Trotter turns pro

Denver leading scorer Brock Trotter, who mysteriously did not make the trip to Mankato to play Minnesota State last weekend, has signed a contract with the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Nearly a week of speculation ended with the school and coach George Gwozdecky announcing the signing on Thursday, although there was nothing released about why exactly Trotter was choosing now to leave town. Denver's in third place in the WCHA and ranked fiftth in the Pairwise with 10 regular-season games remaining. Needless to say, there are plenty of rumors out there.

Bring 'em on!

The Mavericks are hosting Alaska-Anchorage Friday and Saturday. They've won four games in a row. They're ranked 15th in the country in two polls and 10th in the Pairwise. They've had WCHA award winners in back-to-back weeks. That must mean ...

It's time for another installment of "You Want Answers?" 

So, go ahead, click on the comments section and ask PucKato a question about the Mavericks or, really, anything else on your mind, and I'll post the answers sometime Friday (if there are enough) before the puck drops at the Alltel Center.

A couple of things to ponder:

College Hockey News has named the Mavericks its team of the week, and U.S. College Hockey Online, in its weekly "Bracketology" feature has MSU vs. MSU (Minnesota State against Michigan State) playing each other in Madison, Wis., in the first round of the NCAA tournament -- if the season ended today.

Sackrison named rookie of the week

Minnesota State freshman center Andrew Sackrison, who produced four scoring points in the Mavericks' series sweep over visiting Denver last weekend, has been named WCHA rookie of the week.

The 6-1, 195-pound forward from St. Louis Park had a goal and two assists for his first collegiate three-point game and was named the game's first star in Friday's 5-1 win. In Saturday's 3-2 victory, Sackrison scored the game's first goal on a power play. He was also plus-3 for the weekend.

A St. Louis Blues draft pick, Sackrison has three goals, seven assists and 10 points in his last 10 games and has four goals and 11 assists to lead all MSU freshmen with 15 points.

Sackrison wasn't the only MSU hockey player honored this week. Maverick women's goaltender Britni Kehler was named WCHA defensive player of the week after stopping 52 of 54 shots in a sweep of St. Cloud State. The wins snapped Minnesota State's seven-game losing streak

I thought it was Hockey Day IN Minnesota

On Saturday, FSN North will broadcast 16 hours of hockey for its "Hockey Day in Minnesota" effort with the Minnesota Wild. PucKato thinks this is a pretty cool venture, as it features a couple of outdoor high school games played on Baudette Bay in Lake of the Woods.

The TV schedule goes like this:

10 a.m., Eveleth High School vs. Lake of the Woods High School on Baudette Bay
1 p.m., St. Thomas Academy vs. Hill-Murray at Xcel Energy Center
5 p.m., Minnesota Wild vs. New York Islanders at Xcel Energy Center
8 p.m., University of Minnesota vs. Denver at Magness Arena
11 p.m., Roseau High School vs. Blaine High School on Baudette Bay (tape delay)

Timeout. What's that fourth game? Minnesota AT Denver? Colorado? That's is part of this? Isn't this supposed to be Hockey Day IN Minnesota? There's only one Division I hockey team playing in the state that day, and that's Minnesota State, which is hosting Alaska-Anchorage.

Why not add the Mavericks to the in-state game to the coverage?

Better yet, get all of the in-state college teams involved in HDIM. Make sure that Minnesota State, Minnesota, St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth are all playing against each other that weekend. That shouldn't be too hard to do within the WCHA schedule, should it? Get some coverage from Bemidji State, too.

This would also be a perfect place to institute a Minnesota version of the Beanpot, which began last night in Boston -- something a little more intriguing than the DQ Cup, anyway.

North Dakota coach suspended

Breaking news from the AP wire:

University of North Dakota men's hockey coach Dave Hakstol has been suspended for two games for his actions during a heated Saturday night game with Minnesota.

During the second period of game, which ended in a 1-1 tie, a television camera showed Hakstol sticking up his middle finger at referee Don Adam after the two discussed a penalty call.

Acting UND athletic directors Betty Ralston and Steve Brekke announced the suspension on Monday, saying "We expect our coaches to keep themselves and their teams in control at all times. Profane language and poor behavior on the part of our coaches and student-athletes is unacceptable." The Western Collegiate Hockey Association issued a release saying it endorsed the school's decision.

The Sioux have this week off before playing host to Denver on Feb. 15-16. Hakstol will not coach that series.

Hakstol issued an apology on Sunday, saying, "I would like to sincerely apologize to our fans, players and entire program, as well as all college hockey fans, the WCHA and Don Adam for my actions during the second period of last night's game versus the University of Minnesota. I'm disappointed in myself for allowing my emotions and frustrations to get the better of me. I pride myself in not allowing this type of thing to occur. Most importantly, I am a parent before I am a coach, and I understand the responsibility that we carry as coaches within the WCHA to young hockey fans and families everywhere. I have evaluated and feel terrible about my actions and can assure everyone that such a thing will never happen again."

North Dakota and Minnesota combined for 160 penalty minutes in Saturday night's game, and Sioux forward Darcy Zajac and Gopher forward Tony Lucia were given game disqualifications for fighting at the end of overtime.

Mavs ranked 15th

The Mavericks got a lot of love from the rankers this week, as they re-entered the USCHO.com/CSTV poll at No. 15 and made their debut in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll at No. 15. What Minnesota State likes more, however, is its spot in the Pairwise where it is tied for 10th. Here is this week's USCHO.com/CSTV (and official Associated Press) poll:

USCHO.com/CSTV Division I Men's Poll
Minneapolis, Minn./February 4, 2008

Team (First Place) Record Pts Last Week
1 Miami (50) 25- 3-0 1000 1
2 Michigan 22- 3-3 902 2
3 North Dakota 17- 8-2 887 3
4 Colorado College 20- 7-1 874 6
5 New Hampshire 16- 7-1 790 7
6 Michigan State 18- 6-5 764 5
7 Denver 18- 8-0 695 4
8 Notre Dame 20- 9-1 628 8
9 Boston College 12- 6-7 577 9
10 Minnesota-Duluth 11- 9-6 460 12
11 Wisconsin 12-11-5 440 11
12 Providence 12- 9-3 426 14
13 Clarkson 15- 9-2 418 10
14 Northeastern 12- 8-3 407 13
15 Minnesota State 13-10-4 244 NR
16 Quinnipiac 15- 7-4 218 16
17 Mass.-Lowell 12- 9-4 197 16
18 Massachusetts 10- 9-6 186 15
19 Princeton 12- 9-0 111 19
20 Minnesota 12-12-6 107 18

Others Receiving Votes: St. Cloud State 50, Union 31,
Niagara 30, Cornell 25, Michigan Tech 18,
Air Force 6, RIT 4, Bowling Green 2, Army 1,
Bemidji State 1, Nebraska-Omaha 1

Backes on a roll

Life seems good for ex-Maverick David Backes. He has a house in St. Louis. He's getting married. He's skating on a line with all-stars Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya. Well, about a month ago, things weren't so good. The word "Peoria" even came up. Read more about it in a story in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Meanwhile, teammate Steve Wagner seems to know the route between St. Louis and Peoria, Ill., all too well.