Freddy's three thoughts (from afar):
1. 'Momentum injector': The Mavericks got an early major power play to work with and scored twice to get off to a good start on the road. "It's either a momentum injector or it can suck the energy out of you if you don't score," coach Mike Hastings said of the power play. MSU's power play finished 3 for 5 on Friday, getting two goals from Marc Michaelis and one from Reggie Lutz. The power play and has clicked at 47.2% over the Mavericks' winning streak, now up to 10 games, and 34.3% for the season.
2. Bump in the road: Northern Michigan's first goal really could have tripped up the Mavericks, considering it came on a misplay and turned a 2-0 lead into a 2-1 lead. The Wildcats got some momentum out of it and made a good push, but the Mavericks survived that and then all but delivered the dagger with a pair of late goals in the period to take a 4-1 lead into the third period. That was an impressive stretch, even for the No. 1 team in the country, preventing a pretty potent offense from taking control on its home ice.
3. Streak ends: The winning streak continued but the Mavericks' streak of allowing one or fewer goals ended late in the game when the Wildcats netted a second goal. It was the first time since Nov. 1 that a team scored more than one goal on MSU. It's happened three times this season, a tie (4-4 against North Dakota), a loss (3-2 in overtime to Bowling Green) and now a win. The Northern Michigan announcers made kind of a big deal out of it at the end, although I'm guessing the Wildcats aren't crazy about moral victories.
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA: No. 10 Bowling Green 2, Lake Superior State ... Alabama Huntsville 2, Ferris State 2 (OT, Chargers win 3x3 OT) ... Michigan Tech 2, No. 4 Clarkson 2 (OT)
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