MSU, WCHA release '20-21 schedule

Minnesota State won the MacNaughton Cup at Bemidji State last season and is scheduled to
close out the 2020-21 season at Bemidji this year. The Mavericks will also open the season there.

It's hard to forget how COVID-19 shut down the 2019-20 season in the middle of the WCHA tournament. And while the pandemic has also forced the 2020-21 season to be delayed, the conference is going forward with a season and announced a modified schedule on Wednesday, along with the WCHA.

Minnesota State will play a 26-game schedule with 13 home games. That includes an 18-game conference schedule following an eight-game conference schedule against conference opponents. 

The Mavericks will open the season Nov. 20-21 at Bemidji State and then host the Beavers a week later on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 27-28. Those will both be nonconference series. The in-state rivals also play each other home-and-home to close out the conference schedule, Feb. 25 in Mankato and Feb. 27 at Bemidji.

Other nonconference series are Dec. 4-5 at Michigan Tech and Dec. 11-12 at home against Northern Michigan.

The WCHA schedule begins Dec. 18-19 with MSU's final trip to Alaska Anchorage. The Mavericks will be moving into the new CCHA next season, and Anchorage, unfortunately, will be dropping hockey after the '20-21 season. They'll go to Northern Michigan on Jan. 1-2, host Michigan Tech on Jan. 8-9 and go back to the UP to play Lake Superior State Jan. 15-16.

The Mavericks will host Ferris State and Bowling Green on Jan. 22-23 and Feb. 5-6, respectively, with a bye week in between, and then they'll take what could be their last-ever trip to Alabama Huntsville Feb. 11-12. After hosting Alaska Feb. 19-20, they'll close out the season with that series against Bemidji State. The Mavericks won its third straight MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular-season champions at Bemidji on the final day of the regular season last year.

The WCHA postseason tournament will be held the weekends of March 12-13 and March 19-20, with the tournament format being determined in the coming weeks.

As for MSU home games, the university says it and the Mayo Clinic Health System Event System "will collaborate on a plan to follow Minnesota Department of Health and state and local guidelines (to determine) capacity and attendance limitations throughout the season. Information regarding those procedures and potential ticket availability will be announced no later than one week prior to the first home event."

Mavericks No. 4 in preseason poll

The first U.S. College Hockey Online rankings are out, and Minnesota State is No. 4, with one first-place vote. The Mavericks were third when the season came to an abrupt end due to COVID-19 last spring but lost seven key players to graduation and another to an early NHL signing. The cupboard's certainly not bare, with junior goaltender Dryden McKay and five players with at least 24 points last season.

North Dakota is No. 1, followed by Boston College and Minnesota Duluth. Bemidji State is the only other WCHA teams in the top 20, coming in at No. 16. Bowling Green, Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech received votes. Here is the poll: