Saturday Morning Skate

The Mavericks' season starts today! Check out the Saturday Morning Skate on the Puckato Substack. Be sure to subscribe. Hoping to grow that site as the season goes on! 

Next on the pod: Nathan Davis ... er ... Smith!

CCHA Preseason Player of the Year and MSU junior forward Nathan Smith joins me on the Maverick Hockey Live Podcast this week to talk about the upcoming season, his preseason award, roller hockey and his decision to return for another year of college hockey. Take a listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Mavericks dominate CCHA preseason picks

As I continue to consider the logistics of a Substack page/newsletter, possibly with a paid subscription. (for now, sign up here), the new CCHA came out with its preseason awards and predictions on Monday.

Minnesota State, which won the last four straight WCHA championships, is the favorite to win the first CCHA regular season title, per the league's head coaches, five of whom gave the Mavericks their first-place vote. Here are the results:

1. Minnesota State (5) 67 points

2. Bemidji State (1) 63 

3. Michigan Tech (2) 55

4. Northern Michigan 54

5. Bowling Green 46

6. Lake Superior State 45

7. Ferris State 32

8. St. Thomas 30

Mavericks junior forward Nathan Smith, who came on strong in the NCAA tournament, was picked as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year, a bit of a surprise, as senior goalie Dryden McKay was the WCHA's top player last season, as well as a Hobey Baker and Richter Award finalist. Smith, a second-team All-WCHA selection last season, had 25 points, including nine goals a year ago and was the WCHA's top power-play point scorer (13).

Smith and McKay were among four MSU players to make the CCHA's Preseason All-Conference Team, joining senior forward Julian Napravnik and sophomore defenseman Akito Hirose. Northern Michigan forward Joseph Nardi and Michigan Tech defenseman Colin Swoyer were the other selections.

Finally, Bowling Green forward Austen Swankler was named CCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year.

A new season, a new venture

Hello! 

We're only a couple of weeks away from the start of the 2021-22 hockey season, and I'm excited to say that I'm still hanging around the sport!

After taking a bit of a stab at it last spring before the playoffs, I'm proud to announce that I'll be hosting the Maverick Hockey Live Podcast this season. This will be a weekly feature as part of a bunch of content Minnesota State hockey is rolling out this year.

I recorded the first episode this week, and it was released today. I talked to a couple of super-senior, fifth-year players, both defensemen — one you all know well and one you might not. Jack McNeely is returning to the Mavericks with his extra year of eligibility granted due to the pandemic, and Benton Maas comes to MSU for his extra season after four years at New Hampshire. Each offered a different perspective as to why he is at Minnesota State for a fifth year of college hockey (McNeely isn't alone; teammate Reggie Lutz is also back with the Mavs for a fifth season). 

Give it a listen here (or go to Apple Podcasts or other podcast apps and subscribe):

I'm considering some other areas to involve myself in covering some college hockey this season. One consideration is to start a Substack page, possibly with a paid subscription. For now, get in on the ground floor with that by signing up here.

Feeling Blue: Mavericks' longtime assistant steps away

Over the last two decades plus, I'm not sure I met anyone more passionate about Minnesota State men's hockey than Darren Blue. The guy simply bleeds purple and gold.

A former Mavericks player and captain, he became an assistant coach for his alma mater in 2000, when Troy Jutting took over as head coach for the retiring Don Brose. Blue spent 12 seasons with Jutting and then, after Jutting was fired, stayed on with Mike Hastings (and fellow assistant Todd Knott) for nine seasons. I'm sure it was a thrill for him to be behind the bench as the Mavericks became a powerhouse in the WCHA and eventually made it to the Division I Frozen Four for the first time last April.

On Monday, Minnesota State announced that Blue is stepping away from the bench to take a job in the private sector. For a lot of people, it will be strange not to see him around the rink. There simply aren't that many people who have been associated with the program for more years than he. Brose started the program and coached for 30 years. Jutting was a four-year player and a 10-year assistant before taking the reins for a dozen years. Paul Allan has been in athletic communications at the university since 1985.

"Darren Blue has been synonymous with Maverick hockey for over two decades. ..." Hastings said in a press release. "His integrity, class and passion for Maverick hockey and the city of Mankato has helped build our program to where it is today. ... (He) has been instrumental from day one on helping me understand what it means to be a Maverick."

Blue literally helped build MSU into a Division I program. As a player in the 1990s, he led efforts to whip up community support for the building of the downtown arena the Mavericks eventually called home. When the facility was being renovated to become MSU's everyday home in 2015, Blue's penchant for detail was often noted in the design of the new locker rooms, offices and training areas. (It certainly makes sense, then, that his next move is to be a business strategist for the sports and recreation business unit at ISG.)

Blue has been the connection between the hockey program and its alumni, finding ways to keep them involved with the the program well beyond their playing days and even making sure they completed their college degrees. (It will be interesting to see if, perhaps, Hastings hires a former MSU player to replace Blue, and, if so, who might be a candidate.)

"It's hard to believe 21 years in this position have gone by so fast," Blue said in a statement. "I think that's a testament to the quality of people and players I have had the opportunity to work with during this time."

McKay shut out for Richter, Hobey

The Associated Press

It was no surprise that Dryden McKay didn't win the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top men's college hockey player. That he didn't get the Richter Award as the country's top goalie, though, was a bit of a shocker, at least in these parts.

McKay, who racked up 10 shutouts this season and had stunning numbers, especially over the first half of the season, lost out to Minnesota's Jack LaFontaine for the Richter. High-scoring Wisconsin forward Cole Caufield, as expected, won the Hobey.

Interestingly, McKay was a top three Hobey finalist — the Hobey Hat Trick —and LaFontaine was not. It should be noted, however, that those awards have two different committees and different voting windows. It's been reported that the Richter vote came after conference championship weekend (not great for McKay and pretty good for LaFontaine), while the Hobey vote came after the NCAA regional round (when McKay shut out the Gophers in a head-to-head meeting with LaFontaine to get to the Frozen Four).

LaFontaine stopped 46 of 50 shots in the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin for a 6-4 win, while McKay got pulled after giving up four goals on 14 shots in the WCHA semifinal against Northern Michigan. If that was the last impression voters got of two extremely close candidates before turning in their ballots, that might have made a difference. A week later, following that head-to-head matchup, who knows what the result would have been? Perhaps that result was why McKay, and not LaFontaine, made the Hobey Hat Trick.

Following Minnesota State's 5-4 loss to St. Cloud State in the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday, McKay finished the season 21-4-0 — all against WCHA opponents prior to the NCAAs — with a .924 save percentage and a 1.54 goals-against average. He also had 10 shutouts to raise his career total to 24, two shy of Ryan Miller's NCAA record.

LaFontaine, playing only Big Ten games before the tournament, went 22-7-0 with stats of .934, 1.79 and five shutouts. 

Both goalies, interestingly enough, had series shutouts on the road this season, McKay at Northern Michigan and LaFontaine at Notre Dame.

Although I can live with the result — LaFontaine indeed had a great season — I, for one, will defend McKay on a few fronts: His consistency over three seasons has been incredible. The confidence with which his team plays in front of him is impressive. And the shutout total, no matter who MSU played, is insane. It's hard to get shutouts, and, at one point this season strung together three in a row — all on the road! McKay shut out Bemidji State, Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan (twice), Bowling Green, Michigan Tech and Minnesota — not just the WCHA bottom feeders. 

Finally, I'll add that, unlike LaFontaine and Boston College's Spencer Knight, McKay is not a 6-foot-3 NHL draft pick who makes scouts go gaga when he steps on the ice for warmups. He's 5-11 (maybe) and, who knows, might end up playing five season of college hockey when all is said and done.

As for all of the arguing (and there was plenty on Twitter for an hour-plus after the announcement), it's not like anyone who voted for LaFontaine thinks McKay is terrible. I'm guessing it was a very, very close vote, a flip of a coin, perhaps. It's just tough, I'm sure, for Minnesota State and its fans to swallow this for a second year in a row.

On a positive note, McKay was also named second-team West All-American on Friday (LaFontaine was first-team), becoming MSU's first two-time Division I All-American.

Huskies 5, Mavericks 4

The Associated Press

Freddy's three thoughts ...

1. So, so close: It was a great game between Minnesota State and St. Cloud State. Mike Hastings said afterward, "When you have two evenly matched teams, a play at the end of the game can make the difference." And that's what happen when the Huskies' Nolan Walker scored the game-winner on a deflected shot with 53.2 seconds to play in regulation. Minnesota State got down early and was down 3-1 before storming back to take a 4-3 lead at 4:18 of the third period. But it couldn't add to that lead or close out this final-period lead, and the Huskies made the comeback to win it and move on to the championship game.

2. Smith steps up: Minnesota State sophomore forward Nathan Smith might have been the best player on the ice, scoring two goals, both on the power play. If the Winnipeg Jets draft pick returns next season, he could be quite a force in the new CCHA. "The steps he made over the last few weeks are going to serve him well," Hasting said. "I thought (he) was outstanding in the regional and was impactful tonight." Walker Duehr had a big goal to spark MSU's second-period comeback and a big assist to fellow senior Dallas Gerads for the go-ahead goal.

3. Historic season: This season won't soon be forgotten, as the Mavericks got to the Frozen Four for the first time. "They wrote some new history," Hastings said. "Last March, a year ago, when that group was on that journey, they didn't get a chance to write it. I think this group picked those pieces up." Senior Riese Zmolek fought back tears during the post-game press conference, saying: "Obviously, it's tough, what we just went through, But I'm proud of the group we have in there. It's a special group of guys. I'm proud of every single person in that locker room. ... And the coaching staff, coach Hastings, they'll be back. They'll be back for more."

Deep thought: The ESPN broadcast left so much to be desired. Between Nathan Smith being called "Davis," Todd Burgess being called "Tom" or even "Tommy," and Barry Melrose clearly not knowing which team was which or what conference they played in, it was really tough to watch. I appreciate John Buccigross' passion for college hockey and his commitment to trying to give a niche, regional sport some national exposure, but a little prep can go a long way to improve a broadcast. Be better, ESPN.

Frozen Four morning skate

Associated Press

It's been almost exactly a year since I left the Minnesota State hockey beat for The Free Press, so, yes, today, not being in Pittsburgh, is a little tough personally. I'll be watching, from afar, of course, but to see this team make it to the sport's biggest stage just one year after my 20-year career covering the Mavericks ended gives me the slightest twinge of sadness.

On the other hand, I have no regrets about the job change, and, if not for some COVID protocols that will make covering this event unique, if not difficult, I might have taken some PTO and gone to Pittsburgh anyway. Anyway, this is not about me. I think about those players on last year's team who saw their chance to play for a championship dashed by COVID-19. And, of course, there are those players who suffered those difficult first-round losses over the years. I think about the fans who have been waiting a long, long time for this day. A newspaper writer who maybe quit a year early? Well, there's always the blog, right!

All right, let's get to game day. The Mavericks take on in-state rival St. Cloud State at 4 p.m. today on ESPN2. The winner will play the winner of Minnesota-Duluth and UMass on Saturday.

For the Mavericks, they'll try to use a familiar formula to get past the Huskies and play for a championships. They're enjoying their first trip to the Frozen Four, but they're not satisfied with just being there. St. Cloud State is hoping to find a way to beat one of the nation's best goaltenders, Hobey Baker and Richter Award finalist Dryden McKay.

The Star Tribune previews the game here and gives its players to watch (including, naturally, McKay) here.

College Hockey News notes that the best conference in college hockey right now might be the ... Northern Sun and has more coverage here.

USCHO looks at MSU's starts and notes that a fast one might be in order against St. Cloud State. Full coverage here.

Enjoy the day, Maverick fans!

One day more

Minnesota State and the three other teams in the Frozen Four practiced and had their press conferences in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and everyone's still holding their breath on COVID protocols, especially after UMass lost four players for its semifinal game, including its No. 1 goaltender and leading scorer, due to contract tracing.

There's a lot of excitement, though, especially around Mankato and the Mavericks program where alumni and, yes, the old founder, Don Brose, are all but declaring Thursday a local holiday. 

(This just in ... they are declaring it a holiday, of sorts, in Mankato and North Mankato!)

Great to see that Brosey is making his way to Pittsburgh to see this.

The coverage is coming fast and furious, and as much as it's killing this former beat writer not to be in Pittsburgh right now, I did get to contribute to another college hockey broadcast. And, of course, there are a lot of good people there doing good work. Check out College Hockey News and USCHO, in addition to your local papers.

Hastings named national coach of the year

Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings won the American Hockey Coaches Association's Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year, the group announced on Tuesday. It was the second time Hastings has received the honor, having first won in 2015.

Hastings has the Mavericks in the Frozen Four for the first time ever in a season in which the team is 22-4-1 and captured its fourth straight WCHA regular-season championship.

While it's hard to say if this season has been Hastings' best coaching job, it has been impressive, considering the significant turnover from last year's team (two All-Americans, 3 of their top 4 scorers, half their D-corps, eight seniors who had played no fewer than 121 games each, etc.) and the severe disappointment that loaded team suffered when COVID-19 shut down the season and canceled the NCAA Tournament.

Granted, another All-American, Dryden McKay returned in goal, and there remained plenty more experience — from Riese Zmolek and Jack McNeely on the back end to Julian Napravnik and Nathan Smith and seniors Jake Jaremko, Reggie Lutz and Dallas Gerads up front (to name a few) — on the roster. But who would have guessed this would be the team to break the NCAA curse and take this program into April? Quite a story.

Entering the Frozen Four, Hastings has a career college record of 236-89-24 for a .711 winning percentage, best among active Division I men's coaches.

Playing in April

Minnesota State is prepping for Pittsburgh and the Frozen Four this week, and the content is coming in. Here's a little for your Monday-night reading (more tomorrow):

In case you missed it, ol' Puckato appeared on College Hockey News' Frozen Four Preview Podcast and, on Tuesday, will join Ryan Stanzel's State of the Skates broadcast.

The Free Press' Kevin Dudley had a great feature on Mike Hastings, talking to peers and former players to find out what makes him tick. Meanwhile Jason Feldman of The Rink Live takes a closer look at Hastings' trusty assistant coaches.

With three Minnesota teams playing in the Frozen Four this week, a lot of people are envoking the dream of Herb Brooks and John Mariucci.

The Mavericks will be playing St. Cloud State at 4 p.m. Thursday, and the Star Tribune's Pat Reusse takes a look back at the old rivals' long history.

With COVID still lingering, everyone's crossing their fingers that college hockey is going to make it through the final weekend of the season unscathed.

There is only one team remaining in the tournament that has a Hobey Baker finalist and a Richter Award finalist, and that is Minnesota State with goalie Dryden McKay. McKay was named to the Hobey Hat Trick, the top three finalists, last week, along with two forwards, Hobey-favorite Cole Caufield of Wisconsin and Shane Pinto of North Dakota. Those awards will be announced on Friday afternoon, the day between the Frozen Four semifinals and championship, along with the AHCA West and East All-Americans.

Frozen Four-bound!

The Associated Press

Freddy's three thoughts (from afar ... sigh):

1. Carrying the banner: At the beginning of each season, Mike Hastings makes sure to emphasize that it's a new year, a new team, one that has to build its own "book of business" or "go back to the basement" and "build a new foundation." The past being the past and all. But this Mavericks team, which is Pittsburgh-bound after defeating — really, dominating — Minnesota 4-0 on Sunday, might have been playing for all of those MSU teams that suffered through bad bounces, controversial goals, comebacks and collapses. Certainly they must have had last year's team — the one that so many thought would be competing for a national title, only to have its chances wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic — on their minds. With the weight of 0 for 6 off their backs after defeating Quinnipiac in OT on Saturday, the Mavericks played one of their finest, most-complete games in recent memory to get to their first Frozen Four.

2. 29 on the Richter scale: Dryden McKay, as usual, got a lot of help from his defense, which blocked 23 shot and held the Gophers to just nine shots on net over the first two periods. But he still came up big when he had to, stopping 13 shots in the third period and finishing with his 10th shutout of the season and the 24th of his career in the biggest game of his career (so far). McKay is one of three finalists for the Mike Richter Award, which goes to the nation's top goaltender. He out-dueled one of the others tonight in the Gophers' Jack LaFontaine (23 saves), while the other, Boston College's Spencer Knight, lost 4-1 to St. Cloud State, MSU's opponent in the national semifinal. McKay is also the only one of the 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists whose season is still alive.

3. Breakout weekend: Ryan Sandelin was named the regional's MVP after his two-goal, on-assist weekend that included Saturday's OT winner. He scored the second goal on Sunday, tipping in a Jack McNeely point shot. Sandelin, Sam Morton and Brendan Furry earned Hastings' trust over the course of the weekend and seemed to get more and more playing time as the weekend went on. Morton scored the first goal against Minnesota. Nathan Smith also had a two-goal weekend, and his goal in the third period was the backbreaker. Dallas Gerads added an empty-netter. It was quite a weekend for the Sandelin family, of course, after Minnesota Duluth, coached by Ryan's dad, Scott, made a fourth straight Frozen Four after a five-OT win over North Dakota late Saturday night.

Relive the historic night in Colorado! #HornsUp😈 #FrozenFourBound pic.twitter.com/zom09vq2tu

— Minnesota State Hockey (@MavHockey) March 29, 2021

Mavericks 4, Bobcats 3 (OT)

THE CURSE IS DONE FOR GOOD! 😈 pic.twitter.com/eMKgnz7c8m

— Minnesota State Hockey (@MavHockey) March 28, 2021

Freddy's three thoughts ...

1. Finally! Minnesota State got its long-awaited NCAA tournament victory, ending a six-game string of bad luck, heartbreak and failure with a win over Quinnipiac. To exorcise their cruise, the Mavericks had to make a remarkable, two-goal, third-period comeback that included Cade Borchardt's game-tying, extra-attacker goal with 1:02 remaining in regulation. Ryan Sandelin was the overtime hero, slamming in a loose puck on a scramble in front of the Bobcats net and sending his team on to a regional final for the first time. (Mike Sullivan's radio call of the GWG is in the above tweet.) Goaltender Dryden McKay stopped 27 shots for his 20th win of the season.

2. Tough start: The Mavericks came out of the gates slow — not ideal — and Quinnipiac grabbed a 2-0 lead, outshooting MSU 13-6, in the first period. But MSU had early leads in its previous two NCAA games — 3-0 against Providence in 2019 and 2-0 against Minnesota Duluth in 2018 — and let them slip away. On Saturday, they didn't let their deficit bring them down and took over from the second period on, outshooting the Bobcats 32-17 the rest of the way. Jake Jaremko scored in the second, and even though they fell behind 3-1 in the third period, they kept up the pressure, cutting their deficit to one score on a Nathan Smith goal with 5:06 left in regulation. 

3. Making plays: Borchardt's goal was set up by a brilliant play by freshman defenseman Jake Livingstone, who carried the puck deep, going through traffic, and dished a perfect pass for Borchardt to fire in. (Sully's radio call of that goal is in the tweet below.) Sandelin's was set up by hard plays around the net by Brendan Furry and Reggie Lutz. Sandelin had been knocked to the ice but got up quickly and went to the net where he appeared to be the only player to notice the loose puck that goalie Keith Petruzzelli couldn't find to cover.

Yeah I did record ourselves watching the game. And yeah, I did sync it to radio. And yeah, winning is personal. Huge moment for @MavHockey. Long time coming! So excited for everyone😀 pic.twitter.com/Ck5aUAYU1K

— Greg Vandermause (@GregVandermause) March 28, 2021

The Mavericks will play Minnesota in the West Regional Final at 7 p.m. Sunday. The game will be on ESPN2.

Saturday Morning Skate

Minnesota State will try to snap its NCAA winless streak today when it plays Quinnipiac in the West Regional at 4 p.m. in Loveland, Colo. (ESPN3). 

It's been an interesting tournament so far, with two teams, Notre Dame and Michigan, pulled from the field due to positive COVID tests. Those results came after Monday, so their games were declared no contests, and Boston College and Minnesota Duluth advanced to their respective regional finals.

Bemidji State pulled off the big upset on Friday with a decisive 6-3 victory over Wisconsin in Bridgeport, Conn. The Beavers got up early and never really looked back against the East Region's No. 1 seed. Bemidji State will play UMass at 4 p.m. today (seriously, NCAA, how hard is it to not have these games be played at the same time!) for a trip to the Frozen Four. UMass knocked off WCHA playoff champion Lake Superior State 5-1. 

In other first day action, North Dakota beat American International 5-1 and will play NCHC-rival UMD at 6:30 p.m. today in the Midwest Regional final in Fargo, N.D.

First-round games today include Minnesota vs. Omaha at 8 p.m. on the other side of the West bracket and St. Cloud State vs. Boston University at noon in the Northeast Regional in Albany, N.Y., with BC awaiting the winner.

As for the Mavericks, they feel they need to establish their "ground game" early in order to break through. They've had some slow starts this year and can't afford to do that in an elimination game. Perhaps last week's loss to Northern Michigan in the WCHA semifinals helped them hit the reset button. Minnesota State is also trying to be COVID cautious and avoid any situation such as whatever got Notre Dame or Michigan in trouble.

The Free Press' Kevin Dudley is in Loveland and has been reporting on the Mavericks, including a nice feature about goalie Dryden McKay and his father, Ross. McKay on Friday was named one of three finalists for the Richter Award as the nation's top goalie, along with Minnesota's Jack LaFontaine and BC's Spencer Knight.

The Rink Live's Jason Feldman gives you 10 things to know about MSU's matchup with Quinnipiac, and the Star Tribune's Randy Johnson is also covering the Mavs, along with the Gophers.

Mavericks heading West

Minnesota State is heading to the West Regional in Loveland, Colorado, for the NCAA tournament. The Mavericks will be the No. 2 seed in the region and take on No. 3 Quinnipiac at 3 p.m. The game will be shown on ESPN3. Minnesota is the No. 1 seed in the region and will play No. 4 Omaha.

"We’re excited," MSU coach Mike Hastings said. "Everybody’s excited. I think anybody that gets into this tournament is excited about what their opportunities are. The idea is getting there and then having the opportunity to win a championship."

For the first time ever, all five of Minnesota's Division I men's programs are in the national tournament. Besides the Mavericks and Gophers, Minnesota Duluth will be the No. 3 seed at the Midwest Regional in Fargo; St. Cloud State will be the 2 at Albany, N.Y.; and Bemidji State will be the 4 at Bridgeport, Conn.

"I think it says a lot when you're looking at 5 of 16 teams being within our border," Hastings said. "I'm really happy for the group, considering every one of those head coaches a very good friend of mine. Hopefully we can all go and represent the state of Minnesota the way we want to."

Also, for the first time since 2013 realignment, the WCHA will have three teams in the NCAAs. Lake Superior State, which won the WCHA playoff championship on Saturday in Mankato, will be the No. 3 seed in Bridgeport.

"Very well deserving," Hastings said. "Congratulations to Lake Superior State, and congratulations to Bemidji State. I think our league this year was an incredible grind."

Quinnipiac is 17-7-4 and lost to St. Lawrence in overtime in the ECAC championship game on Saturday (St. Lawrence ended up declining the auto-bid due to a positive COVID test from its coach). The Bobcats have two Hobey Baker candidates in Odeen Tufto and Keith Petruzelli. Tufto has 45 points, including a nation-leading 38 assists in 28 games. Petruzelli, a goalie has a .927 save percentage and a 1.82 goals-against average.

"There are some guys that jump off the paper," Hastings said. "And they're as sound defensively as you'll find in college hockey."

The Loveland regional will be played without fans. The Mavericks will leave Wednesday for the regional and will be required to undergo COVID testing in advance of the tournament.

Wildcats 5, Mavericks 1

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Un-Dryden-like: Who would have thought Minnesota State goaltender Dryden McKay was going to give up four goals, including one from the blue line, and get the hook a little more than halfway through a WCHA semifinal game? Hard to blame him on the first two goals, and he made a highlight save in the closing seconds of the first period to keep it 1-0 at the first break, but it was hardly a Richter-esque performance from one of the best goalies in college hockey this season.

2. Out of sorts: The Mavericks didn't have a shot on goal for nearly 13 minutes in the first period and had 26 shots blocked. Northern Michigan was all over them, and MSU began to struggle completing passes and getting to second chances around the net. It's a bit of what happened a week earlier against Ferris State, in the first game of sweep that definitely didn't satisfy them. Reggie Lutz scored the Mavericks' lone goal on a power play in the third period. 

3. What's next? The Mavericks are a lock for the NCAA tournament, but it will be interesting to see where they're seeded and where they'll go? Will the loss keep them from a No. 1 seed? They're still No, 1 in the Pairwise, but that's not being used to determine the field this year. Meanwhile, Northern Michigan at 11-16-1 is a win away from stealing the WCHA's auto-bid and spoiling someone's at-large chance, perhaps one of the two teams playing tonight, Bemidji State and Lake Superior State.

For more coverage, read my gamer on College Hockey News.

Friday Morning Skate

The WCHA championship weekend is here, and it's all taking place in Mankato. I like this format. I'd like it better if the arena could be full. As it stands with COVID restrictions, here is the schedule:

• 1-Minnesota State vs. 6-Northern Michigan, 2:07 p.m.

• 2-Lake Superior State vs. 4-Bemidij State, 7:37 p.m.

• Sauer Trophy championship game, 7:07 p.m. Saturday

The third-ranked Mavericks enter the weekend with four wins in a row and having won 11 of their last 12 games. They're playing well right now, showing off some depth. One player who's rolling is senior forward Walker Duehr, undeterred by his slow start to the season, The Free Press' Kevin Dudley writes. Dudley also reports that Reggie Lutz has been cleared to play after missing last weekend, which should be a boost to MSU's offense.

The, of course, there's goaltender Dryden McKay, who was named a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award this week, the second year in a row he has reached that point for the nation's top-player honor. He's one of four goalies on the list and the only WCHA player.

In other honors this week, Mavericks coach Mike Hastings was named WCHA coach of the decade for the 2010s, while McKay, Marc Michaelis and Matt Leitner were named to the all-decade team, as the league celebrates 70 seasons. I'm proud to have been part of the season-long project, writing about the 2000s and the 2010s. Be sure to check it out.

Also, if you haven't already, take a listen to my podcast with Minnesota State senior captain Riese Zmolek. Need to catch up, here's a link to last week's podcast with McKay.

For more on the Mavericks' awards and a look at this weekend, check out The Rink Live's coverage. Jason Feldman also writes about the four goaltenders in the tournament, and FloHockey's Tim Rappleye looks at MSU's German influence that started with Michaelis and Parker Tuomie and continues with Julian Napravnik.

Meanwhile, Northern Michigan enters the weekend as the only remaining team to go three games last weekend and pull off a first-round upset. The Wildcats knocked off third-seeded Bowling Green last weekend and are confident and relaxed heading into today's semifinal matchup, writes The Mining Journal's Ryan Stieg.

While Minnesota State is a virtual lock for the NCAA tournament, and Northern Michigan knows it needs to win twice this weekend to get in, Lake Superior State and Bemidji State appear to be on the NCAA bubble, per the prognosticators, so tonight's matchup could have huge implications. The Lakers haven't been to the national tournament since 1996, the last of nine straight appearances that included three championships.

For the Beavers, meanwhile, Mankato native Kyle Looft is excited to return home for the playoffs.

The Beavers have won six of their last seven games, including a split at home against the Lakers, who have won five of their last six.

I'll be covering games for College Hockey News this weekend, so be sure to go there for further coverage.

Another podcast: My conversation with Riese Zmolek

I sat down with Minnesota State captain Riese Zmolek to talk about this unique season, winning four MacNaughton Cups and this weekend's WCHA semifinals and championship.

Mavericks 3, Bulldogs 1

Freddy's three thoughts ...

1. Better effort: Minnesota State clearly wasn't happy with its performance on Friday despite a 3-0 victory. Jared Spooner described their play as "arrogant" and "ungrateful" afterward. The Mavericks came out much better on Saturday, going hard to the net and making plays amid the Ferris State traffic, which it simply did not do much on Friday. If not for a stellar effort by Bulldogs goaltender Ron Salmenkangas (28 saves, 14 in the first period), the Mavericks would have put the game away early in the first period. As it turned out, the game was scoreless again through the first 20 minutes. Go figure. "It was a battle," coach Mike Hastings said. "The last one is always hard to win in a series, and a Bob Daniels (coached) team is not going to go away."

2. Do it, Duehr: Walker Duehr broke the scoreless stalemate at 9:03 of the second period, burying a nice behind-the-net pass from Spooner. Spooner and Shane McMahan did the dirty work along the wall and behind the net, but Walker had the nice finish and improved his point-scoring streak to five games. He's really come on over the second half of the season after a slow start. His 15 points equal his total from last year and is one shy of his total from his sophomore season. "A real honest, heavy line," Hastings said.

3. And the rest: Sam Morton put MSU up 2-0 at 2:19 of the third period with a shot that hit the pipe but went into the net after hitting Salmenkangas in the skates. Jake Livingstone gave the Mavericks a 3-1 cushion with a 180-foot empty-net goal with 45 seconds to play. Livingstone and his D partner, Riese Zmolek each finished plus-3. As for Dryden McKay, no shutout this night, but he was rock-solid once again, making 23 saves, including a few flurries. Ferris broke through with 7:00 to go on Marshall Moise's power-play goal.

Up next: Minnesota State will host the WCHA semifinals and finals on Friday and Saturday. Schedule to be determined. As of right now, the Mavericks and Lake Superior State, the No. 2 seed, are in. The Lakers swept Alabama Huntsville, 6-1 and 4-1.

Mavericks 3, Bulldogs 0

Freddy's three thoughts ...

1. Let's wait awhile: The playoff game between the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds in the WCHA was a tight one and remained scoreless until 8:49 of the third period when Julian Napravnik scored a power-play goal. The WCHA Offensive Player of the Year cashed in with his 10th goal of the season and his sixth game-winner. That loosened up the Bulldogs' tightly packed defense a bit, and the Mavericks added two more goals, one from Jared Spooner just 53 seconds later and another from Walker Duehr, who continues to stay hot.

2. Big day: On Friday afternoon, the WCHA announced that Dryden McKay had won the league's Player of the Year Award, joining Marc Michaelis and C.J. Suess to claim that honor. He backed that up by recording his ninth shutout of the season and the 23rd of his career — 23 of his 72 career wins have been shutouts. Crazy. McKay made just 15 saves but several tough ones, especially over the game's first 10 minutes but also throughout the game's scoreless stretch. "We hung him out to dry a couple times," coach Mike Hastings said. "But he's OK at handling that type of situation. He gave us an opportunity to get our feet underneath us."

3. Playing hard: Watching MSU play Ferris State a few times this season, you figured the Bulldogs might be a tough out. They play hard defensively and block shots, and they were aggressive offensively early on Friday's game to try to get a quick lead. "They played with a lot more jam and desperation," Hastings said. "Thank goodness we had Dryden McKay." It's been a tough season for them, going 1-21-1 with the lone win coming against a Division III team. The Bulldogs look like a better team than than that. They'll try to get a win and keep their season alive in Game 2 at 4:07 p.m. Saturday.