today).

One player who's come on strong over the last 10 games is Josh French. He's always been a good defensive forward with speed, but he's finally starting to score goals. After tallying just one in his first 81 college games, he has six in his last 10.

"So, my first season, I don’t even score a goal, but I’m working hard every game," French said. "You just don’t quite get the reward of maybe a first star that everybody sees. But in the locker room, guys respect you and know that. So I’ve always felt that from the guys on the team. But now you get that outside bonus, that extra reward, that extra incentive."

The Mavericks will still be without one of their top scorers, Parker Tuomie (lower body), so the lines will look a bit different from the last time they were home. For more on the series, check out my College Hockey Gameday. Also, this weekend could be the first look MSU fans get of freshman Chris Van Os-Shaw. MSU is still easing him in, although he's getting more comfortable since joining the team a little over a week ago.

Michigan Tech, meanwhile, comes to Mankato on short rest, having played Sunday and Monday in the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit.

Going around the WCHA ...

Bemidji State at Bowling Green: This series started Thursday night with the visiting Beavers winning the opening game 3-2 and snapping the Falcons' seven-game unbeaten streak.

Ferris State at Alabama Huntsville: The Bulldogs broke an 11-game winless streak last weekend at Minnesota and will try to start a winning streak against the Chargers, who have been playing better hockey over the last month.

Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage: Fresh off their GLI championship, the Lakers will take their four-game winning streak to Alaska. The Seawolves have just one win in their last 16 games and have been shut out eight times, tying a single-season record. UAA is also playing at home for the first time since Nov. 10. Ten straight road games? What a ridiculous schedule.

Northern Michigan at Alaska: The Wildcats started the season 3-7-0 but are 6-3 since, perhaps starting to meet those high preseason expectations. Ryan Steig profiles Troy "Danger Zone" Loggins for The Mining Journal. The Nanooks, meanwhile, haven't played a game in nearly a month.

Leivermann named NAHL head coach

Janesville Jets photo

North Mankato native Corey Leivermann on Wednesday was promoted to head coach of the Janesville Jets, a Wisconsin-based junior hockey team that competes in the North American Hockey League.

Leivermann (pictured at left) had been the Jets' top assistant coach and director of scouting for the past 18 months. Prior to joining the team, Leivermann was head coach of the Jersey Shore Wildcats of the NA3HL and an assistant coach with the Wichita Falls Wildcats of the NAHL.

A 2008 Mankato West graduate, Leivermann played 2 1/2 seasons of college hockey at Minnesota State (2010-12) before transferring to Gustavus Adolphus, where he was a captain and All-American as a senior.

Earlier this season, another former Mavericks player, Carter Foguth, was promoted to head coach of the NAHL's Chippewa Steel (who happen to play in my hometown of Chippewa Falls, Wis.). Foguth hired one of his old MSU teammates, Zach Stepan, as an assistant coach.