Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...
1. Not just a role player: Nick Rivera has made a pretty big impact this season, just not offensively. Killing penalties, blocking shots, preserving late leads ... the senior forward and co-captain is the kind of veteran willing to do just about anything to get a win. But scoring's nice, too. The OT hero of last year's WCHA championship game went into Saturday's game with just one goal for the season, so it was nice to see him finally pot a couple of goals in a grind-it-out win over Alaska. Both came during his time to shine — a short-handed goal on the penalty kill and an empty-netter as the Mavericks were trying to salt away the game.
2. Call him 'Shooter': I wrote about Reggie Lutz's penchant for shooting the puck in this week's preview story, and he showed that off with what turned out to be the game-winning goal midway through the third period. Taking advantage of a neutral-zone turnover forced by defenseman Riese Zmolek, Lutz carried the puck into the zone on an odd-man rush and fired a nasty wrist shot from the top of the circle over the goaltender's stick-side shoulder for the 2-0 lead. It was his eighth goal of the season, a career high.
3. Scary moment: A lot of MSU fans breathed a sigh of relief when Marc Michaelis came out for the second period. Late in the first period, he was checked from behind by Kylar Hope and left the rink doubled over in pain. He went straight to the locker room or training room after that. He ended up being OK, of course, but it could have been a devastating loss for the Mavericks, as he is their captain, leading scorer and best player. It was a really bad hit, especially because Michaelis had just taken on another hit and didn't see it coming. I'll be curious to see if it results in any further discipline from the league.
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA: Northern Michigan 4, Bowling Green 3, OT ... Bemidji State 4, Ferris State 1 ... North Dakota 5, Alabama Huntsville 2 ... Arizona State 4, Michigan Tech 3 ... Alaska Anchorage 2, Lake Superior State 0
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