Huskies 7, Mavericks 3

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. First-period meltdown: It's almost easy to forget that Minnesota State scored first in the game as they tried to get their first WCHA series sweep since Dec. 2-3, 2010 (Minnesota). Evan Mosey got the goal when his centering pass went in off traffic. But sloppy (and in some cases nonexistent) defensive coverage, untimely penalties and perhaps an off night by Phil Cook was a poisonous cocktail for the Mavericks, and Tech went off, scoring six first-period goals to lead 6-2 at the first intermission. Ryan Furne (2 goals, 1 assist), Brett Olson (2 goals, 1 assist) and David Johnstone (3 assists) each had three points in the period, and by the end of the game every Michigan Tech forward had at least one point.

2. After further review: First-period momentum may have hinged on a video replay review that led to Michigan Tech's second goal. Originally called no goal on the ice — referee Brad Shepherd immediately and enthusiastically waved it off and signaled that Alex MacLeod put the puck into the net with his hand — the call was overturned after a lengthy look at the video by Shepherd and Todd Anderson. MSU coach Troy Jutting said Shepherd told him that MacLeod was able to get his stick on the puck before the puck crossed the goal line. Some who have seen the replay say it was close, perhaps not close enough to overturn, but the only look I have of it is Pat Christman's photo shown above.

3. Freshmen have strong weekend: Matt Leitner had a three-point game for the Mavericks, scoring a goal to make it 5-2 with a little more than five minutes remaining in the first period and assisting on the other two goals. Zach Palmquist had a goal an assist. Leitner, a freshman forward, ended up with a four-point weekend and has 23 (9 goals, 14 assists) for the season, one behind fellow freshman Jean-Paul LaFontaine. Palmquist, a rookie defenseman, also had a four-point weekend and has six goals and nine assists.

Read The Free Press' game story here.

Around the WCHA: Bemidji State 6, Nebraska Omaha 4 ... St. Cloud State 2, Wisconsin 1 ... Denver  2, Colorado College 2 ... Alaska Anchorage 3, Minnesota Duluth 2

Mavericks 5, Huskies 3

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Friday night is finally fun: The Mavericks won their first Friday night game since December 9 and their first WCHA series opener since Nov. 11 by beating a pretty good Michigan Tech team. Minnesota State got up 3-0 in the first period and, after Tech tied the game, got two in the third to pull off the win. Goals were scored by Zach Palmquist, Zach Lehrke, Eriah Hayes, Matt Leitner (GWG) and Johnny McInnis. Palmquist also had an assist for a two-point game, and Jean-Paul LaFontaine assisted on two goals. With the bad streak broken, MSU will try to keep another one going, as they have won their last four Saturday-night games.

2. Deja vu (for awhile): A week ago Michigan Tech was down 4-0 at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth before rallying to tie 4-4. The next night the Huskies shut out the Bulldogs 5-0. On Friday, MSU was up 3-0 in the first period and Tech got hits rally hat going again. A power-goal late in the first period and two deflected goals (one on the power play) in the second tied up the game and seemingly gave all of the momentum to the visitors. Tech probably would have taken the lead if not for the continued brilliant play of goalie Phil Cook, who stopped 22 shots in the second period and had a season-high 43 for the game. The Mavericks stopped the bleeding in the third, though, as Leitner scored an early power-play goal to go up 4-3.

3. Pretty plays: Just as they did in their win at Bemidji State last Saturday, the Mavericks were scoring on some brilliant-looking plays and set-ups. Palmquist took a drop pass from Eli Zuck then pinched in deep before lifting a backhanded shot over goalie Josh Robinson. Hayes fired in a perfect LaFontaine pass that hit his tape from out of the corner 50+ feet away and McInnis finished off a nifty move and pass from Justin Jokinen. LaFontaine simple continues to show off his great vision and high hockey IQ out there.

Deep thought: A bit off topic but thanks to the MSU athletics crew for putting on the annual media hockey game tonight after the Mavs played. Part of the reason the "Three Thoughts" were a bit late tonight was because I participated in it, along with more than 20 others on the Verizon Wireless Center ice. As usual, a great time was had by all — and I'm going to be darn sore in the morning!

Read The Free Press' gamer here.

Around the WCHA: St. Cloud State 5, Wisconsin 1 ... Bemidji State 1, Nebraska Omaha 1 (OT) ... Colorado College 2, Denver 0 ... Minnesota Duluth 4, Alaska Anchorage 1

Friday morning skate (updated)

The Mavericks are back at home for a week and will face the surging Michigan Tech Huskies, who only took three of four points and scored nine unanswered goals a week ago at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth. The two teams split in an early November series in Houghton, Mich. This is the first team MSU is facing for a second time.

Minnesota State is in the midst of a three-week stretch against teams that will remain in the WCHA in two years (Bemidji State, Tech and Alaska Anchorage). That got me thinking about how all of those teams currently rate. Here's a look at what the mythical '13-14 WCHA standings look like, based on current record against those teams. Games in hand is based off Alaska, Tech and Bowling Green each playing 10 "league" games this season.

Very unscientific, I know, and probably something I should have avoided since I criticized the NCHC for pumping up its teams in a press release earlier this season. Perhaps the difference here is that many fans (in Mankato, anyway) admittedly know little about the programs that will be in the WCHA in a little over a year.

Anyway, on to this weekend's series: The Mavericks will try for that elusive Friday night victory with the same lineup that won Saturday at Bemidji State. Senior defenseman Cameron Cooper remains out with an injury suffered on that check from behind last Friday. The only difference in the lineup is that goalie Austin Lee will dress and be available after being cleared to come back from his injury, but Phil Cook is the likely starter. Read more about the series here.

Speaking of defense, MSU will have three freshman D in the lineup tonight, and that group includes Zach Palmquist, who is quietly having a very nice year. He came into the season told he'd be playing the Kurt Davis role, and, well, so far so good. I say Palmquist is quietly having a nice year because the Mavericks actually have several forwards among the team point leaders, unlike the last few when Davis and Ben Youds were leading the way from the blue line.

As for Michigan Tech, look for more on the Daily Mining Gazette's site later today. For now, though, the Huskies are still basking in the afterglow of their stunning weekend in Duluth.

UPDATE: Here is Stephen Anderson's latest piece from the DMG, on Tech's need to take care of business against the Mavs if wants to climb into the upper half of the standings.

Going around the rest of the (current) WCHA ...

Bemidji State at Nebraska Omaha: In a matchup of two teams who last played against MSU, the Beavers are feeling nervous about not scoring goals — especially on the power play — after scoring four goals last weekend. As for the red Mavericks, they're trying to cling to a spot in the upper half of the league (they're in sixth, one point ahead of seventh-place Tech). There is some good news for Omaha, though, as goalie Ryan Massa could play this weekend, two weeks after leaving the Mankato rink on a stretcher.

Denver vs./at Colorado College: The Gold Pan series continues with this home-and-home series, and there's "a lot of hatred," according to CC's Nick Dineen. But there's much more than a traveling trophy at stake, as the two rivals sit just a point apart in the WCHA standings.

St. Cloud State at Wisconsin: This is a matchup of two lower-division teams, neither of which is marching forward right now. With St. Cloud players dropping like flies, the Huskies have to be happy, at least, about the return of goalie Mike Lee, who allowed two goals a week ago against Minnesota. However, now coach Bob Motzko has some decisions to make in goal. The Badgers, meanwhile, are starting to realize that chances for home ice are fading away.

Minnesota Duluth at Alaska Anchorage: The No. 1 Bulldogs head north hoping to regain the form they had before their miserable home weekend against Michigan Tech a week ago. Perhaps the Seawolves will be the cure for what ails them. Anchorage is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, its longest since 2006.

Minnesota is idle this weekend, but there are big happenings over at the U, where athletic director Joel Maturi is out.

Read more WCHA coverage at USCHO, INCH and College Hockey News.

Mavericks 6, Huskies 3

The Mavericks finally found some goal scoring — and got a win.

Jean-Paul Lafontaine (pictured) scored two goals and had an assist, and Matt Leitner also had two goals, including the game-winner, in a 6-3 WCHA victory at No. 16 Michigan Tech.

This was a must-win for MSU, as it broke a six-game losing streak. The Mavericks also handed Tech its first loss at home this season (the Huskies started 6-0-1 in Houghton).

Mavericks rookie defenseman Mat Knoll also had a goal, as did senior forward Michael Dorr. Zach Palmquist finished the game with three assists. You can see the box score here.

Lafontaine looks like a real keeper. He leads MSU in scoring with five goals and two assists.

"He's playing really well," coach Troy Jutting said in a phone interview tonight. "He had two goals tonight and hit a post and hit a post last night. He's around the puck a lot."

Lafontaine has seven points this year. Leitner and Zach Palmquist each has five. Good freshman group.

Meanwhile, Austin Lee finished with 42 saves and had 82 for a weekend that included a 1-0 loss on Friday. He has a .931 save percentage and a 2.81 goals-against average currently.

Perhaps most importantly, the beat-up Mavericks got through the weekend without an injury.

"Part of it, too, is we played with the same team two nights in a row," Jutting said. "There's something to be said for that. We could get in a little rhythm."

Friday-morning skate

The Mavericks are back in action today after a much-needed weekend off to nurse their bumps, bruises and other ailments. They'll be healthier when they play No. 16 Michigan Tech tonight and Saturday but not completely.

Forwards Michael Dorr and Eriah Hayes will be back in the lineup, giving MSU a full lineup of forwards (but still no extras). But with only five healthy defensemen, senior center Joe Schiller is going back on the blue line, a position he's been in before.

While forwards Max Gaede and J.P. Burkemper practiced this week, neither has been cleared to play yet. Defenseman Danny Heath put on his skates on Wednesday and hopes to be ready soon. Meanwhile, Chase Grant, Tyler Elbrecht and Brett Stern have not returned to the rink.

With veterans Dorr and Hayes back, the Mavericks have some depth up front. Interestingly, their top-scoring line is made up of two freshmen and a sophomore — Jean-Paul Lafontaine (3-1—4), Matt Leitner (0-3—3) and Johnny McInnes (1-1—2). Rookie defenseman Zach Palmquist (2-0—0) is the only other player besides Lafontaine with multiple goals.

As for Michigan Tech, the Huskies are off to a surprising start and unbeaten at home. Two of their players earned WCHA player-of-the-week honors this week. They are also getting a great start from freshman and Iowa native defenseman Nick Cecere. Led by some veteran players, new coach Mel Pearson noted when he took the job over the summer that the cupboard wasn't bare in Houghton.

Time to go around the WCHA ...

North Dakota at Minnesota: With the Gophers back in the Top 5, much is being made out of this series, including the claim that it's the best rivalry in college hockey. It's been fueled by the fact the UND has several players from Gopher territory. Of course, with the changes coming to college hockey, it might not be the same in a couple of years. Meanwhile, Minnesota has the nation's top scorer in sophomore Erik Haula, and North Dakota is going to have to wait a year for the highly touted Colten St. Clair, who is not eligible to play this season.

Colorado College at Nebraska-Omaha: CC might be the nation's second-ranked team, but the Tigers aren't looking past the unranked red Mavericks, who are 3-1 in WCHA play. Meanwhile, Omaha is fired up to play one of the nation's — and the conference's — top teams.

Wisconsin at St. Cloud State: The Badgers are off to a rocky star with a young team, and in no place is that more apparent than in their penalty kill, which has allowed 11 goals already, including six last weekend. For the Huskies, freshman defenseman Andrew Prochno is off to a fast start. Could his secret be whiffle ball?

Minnesota Duluth at Denver: The Duluth News-Tribune has a good feature on Bulldogs goalie Kenny Reiter, who holds some UMD records at the position and is continuing a family tradition between the pipes. Meanwhile, it's been a long time since the Pioneers have been unstable in goal, but there's no sure thing there right now.

Bemidji State at Lake Superior State: The Beavers will take on a future WCHA team in the Lakers. But this year's Lake Superior team is one of the nation's real surprise teams at 7-1-0 (check out my column on the success of future WCHA teams here).

Check back later for blog updates, including tonight's MSU lines and the answers to the season's first You Want Answers?!?! post.

I'm not in Houghton but will try to post some game updates on Twitter tonight as I get them. If you're in need of a football fix or some live blogging of any kind, I'll be covering the Mankato West section championship football game. You can follow that live blog here.