Friday morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Minnesota State returns home to host its old rival, Bemidji State. The Mavericks are coming off a weekend sweep at Wisconsin, while the Beavers took three of four points at home against Alaska Anchorage a week ago.

The Mavericks lost their last two home games, something that clearly irked coach Mike Hastings and his team.

"We want to feel like we have a place where other teams can't come here and get points," sophomore center Matt Leitner (pictured) said. "We need to protect our house."

Leitner will be a key to doing that. The top-line center is coming off a five-point weekend from which he earned WCHA offensive player of the week honors. The Mavericks' leading scorer was the best center at Kohl Center a week ago and has become a player who every MSU winger would like to play with.

The Mavericks are also getting top-notch play from senior captain Eriah Hayes and improved penalty killing with senior Eli Zuck and freshman Bryce Gervais handling those duties (for more, see the sidebar with the Leitner story). Expect freshman goalie Stephon Williams to get the start tonight.

As for Bemidji State, word is the team was a little late getting to Mankato on Thursday after getting into an accident near St. Cloud. No one was hurt but the team did have to change busses.

As for tonight, coach Tom Serratore says he's sticking with the hot hand and playing senior Mathieu Dugas in goal. Dugas made just one appearance as a junior but earned the tie and win last weekend against Anchorage.

It's been a crazy week in Bemidji, as the school's athletic director was essentially fired (effective at the end of the school year) after getting a pretty negative review. It appears that funding for BSU's athletic department is the No. 1 issue.

In other Mankato hockey news, I covered the Mankato West vs. Mankato East/Loyola game last night in which West won 11-0. Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings watched most of the game, and former coach Troy Jutting was also there, watching his sons, Ryan and Tyler, play in the game (Ryan finished with three assists). It was a convenient trip for Jutting, now a Nebraska Omaha assistant, who was travelling to Minneapolis for the red Mavericks' series against Minnesota.

And that's a good transition. Let's go around the WCHA ...

Omaha at Minnesota: For the third-ranked Gophers, this is the start of the meat of their schedule, and coach Don Lucia thinks it's time to see if his team is ready for a tough stretch with 13th-ranked Omaha coming to town. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are being led by a former Minnesota commit, Ryan Walters, who, tired of waiting, decided to go to UNO.

Minnesota Duluth at Michigan Tech: The Bulldogs are getting solid play from freshman defenseman  Andy Welinski, a Duluth native and power-play specialist who benefitted from an extra year of junior hockey. The Huskies, meanwhile, were on bye last week. Prior to that, they swept a series against Bemidji State to break a five-game losing streak.

North Dakota at Colorado College: North Dakota has not swept a weekend yet this year and has been outshot seven games in a row, and coach Dave Hakstol says his team has to get uglier. It's been ugly for the Tigers, meanwhile, as they are winless in their last four games and have allowed 5.5 goals per game in that stretch.

Wisconsin at Denver: Despite having just one win this season and losing two games to MSU last weekend, there's plenty of excitement for Badgers fans this weekend as highly touted freshman Nic Kerdiles will make his debut after a 10-game suspension by the NCAA. The Pioneers, meanwhile, are trying to bounce back from a rough Thanksgiving in which they dropped a pair of nonconference games.

St. Cloud State at Alaska Anchorage: The Huskies are getting solid play from Finnish freshman Kalle Kossila, one of the top-scoring rookies in the WCHA. Kossila was the WCHA rookie of the week when St. Cloud swept MSU. The Huskies have split every series since then. The Seawolves, meanwhile, are on a six-game winless streak but have three ties in that run with senior Alex Gellert becoming a key player.

Be sure to check back later for more coverage of the MSU-BSU series.

Minnesota State vs. Denver — Game 1

Lines are posted below the live blog. No changes for MSU. Denver rolls with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. ...




MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles      29-LaFontaine    25-Hayes
21-Grant           18-Leitner           19-Lehrke
9-Gervais          23-Blueger          22-McInnis
26-Margonari    29-Zuck              8-Gaede

16-Elbrecht       2-Nelson
7-Palmquist       4-Buchanan
27-Stern            28-Jutzi

30-Cook
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald

DENVER
22-Mermis        27-Q.Shore      25-Tabrum
16-Larraza        26-Ostrow       19-Doremus
11-Knowlton    23-N.Shore      12-Loney
                         9-Levin            17-Allen

21-LaLeggia     4-Didier
8-Zajac             2-Mayfield
7-Phillips          6-Mermis
10-Makowski

1-Brittain
31-Olkinuora

Referees: Scott Bokal, Jarod Moen. Linesmen: Dan Dineen, Matt Anderson

Minnesota State vs. Minnesota — Game 2

Lines are posted below the live chat. The same players are in the lineup for the Mavs but the lines have been shuffled a bit. Just one change for Minnesota, with Ryan Reilly at C on the fourth line ...




MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles      29-LaFontaine    25-Hayes
21-Grant           18-Leitner           19-Lehrke
9-Gervais          23-Blueger          22-McInnis
26-Margonari    29-Zuck              8-Gaede

16-Elbrecht       2-Nelson
7-Palmquist       4-Buchanan
27-Stern            28-Jutzi

30-Cook
35-Williams
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald

MINNESOTA
7-Rau               27-Bjugstad         24-Budish
16-Condon       19-Haula             26-Isackson
10-Marshall      22-Boyd              17-Ambroz
14-Serratore      9-R. Reilly          12-Holl

6-Parenteau       29-Schmidt
5-M. Reilly       20-Alt
4-Helgeson       2-Skjei

32-Wilcox
1-Shibrowski

Referees: Don Adam, Timm Walsh. Linesmen: Sam Shikowsy, Nick Bradshaw

Gophers 3, Mavericks 2

Janet Hostetter/The Associated Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Kill joy: The Mavericks allowed three power-play goals to the Gophers and are now a paltry .676 on the penalty kill for the season. A big problem on Friday night was an inability to clear the zone when they had chances. Players fanned on pucks and bobbled passes. Minnesota State had leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but the game-tying (Nate Schmidt) and game-winning (Zach Budish) goals both came after MSU had chances to get the puck to neutral ice and setting things down. Schmidt fired a rocket shot past Phil Cook, using the 6-3, 214-pound Budish as a screen. Budish's goal was a rebound goal on Kyle Rau's second assist of the game.

2. More Blueger, please: Minnesota State freshman Teddy Blueger put the Mavericks up 2-1 in the second period, finishing off a greasy scramble in front of Gophers goalie Adam Wilcox. It was a fourth-line goal with the Penguins second-round draft pick getting assists from linemates Zach Lehrke and Max Gaede, but it will be interesting to see where Blueger is skating in Saturday's rematch. Here's what coach Mike Hastings had to say about him: "I thought Teddy was good tonight, not only offensive but defensively,” Hastings said. “I think I’ve got to find a way to get him more ice. I thought he was good hockey player tonight, and (he’ll get) a little more ice tomorrow.”

3. Next step, a win? All in all, it was a better performance from the Mavericks than they had a week ago at St. Cloud State. Zach Palmquist finished off a pretty play from Jean-Paul LaFontaine for the game's first goal, snapping a three-game streak without a power-play goal. And as Hastings said, the "compete was better." The Gophers agreed. Said Schmidt: "(The Mavericks) play extremely hard. We knew before the game they had a tough weekend at St. Cloud. We knew they would come in and play hard and play tough." Still, after starting the season 2-0-2, the Mavericks are now 0-3-0 in WCHA play. 

Read The Free Press game story here.

Up next: The Mavericks and the Gophers will play again on Saturday night at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato.

Around the WCHA: Nebraska-Omaha 2, Michigan Tech 1 ... Colorado College 5, Wisconsin 4 (OT) ... North Dakota 4, Boston University 2 ... St. Cloud State 3, Denver 0

Minnesota State at Minnesota

Line charts can be found below the live chat ...



MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles      29-Zuck              25-Hayes
21-Grant           18-Leitner           22-McInnis
26-Margonari    12-LaFontaine    9-Gervais
8-Gaede            23-Blueger          19-Lehrke

16-Elbrecht       2-Nelson
7-Palmquist       4-Buchanan
27-Stern            28-Jutzi

30-Cook
35-Williams

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Karambelas, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald

MINNESOTA
7-Rau               27-Bjugstad         24-Budish
16-Condon       19-Haula             26-Isackson
10-Marshall      22-Boyd              17-Ambroz
14-Serratore      15-Michaelson    12-Holl

6-Parenteau       29-Schmidt
5-Reilly             20-Alt
4-Helgeson       2-Skjei

32-Wilcox
1-Shibrowski
31-Coyne

Referees: Don Adam, Timm Walsh. Linesmen: Sam Shikowsy, Nick Bradshaw

Friday morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Big weekend for the Mavericks. Not only is it a home-and-home with No. 2-ranked Minnesota (starting tonight at Mariucci Arena), but it's a chance to get back on track after a tough WCHA-opening weekend at St. Cloud State.

That weekend may have exposed some things that Mike Hastings didn't know about his team in nonconference play, and the new coach is trying to nip that in the bud ASAP. No easy task against the Gophers.

"Our compete," Hastings said when asked where MSU needs the most improvement. "I liked where it was for 40 minutes on Saturday (at St. Cloud)."

Hastings said senior Phil Cook (pictured) likely will get the start in goal tonight. Cook has had his ups and downs throughout his career. Yep, some high highs and a couple of low lows. But the last time he played against Minnesota, he was as good as he's ever been. That was two years ago, an MSU sweep in Mankato when he earned WCHA's defensive player of the week honors.

I'll post the Mavericks' official lines later today, but expect them to be mixed up a bit from last week. From there, who knows what may change in the game, Hastings said. Lines changed daily in practice but it appears the top group will be Matt Leitner between Chase Grant and Johnny McInnis. Other groupings from Thursday: Jean-Paul LaFontaine, Dylan Margonari and Bryce Gervais; Eli Zuck, Brett Knowles and Eriah Hayes; and Teddy Blueger, Max Gaede and Zach Lehrke (we'll see if it stays that way). J.P. Burkemper is out with an injury.

"Until we get some consistency, I don't think you'll see consistency in the lines," Hastings said. "We're searching for answers. ... We're trying to come up with some combinations where we get good offensive production without abandoning the defensive side of things."

Read more on The Freep's College Hockey Gameday.

Checking in on the Minnesota coverage, the Star Tribune's Michael Russo wrote about Hastings, who spent one season on the Gophers bench as an assistant coach. Meanwhile Roman Augustoviz predicts a Gophers sweep. At the Pioneer Press, Gophers player Tom Serratore (the son of Hastings' old coach Frank) is featured.

Going around the WCHA ...

Nebraska-Omaha at Michigan Tech: The red Mavs hit the road for Houghton with some hope for their offense after James Polk (any relation to our 11th president?) scored his first goal. The Huskies, meanwhile, are hoping to bounce back after getting swept at Denver last weekend.

Colorado College at Wisconsin: The only team yet to have played a WCHA series, the Tigers hope to start conference play strong in Madison. For the Badgers, everyone knows that Mark Zengerle is more than pretty good, but he thinks he can make himself even better.

St. Cloud State at Denver: Fresh off their sweep of MSU, the Huskies will head west without star forward Ben Hanowski, who was injured in last week's series opener. For the unbeaten Pioneers, much was made about their goaltending and defense in the preseason, but they've scored five goals in each of their first four games.

Boston University at North Dakota: What a treat of a nonconference series in Grand Forks between two national powers. It's the first time since 1996 that the Terriers have played at UND, but with the changes coming to college hockey, it may not take that long to happen again.

Other coverage from USCHO and College Hockey News.

Check back on the blog later today and tonight for more on the Minnesota State vs. Minnesota game from Minneapolis.

Friday morning skate

The Mavericks are in St. Cloud for their Western Collegiate Hockey Association opener, and they're hoping to keep their unbeaten start going for at least a little longer.

Minnesota State has found out that it has some comeback in it this year, rallying for two ties and an overtime win already in their first four games (last season, they didn't win a game when trailing after two periods, going 0-18-1). Players are crediting their conditioning for the way they have been able to finish strong. But the team played with fire a bit during its second-period slumps last weekend against RPI, something they can't keep doing, coach Mike Hastings said.

"At this point, it hasn't cost us a game yet," Hastings said. "But we're about out of bullets."

Don't expect much for lineup changes after last week's tie and win, including in goal where Phil Cook is expected to start his third game in a row and fourth this season.

This will be the final regular-season matchup between the Mavericks and the Huskies as conference opponents, as the latter will move into the upstart National Collegiate Hockey Conference next year.

As for St. Cloud State, the team has gotten a strong start from freshman Mike Brodzinski. The St. Cloud Times also takes a peek at Hastings, an SCSU alum who also started his coaching career there.

Going around the rest of the WCHA ...

Wisconsin at Minnesota Duluth: The Badgers are working with a new forechecking system this season, something the coaches decided to implement based on their returning forwards and some careful study. ... The Bulldogs, meanwhile, will open their final season in the WCHA by celebrating its last McNaughton Cup-winning team. The 1993 team was the third UMD team to win the league title.

Alaska Anchorage at North Dakota: The Seawolves haven't won very often in Grand Forks, but they're hoping to catch UND at a good time — early in the season. ... As for North Dakota, it will put a full lineup on the ice for the first time since last February, finally overcoming injuries and suspensions.

Bemidji State at Nebraska Omaha: The Beavers are hoping to do this weekend something only 17 other college hockey programs have done: win their 1,000th game. ... Omaha might not be a bad place to give that a try since BSU has been somewhat of a thorn in the red Mavericks' sides in recent history.

Michigan Tech at Denver: The Huskies split with Minnesota last weekend made many college hockey observers take notice. ... As for the Pioneers, they will try to fill the void in Denver as hockey fans (and pro players) ride out the NHL lockout.

Colorado College at Cornell: The Tigers won't start league play until next week (the WCHA schedule can drive you nuts, can't it?) but still face a difficult assignment as they head to New York to play the always-tough Big Red.

Canisius at Minnesota (Sunday only): The Gophers will take on the U.S. Under-18 team in an exhibition game tonight before hosting the Golden Griffins.

USCHO also did a league preview.

Check back on the blog later for MSU's official lineup and a live, in-game chat.

Mavericks 3, Engineers 3 (OT)

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. It's how you finish: The first 50 minutes of Friday's game were pretty ugly for the home team, as Minnesota State trailed 2-1 and was getting outshot 20-12 after the first two periods and then fell behind 3-1 at 7:19 of the third. But the Mavericks woke up and scored a pair of late goals to salvage the tie. Johnny McInnis (pictured) scored a goal with 9:22 to play, and freshman Bryce Gervais tied it up with 3:04 to go. McInnis had a solid game, as he also assisted on rookie Teddy Blueger's first-period power-play goal and had a team-leading four shots on goal.

2. A bit boxed up: Against Alabama Huntsville last week, Minnesota State committed just six penalties in the series. Against a strong, defensive RPI team, they went to the box eight times. Nothing horrible (RPI did the same) but certainly less than ideal. Chase Grant was called for three penalties, including two that negated MSU power plays. The Engineers scored two power play goals and got robbed on a couple of other Grade A chances by goaltender Phil Cook. Cook finished with 26 saves, including 11 the second period.

3. Hastings' home debut: The game, of course, was the first official home game for new MSU coach Mike Hastings. Hastings hasn't lost yet (1-0-2), but he didn't seem too pleased with the way Friday's game went overall, especially in front of the home crowd (announced at 3,266). "It's not a rainy day, it's not gloom and doom," he said. "But we have to be better and take responsibility — from the head coach on down."

Deep thought: Speaking of third-period heroics, the MSU women's team came from behind to tie Minnesota Duluth and then claim an extra WCHA point with a shootout win on Friday at All Seasons Arena. Trailing 3-0, the Mavericks got goals from Casey Hirsch, Tracy McCann and Kathleen Rogan in the final 9:14. Rogan's game-tying goal came with an extra attacker on the ice with 11 seconds to play. MSU is now 3-2-2.

Read The Free Press game story here.

Up next: The Mavericks and the Engineers play at 7:07 p.m. Saturday.

Around the WCHA: Michigan Tech 5, Minnesota 3 ... Notre Dame 4, Minnesota Duluth 1 ... St. Cloud State 8, Alabama Huntsville 3 ... Lake Superior 2, Bemidji State 0 ... Nebraska Omaha 5, Northern Michigan 2 ... Colorado College 6, Air Force 2 ... North Dakota 5, Alaska Anchorage 0 ... Denver 5, UMass-Lowell 1

Friday-morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Minnesota State opens its home schedule tonight against Rensselaer. It's a matchup of two similar teams. Both are 1-0-1. Both had just 12 wins last season. And both were led last year by young players.

One player who wasn't there for the Mavericks last year was Chase Grant (pictured). He made quite the return from a season-ending hip injury by recording a hat trick a week ago, proving that he needs to be a key contributor to the team this year.

The link also has the MSU gameday preview. Some notes from that: Phil Cook will get the start in goal tonight, but coach Mike Hastings did not commit to a Saturday starter (Stephon Williams played the second game a week ago at Huntsville). ... Injured centers Dylan Margonari and Eli Zuck will be back in the lineup tonight. Margonari will skate between Eriah Hayes and Jean-Paul LaFontaine. ... Official lines will be posted later today.

As for the RPI Engineers, they had a good start to the year with a win and a tie against Ferris State. There are high hopes for sophomore forwards Jacob Laliberte and Matt Neal, who suffered through some injuries last year. Meanwhile, RPI coach Seth Appert also says that his team and Minnesota State are similar.

Going around the WCHA ...

Led by freshman goalie Matt McNeely Minnesota Duluth had a nice win on Thursday night, beating No. 9 Notre Dame 3-1 on the road.

Minnesota begins its final season in the WCHA before moving to the Big Ten when it plays a series at Michigan Tech. It's the only league series of the weekend. Gophers coach Don Lucia needs just one win to reach 600 for his long and successful coaching career, but he insists he's still the small-town guy from northern Minnesota. The Star Tribune has a WCHA preview here. The Huskies, meanwhile, are awaiting the near-unanimous No. 1 team in the nation.

St. Cloud State hosts Alabama Huntsville, the team that Minnesota State beat and tied a week ago. The Huskies are excited about the start for freshman Jimmy Murray. Huntsville, meanwhile, is hoping it made a good impression on WCHA officials during last week's series against MSU.

Bemidji State hosts Lake Superior in what will be a battle of league foes next year when Lake Superior joins the WCHA. It's also a series between a pair of old rivals.

Nebraska Omaha hosts Northern Michigan, the team that upset Wisconsin twice last weekend. Omaha's coaches certainly took note of what the Wildcats did, and assistant Troy Jutting calls Northern a "salt-of-the-earth hockey team" (How come he didn't give me quotes like that?)

Colorado College plays at Air Force and hosts UMass-Lowell, and those nonconference teams will also play at Denver, which opens its season this weekend. The Gazette has a good story about three CC players whose fathers played in the NHL. Also, the Tigers-Falcons matchup is always a big one in Colorado, while Air Force would love to win a "state championship" this weekend.

Meanwhile, Denver freshman Nolan Zajac is the fourth and final Zajac brother to play college hockey. Two of his brothers played at North Dakota (including New Jersey Devils star Travis) and another was at Union. Their dad, Tom, played college hockey at DU.

North Dakota and Alaska Anchorage are playing in Fairbanks' Alaska Gold Rush Tournament, and  No. 2 UND arrived there extremely short-handed due to injuries and suspensions.

Wisconsin doesn't play this weekend but it score a big win or loss from the NCAA as it awaits a ruling on the eligibility of freshman Nic Kerdiles.

More WCHA weekend previews here, here and here.

Friday morning skate

Finally, it's gameday!

Unfortunately, PucKato remains back in Mankato while the Mavericks are in Huntsville, Ala., for their first series of the season and first series for new coach Mike Hastings. I'll be monitoring the game from the radio and will tweet some updates throughout the day as well as post some recaps afterward.

The Mavericks' linechart will look a little different than the exhibition game, as senior Eli Zuck and freshman Dylan Margonari were left behind with injuries. The top two lines will look the same, with J.P. Burkemper taking Margonari's spot on the third line. The fourth most likely will include the combination of Max Gaede, Brett Knowles and Corey Leivermann, with Charlie Thauwald going as the extra forward.

Defensively, all seven healthy defensemen are on the trip, with freshman Nick Buchanan as the extra. Hastings suggested senior Phil Cook is the likely starter in goal tonight but did not commit to a Saturday starter. Freshman Stephon Williams is on the trip.

Read more about the Mavericks, Hastings and preview the Huntsville series here.

The Chargers, meanwhile, are a program that was on the chopping block a year ago only to be given an 11th-hour reprieve. They're still without a conference affiliation but would love to make a good impression on the WCHA this weekend. Reportedly, WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod will be at tonight's game, and tickets are free, even though MSU is the only Division I team playing at Huntsville this season.

Going around the rest of the WCHA ...

Minnesota opens the season by hosting future Big Ten brethren Michigan State. The Gophers appear to be great, but there are questions in goal, where Kent Patterson must be replaced.

St. Cloud State begins the year at New Hampshire in a matchup of teams that had similar seasons a year ago.

Wisconsin will meet Northern Michigan halfway, playing a series in Green Bay, Wis. For the Badgers, sophomore defenseman Jake McCabe has some big skates to fill.

Minnesota Duluth hosts Ohio State, and the Bulldogs have all kinds of holes to fill after the departure of so much talent to graduation and early departures. Among those tough tasks is replacing Kenny Reiter in goal. Two-year backup Aaron Crandall will get the nod, but the Buckeyes' Brady Hjelle might have had that job had he not transfered from UMD.

Colorado College opens the season by hosting Clarkson, and the Tigers are hoping to have another strong start to the season like they did last year — while avoiding the late-year collapse that took place in February.

Nebraska Omaha will play in the IceBreaker Tournament in Kansas City with Army tonight and Notre Dame or Maine on Saturday. Red Mavericks coach Dean Blais believes his team might have the best defensive corps in the WCHA this season.

Alaska Anchorage will host Canisius and Air Force in the Kendall Hockey Classic to open the season.

Michigan Tech opened the season with a 4-2 loss Thursday night at Lake Superior State; the two teams will play again on Saturday night in Houghton, Mich.

North Dakota and Bemidji State are still in exhibition mode and will play the U.S. Under-18 team today and Saturday, respectively. Denver does not play this weekend.

Other coverage includes WCHA previews by USCHO, Inside College Hockey and College Hockey News. The latter also has a Q&A with Mike Hastings, and you can read USCHO's Minnesota State preview here.

Purple Hayes

Pat Christman/The Free Press

First of all, I love this photo by Pat Christman, which was taken during Minnesota State's media day on Oct. 4. It makes Mavericks senior Eriah Hayes look bigger than life but also shows that he's in the spotlight now.

Hayes is a co-captain (along with second-year C-wearer Tyler Elbrecht) this season, and the 6-foot-4 winger will be a key to MSU's success. There are a lot of good, young players on the team, with some proven sophomore scorers and a lot of excitement and potential in the rookie class. Hayes is charged with leading and, in some ways, nurturing that group, but he's also trying to find more consistency in his game in his final season of college hockey.

That consistency won't just make the Mavericks a better team this season but could also set Hayes up for the start of a career in the pro game after graduation.

Read my Free Press feature on Hayes here.

Minnesota State 7, Lethbridge 1 (exhibition)

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. A little chemistry: Matt Leitner led the Mavericks in assists and points last season playing most of the year with Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Eriah Hayes. On Sunday, he was placed between Chase Grant and freshman Bryce Gervais (pictured) and showed that he can dish the puck to anybody. Leitner finished with a goal and three assists. Gervais, "a pure goal scorer," according to his new center, finished with two goals and an assist. Grant, back from a medical redshirt season, had two assists. "Obviously when you see a group have some chemistry like 9 (Gervais), 18 (Leitner) and 21 (Grant) had ... it's very positive," coach Mike Hastings said.

2. How good a test? The game was tied 1-1 after one period, but the Mavericks dominated after that. They scored seven unanswered goals and outshot the Pronghorns 65-10 for the game. Goalie Phil Cook stopped five of six shots in the first period. Evan Karambelas got the win, stopping just three shots in the second period. And freshman Stephon Williams had to make just one save in the third, as the Mavericks had a 29-1 advantage over the final 20 minutes. "We have a long ways to go," Hastings said. "I like that we played for 60 minutes, especially the way we finished. Obviously, our power play needs a lot of work." Johnny McInnis scored the lone power play goal. The Mavericks were 1 for 5 with the advantage with 21 shots on net.

3. Quiet crowd: Early October hockey is often a tough sell. Probably tougher when it's an exhibition game at 5 p.m. on a lovely fall Sunday and right in the middle of the now-4-1 Vikings game. No one should be shocked that a crowd of just 1,222 was announced. Still, I thought there would be more students in the crowd as well as more people who wanted to check out Hastings' first game behind the bench. There were a lot of young hockey players there who got free tickets for the game during this weekend's tryouts. The Mavs will be off to Alabama Huntsville next weekend and will return to Mankato Oct. 19-20 to take on RPI.

Deep thought: Freshman Dylan Margonari left the game in the second period with what appeared to be a painful leg injury. Hastings did not have a status report after the game, but Margonari, who scored a pretty goal earlier in the second period, was seen leaving the rink after the game on his own power. It did not appear to be a serious injury.

Read The Free Press game story here.

Jutting stories

Former MSU coach Troy Jutting listens to President Richard Davenport discuss Jutting's reassignment  during a press conference on Monday morning in the Johnson Alumni Room in Taylor Center. Next to Jutting is Mavericks assistant coach Todd Knott. Seated is player Tyler Elbrecht. (John Cross/The Free Press)

Here's what went down in today's Free Press: Three stories on the Troy Jutting reassignment at Minnesota State:

Both MSU President Richard Davenport and athletic director Kevin Buisman heaped praise upon Jutting during the press conference. So much so that the question had to be repeated: Why make the change? All of the speakers, including Jutting, came back to one real theme, and that was economics. Specifically, they're hoping a new coach will pump some life into a dwindling fan base, boost walk-up ticket sales, season-ticket sales and Blue Line Club memberships. Said Buisman: "We hope the investment we make in a new coach will help us revive interest in the program and bring fans back into the stands. All those factors will help turn it financially.

Jutting addressed his team, as did Buisman, on Sunday night, and they were pretty shocked by the move, according to the players present at the press conference. They didn't seem angry. Eriah Hayes said he had mixed feelings about it but owed a lot to Jutting. Tyler Elbrecht said he hopes this will bring the team closer together. Former MSU coach Don Brose also attended the event and said he was "saddened" about the decision.

Finally, we look to the the future a bit. Buisman said he has a short list of candidates that he'd like to recruit, and Davenport said the university has already received calls about the head coaching job. When will they get a person in place? Quickly, they said but did not mention a timeline. Davenport said by the end of summer, but he may have misspoke. Buisman said there's a 5-6 week window between now and the end of the school year. The players both said they'd like to know who will be leading them before the semester ends.

A couple of other nuggets worth noting: 

• Associate coach Darren Blue's contract with MSU runs through June 30, 2013, the same time Jutting's deal ends. Assistant coach Todd Knott has a contract through June 30 of this year. Buisman said he would encourage whomever is hired to consider both coaches.

• According to MSU VP of finance and administration Rick Straka, the fact that Jutting is due to make about $200,000 over the remaining 15 months of his contract will not be a detriment to the search for a new coach. Straka called it a "university cost," not a cost specific to the budgets of the hockey team or the athletic department. He also doesn't believe it will be a "sunk cost," considering Jutting's new position at the university and if attendance/support increase with the presence of  new coach.

• Both Davenport and Buisman said that outside pressure did not factor into the coaching change. Said the president: "There are always a lot of rumors in regard to the hockey program. I didn't personally feel any pressure to make the change." 

Friday morning skate

The Mavericks are in Grand Forks, N.D.,  this weekend (unfortunately, PucKato is not on the trip so no live blog tonight; you can get updates on Twitter, though) to play North Dakota in the final series of the regular season. MSU needs help to improve its playoff position, but 11th (and a trip to Minnesota Duluth or Minnesota) appears to be the likeliest landing place. The Mavericks are all but stuck there despite not having back-to-back losses since 2012 began. They are 7-6-1 in that span. However, they haven't won at Ralph Englestad Arena since the 2005-06 season.

Minnesota State continues to be led by the outstanding rookie tandem of Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Matt Leitner, both of whom should get strong consideration in the WCHA's all-rookie team voting. Read more about them here. The Free Press' gameday preview can be found here.

As for North Dakota, it is battling injuries but has clinched home ice for the WCHA playoffs. It is not only trying to move up the standings but is trying to get off the Pairwise bubble for NCAA tournament consideration. Read more coverage of the series from the Grand Forks Herald's Brad Schlossman here and follow his outstanding and informative blog here.

Going around the WCHA ...

Wisconsin at Minnesota: The Gophers can clinch the MacNaughton Cup championship with a win and a UMD loss or tie tonight. It would be the first regular-season title for Minnesota since 2007 — before any of the current players joined the team. As for the Badgers, they're hoping to overcome injury issues and make a late-/post-season surge. Also Wisconsin State Journal writer Andy Baggot makes a case for Justin Schultz to win the Hobey Baker Award. More on this series from College Hockey News.

Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State: The Bulldogs are still in the hunt for the MacNaughton Cup and will try to somehow overcome their two-point deficit to Minnesota this weekend with one of the best offensive lineups in the WCHA. For the Huskies, Little Falls' Jared Festler needs just four points to get to 100 for his career. St. Cloud also has a slim shot at home ice. Also, read a Q&A with UMD standout Jack Connolly here.

Denver at Nebraska Omaha: The Pioneers could lock up the third seed for the WCHA playoffs but have other concerns right now, including where they are in the Pairwise rankings and when half of their hockey equipment will catch up to them in Omaha. The red Mavericks, meanwhile, are also wondering what it will take to get in the NCAA tournament, while freshman Jayson Megna will give LaFontaine and Leitner some competition in all-rookie voting.

Michigan Tech at Colorado College: The Huskies, believe it or not, are playing for home ice this weekend. They haven't hosted a WCHA playoff series since 1993. Currently, they're one point out of the upper-division — right behind the team they're playing this weekend. As for the Tigers, they, too, are well aware of how much this series means. Perhaps the two teams will meet again next week. But where?

Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage: This will be the final home series for four Seawolves seniors; then they will embark on trying to pull off a big upset in the playoffs. The Beavers, meanwhile, recently had their home-ice hopes dashed and now will try to build momentum for the postseason.

Read more WCHA coverage at USCHO.

MSU vs. UMD — Game 1 live blog

Lines are posted below the live chat ...




MINNESOTA STATE
23-Dorr     19-Lehrke     8-Gaede
12-LaFontaine     18-Leitner     25-Hayes
22-McInnis     26-Schiller     14-Jokinen
24-Mueller     29-Zuck     9-Louwerse

16-Elbrecht     27-Stern
7-Palmquist     3-Cooper
17-Mosey     10-Knoll

30-Cook
1-Lee
31-Karambelas

Scratches: Burkemper, Grant, Heath, Leivermann, Nelson, Thauwald

MINNESOTA DULUTH
14-Flaherty     12-Connolly     17-Seidel
21-Herbert     11-Oleksuk     18-Basaraba
26-Krause     15-Hendrickson     27-Grun
10-DeLisle     19-Tardy     25-Crandall

28-Bergman     2-Lamb
5-Casto     16-Smith
8-Olson     6-Kishel

31-Crandall
35-Reiter

Referees: Brad Shepherd, Todd Anderson. Linesmen: Rick Nelson, Sterling Egan

Friday morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

This is it. The final home weekend of the season for the Minnesota State men's hockey team. The Mavericks will take on fourth-ranked Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs were once the hottest team in the country, having rattled off 17 games in a row without a loss. However, they are 4-4-1 in their last nine games. MSU, meanwhile, is 6-3-0 in its last nine games (and have won four of its last five). Should make for an interesting series.

These will be the final games in Mankato for seven MSU seniors: Michael Dorr, Joe Schiller, Justin Jokinen, Mike Louwerse, Adam Mueller, Cameron Cooper and Austin Lee. Cooper, the lone senior defenseman, has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury but is expected to return to the lineup tonight.

Lee (pictured) is slated to start in goal on Saturday, which will be senior night (Phil Cook gets the nod tonight). Lee has been with the Mavericks for five years and certainly will be back in the future, as his parents moved to town last year (his dad is a surgeon for Mayo Clinic Health System).

Read more about the series in The Free Press gameday preview. Also, on Saturday, be on the lookout for a silent auction to benefit an MSU leadership program. The event is being organized by Dorr and Louwerse.

As for the Bulldogs, Tim Smith is featured in the Duluth News-Tribune. He is the first defenseman from Superior, Wis. (Duluth's twin port), to play for UMD. That newspaper's gameday previews are here and here. Beat writer Kevin Pates' blog is also a great place to go for more links and info. Duluth radio man Bruce Ciskie also has thoughts on the series here.

All 12 WCHA teams are in action against each other this weekend. Here's a look at those series:

Bemidji State at Minnesota: Currently three points out of the upper half of the league, the Beavers are on a roll and have their sights set on home ice in just their second year in the WCHA. The first-place Gophers, meanwhile, are enjoying having their first 20-goal scorer in three years in outstanding sophomore Nick Bjugstad.

Denver at Wisconsin: For the Pioneers, a lot of eyes are on outstanding forward Jason Zucker to see if he returns from the hit that knocked him out of last weekend's series against Minnesota. He's listed as probable for this weekend. The Badgers, meanwhile, are struggling, but superstar defenseman Justin Schultz says he has no regrets about his decision to stay in school.

If you're going to read one story out of Madison, though, read Andy Baggot's column about former Wisconsin goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck, who was nearly killed in a car accident a year ago. He will participate in the ceremonial puck drop before tonight's game.

Alaska Anchorage at St. Cloud State: The Seawolves hit the road after being swept by Minnesota State, although they felt they deserved better in those games. For the Huskies, who are coming off their first sweep of the season, they are hoping that David Eddy is heating up for the stretch run.

Michigan Tech at North Dakota: The Huskies are coming off a disappointing one-point Winter Carnival series against Omaha and will now go to North Dakota, the team that sits one point ahead of them and in the final home-ice spot in the WCHA standings. As for the Team Formerly Known as and Now Might Again Be Known as the Fighting Sioux, home ice and a solid spot in the Pairwise might have seemed unlikely considering the adversity it has faced. Lots more links on Brad Schlossman's blog.

Nebraska Omaha at Colorado College: Like so many other teams, the red Mavericks are trying to jockey for playoff position with three weeks left in the regular season. They're tied for fourth with the Tigers but with a slim lead/margin for error. The Tigers are reeling a bit after getting swept at Bemidji State last week. They're also dealing with injury, but former MSU athletic trainer Jason Bushie, is on the case.

More coverage of the league can be found at USCHO and INCH.

Check back later for tonight's lines and, of course, the live blog.

Mavericks 3, Seawolves 2

Minnesota State won a Friday-night game for the second week in a row and will have another shot at a WCHA series sweep on Saturday after beating Alaska Anchorage 3-2 at Sullivan Arena.

Senior forward Mike Louwerse scored two goals, including the game-winner at 9:42 of the third period. His only other goal this season was an empty-netter at Bemidji State a couple weeks back.

Johnny McInnis scored MSU's other goal. The Mavericks had a season-low 17 shots on goal, according to stats provided immediately after the game, and were scoreless on five power-play chances. Goalie Phil Cook stopped 22 shots, allowing two power-play goals.

Minnesota State played with just five defensemen, as Josh Nelson, who is on the trip, is out with an injury.

If the Mavericks can win the second game of the series, they will move ahead of Wisconsin and into 10th place in the standings (although the Badgers will have two games in hand).

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.