Friday morning skate

Photo by Pat Christman/The Free Press

Good morning. It's hockey day in Mankato as the Mavericks get set to open their home season against UMass-Lowell. Here's a look around the WCHA this weekend, starting with MSU:

Last week, The Free Press featured co-captain Tyler Elbrecht; today co-captain Mike Dorr is the focus. Dorr, a senior forward, says Mankato and MSU feel like home to him, even though he still gets labeled as the player who can't commit. He committed to Minnesota Duluth as a 16-year-old, decommitted, went to Minnesota and transferred to Minnesota State after one semester with the Gophers.  Over the last year and a half, Dorr has 17 goals and 25 assists in 62 games. Even more is expected of him this year.

"I'm happy where I'm at," he said, "and I'm glad with the road I took. No regrets."

As for this weekend's series, Minnesota State has shuffled the lineup a bit due to the numerous injuries suffered last weekend. Expect an all-senior line of Dorr, Joe Schiller and Justin Jokinen, and senior Austin Lee likely will get the start in goal. Not sure if we'll see a forward playing defense, although a couple practiced there his week. Check back later for full lines.

For the River Hawks, they are starting a new era after last season's five-win campaign (a year that included two home losses to MSU). New coach Norm Bazin, a Lowell alum and former Colorado College assistant is the man in charge now.

Going around the WCHA, six teams begin conference play:

Minnesota at Minnesota Duluth: The Gophers call themselves a work in progress as they head north to play the national champs. Meanwhile, the Star Tribune picks Minnesota to finish fourth in the league, one spot ahead of UMD (with MSU last). ... For the Bulldogs, Duluth native Keegan Flaherty is trying to get his team started on a good note.

Wisconsin at Michigan Tech: The Badgers have high hopes for talented sophomore Mark Zengerle and not just in the assist department. Madison.com also features a WCHA preview (the Mavericks are — surprise! — 11th) and a good column by Andy Baggot about the breakup of the league. ... As for the Huskies, these will be the first league games for new coach Mel Pearson.

Bemidji State at Colorado College: The Beavers hit the road after an impressive opening weekend when they split at Miami. Lots of good coverage from Bemidji Pioneer writer Eric Stromgren here. ... As for the Tigers, these will be the first games of the year, kicking off a season that comes with high expectations.

Others playing nonconference games:

North Dakota vs. Maine: Sioux goalie Aaron Dell set a record for wins last year but he's being pushed by senior Brad Eidsness, who lost the starting job to Dell last year.

Denver at Boston College, Boston University: Speaking of goalies, Adam Murray is the man in Denver, at least until injured Sam Brittain comes back — if he comes back — from a knee injury.

St. Cloud State at Northern Michigan: For the Huskies, Jared Festler is showing he has the kind of shot that scores goals — and breaks glass.

Nebraska-Omaha and Alaska-Anchorage in Fairbanks tournament: Omaha will play the two Alaska schools, while Anchorage will play Omaha and Mercyhurst. For the red Mavericks, freshman Josh Archibald, just 17, looks like the real deal. ... Meanwhile, a Seawolves sophomore said he needed to add fitness to his game after a solid rookie year.

WCHA weekly previews at USCHO and College Hockey News.

Hockey's in the air

Call it the end of pre-preseason and the start of preseason.

The Minnesota State men's hockey team had its first practice of the season with coaches on Thursday, going through an hour-long workout at All Seasons Arena. Starting Thursday, coaches get two hours of ice time with their teams per week until the official start of the season on Oct. 1.

"This is the preseason," MSU coach Troy Jutting said afterward. "We're setting up for the first practice.

"It was good. The intensity was good. The kids worked hard. It was short, so we don't get too far into things. But it's a chance to start getting used to the pace."

The Mavericks will have another hour-long practice on Friday and then have three 40-minute practices in each of the next two weeks, Jutting said.

Senior goaltender Austin Lee said it was a good first day.

"It was good to get the first-year guys acclimated to the speed of practice. That's always fun," he said.

Senior Michael Dorr said he and fellow captain Tyler Elbrecht have been running captains practices as well as some on-ice drills to get ready for Thursday. The team has also been running and doing other dryland workouts.

"Guys are in good shape," Dorr said. "But there's a difference between on-ice shape and running shape."

Jutting praised MSU strength and conditioning coach Tom Inkrott, saying he "did a great job this summer with the kids."

MSU award winners, captains

Minnesota State announced its 2011-12 captains as well as its '10-11 award winners on Sunday.

Tyler Elbrecht and Michael Dorr will be next season's captains, with the alternate captains rotating monthly throughout the season. Cameron Cooper will be the October alternate captain. Elbrecht, a defenseman, will be a junior next season. Dorr, a forward, will be a senior. Cooper, a defenseman, will be a senior.

As for the awards ...

Most Valuable Player: Kurt Davis, sr. D
Unsung Hero and Star of the Year: Ben Youds, sr. D
Most Improved Player: Cameron Cooper, jr. D
Hustle Award (hardest worker): Tyler Elbrecht, so., D
Don Brose Leadership Award: Rylan Galiardi, sr. F

To see player bios, read the entire MSU release on the awards here.