MSU 1, British Columbia 0

The Mavericks get the exhibition win, thanks to a short-handed goal by Eli Zuck (during a 5x3!) and a combined 40 saves by Phil Cook and Austin Lee.

Read The Free Press' game story here.

Scoring one goal isn't necessarily pretty, especially against a team that gave up 12 to two other WCHA teams the previous two nights. But there's bound to be be a little better offensive flow this weekend when Rylan Galiardi, Michael Dorr, Eriah Hayes, Ben Youds and Kurt Davis return to the lineup, especially on the power play (the Mavericks were 0 for 4 with the man advantage, getting five shots on goal).

Interestingly, Monday's game did indeed experiment with the controversial rule banning penalty killers from icing the puck. This was supposed to take place in all exhibition games but apparently did not. It certainly seemed strange to hear a whistle blow in that situation and have a stoppage. Watching it take place, it probably wasn't as bad as people feared. However, that rule would make the games last much longer because penalty killers are still going to ice the puck, especially if they're tired and have the chance to do it after a long shift.

Looking ahead to the weekend and St. Lawrence, the USCHO.com preview on the Saints can be found here.

MSU vs. British Columbia (exhibition) - live blog

It's back! Minnesota State is taking on British Columbia in an exhibition game at the Verizon Wireless Center. Lines can be found below the Cover It Live box.

MINNESOTA STATE

Andrew Sackrison — Eli Zuck — Zach Lehrke

Adam Mueller — Joe Schiller — Corey Leivermann

Chase Grant — Mike Louwerse — John McInnis

Brett Peterson — J.P. Burkemper — Justin Jokinen

Josh Nelson— Tyler Elbrecht

Channing Boe — Danny Heath

Cameron Cooper — Evan Mosey

Phil Cook

Austin Lee

Evan Karambelas

Scratches: Kurt Davis, Michael Dorr, Rylan Galiardi, Eriah Hayes, Ben Youds

Referees: C.J. Beaurline, Brad Shepherd. Linesmen: Matt Anderson, Jarod Moen

Seven WCHA teams ranked

The first USCHO.com Division I men's rankings were released on Monday, and defending national champion Boston College is ranked No. 1, getting 45 of 50 first-place votes (including PucKato's).

Seven WCHA teams were ranked in the top 20 and two others also received votes. North Dakota is ranked second (with three first-place votes), St. Cloud State is fourth, Minnesota Duluth is eighth, Denver is ninth, Wisconsin is 13th, Minnesota is 15th and Colorado College is 20th. Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha also got votes, leaving Minnesota State, Alaska-Anchorage and Michigan Tech on the outside looking in right now.

Here is the poll:

1. Boston College
2. North Dakota
3. Miami
4. St. Cloud State
5. Michigan
6. Yale
7. Maine
8. Minnesota-Duluth
9. Denver
10. New Hampshire
11. Cornel
12. Alaska
13. Wisconsin
14. Boston University
15. Minnesota
16. Michigan State
17. Notre Dame
18. RIT
19. Union
20. Colorado College

Others receiving votes: Vermont, Bemidji State, Northern Michigan, Ferris State, Nebraska-Omaha, Northeastern, RPI, Mercyhurst, Quinnipiac, Merrimack, Ohio State, Colgate, St. Lawrence, Air Force, UMass-Lowell, Robert Morris

Meanwhile, USCHO.com put out its WCHA preview on Monday, while Inside College Hockey ranked all 58 D-I teams and put Minnesota State at No. 39, citing the Mavericks' tough road swing that lasts from Halloween through Thanksgiving.

It's gameday!

Minnesota State will begin the 2010-11 season today with an exhibition game against the University of British Columbia at the Verizon Wireless Center. Gametime is 7:37 p.m.

To get geared up for the game, you can read The Free Press' season preview, which focuses on the Mavericks' three senior defensemen — Channing Boe, Kurt Davis and Ben Youds — here. Also, you can read my first-day-of-practice story, which takes a look at MSU freshman and Mankato native Corey Leivermann here.

British Columbia played WCHA teams Nebraska-Omaha and Minnesota, losing 6-1 to the Red Mavs on Saturday and 6-0 to the Gophers on Sunday. Both UNO and Minny had significant shot advantages. Here's the Omaha World-Herald story. Read more about Sunday's game here. As for tonight's game, Mavericks coach Troy Jutting said on Saturday that several veterans will sit this one out (see post below) in order to get all of the freshmen acclimated to the college game.

Tickets for tonight's game and all other single-game seats for this season will go on sale at 10 a.m. today at the Verizon Wireless Center and through Ticketmaster outlets.

There was some Twitter discussion (follow me!) on Saturday regarding the controversial new rule that was nearly passed and then scrapped this summer that would have banned short-handed teams from icing the puck and making personnel changes. Word was that the rule was going to be tried during exhibition games. As it turns out, that idea was tossed aside, too.

Tonight's game is the final exhibition game of the preseason for the WCHA, whose teams went 9-1 over the weekend, playing Canadian colleges and the U.S. Under 18 Team. The league's only loss came on Sunday when Lethbridge defeated Denver 5-2. Meanwhile, St. Lawrence, MSU's first regular-season opponent this Friday and Saturday, won its exhibition game on Saturday.

Be sure to check back on PucKato tonight for my live blog. I'll also try to post game updates on Twitter.

And they're off!

Minnesota State kicked off the men's hockey season Saturday morning with its first official practice of the new year.

"I was pleased with the intensity level, especially for 9 in the morning," coach Troy Jutting said.

It's hard to say too much about lines at this point, since the Mavericks are preparing for Monday's exhibition game against British Columbia. Jutting said forwards Rylan Galiardi, Michael Dorr and Eriah Hayes (possible No. 1 line?), as well as defensemen Kurt Davis and Ben Youds, will sit out that game in order to get the rookies acclimated not only to game action but the routine of a college game day.

"We need to get the young kids in a game situation so they understand how we do things and know our modus operandi," Jutting said.

That freshman class includes Corey Leivermann, the first Mankato native to play for MSU. His reaction to Day 1: "Nervous." Look for more on his first day and his expectations for this year in Sunday's edition of The Free Press.

In case you missed it, here was Saturday's story leading up to the first practice and Galiardi's reaction to being picked 10th in the WCHA preseason polls. Also, be sure to check out more on this year's team in Monday's Free Press.

The Mavericks will have a second practice in on Saturday evening and another on Sunday before playing Monday night at the Verizon Wireless Center.

Other notes: Defenseman Channing Boe missed Saturday morning's practice due to a family commitment, however, he's expected to be at the evening session. ... British Columbia, MSU's opponent on Monday, is playing Nebraska-Omaha tonight and Minnesota on Sunday. ... There is one college hockey tonight that will count, as Michigan hosts Mercyhurst. ... I've been hearing through the grapevine that Josh Berge will not be following his brother, Mick, to Minnesota State after all, and this story out of Lincoln confirms it. Academics might be an issue.

The polls are closed - MSU picked 10th

When the clock struck midnight, the WCHA coaches and media preseason polls were released. Here's a look at them as well as a link to my Wednesday column about why Minnesota State was picked to finish 10th in the now-12-team WCHA.

40th annual Grand Forks Herald coaches poll:
1. North Dakota (10 first-place votes) 120 points
2. St. Cloud State (2) 105
3. Minnesota Duluth 100
4. Denver 88
5. Minnesota 82
6. Colorado College 67
7. Wisconsin 64
8. Nebraska-Omaha 55
9. Bemidji State 46
10. Minnesota State 41
11. Alaska-Anchorage 19
12. Michigan Tech 15

Player of the year: Jack Connolly, UMD (5 votes); Chay Genoway, UND (4); Garrett Roe, SCSU (3)


Rookie of the year: Jaden Schwartz CC (9 votes); Nick Bjugstad, UM (1); Tyler Barnes, UW (1); Matt White, UNO (1)

***

94X media poll
1. North Dakota (28 first-place votes) 347 points
2. Minnesota Duluth 300
3. St. Cloud State (1) 295
4. Denver 242
5. Wisconsin 218
6. Minnesota 203
7. Colorado College 182
8. Bemidij State 156
9. Nebraska Omaha 125
10. Minnesota State 97
11. Alaska-Anchorage 51
12. Michigan Tech 46

Player of the year: Chay Genoway, UND (10); Garrett Roe, SCSU (5); Justin Fontaine, UMD (4); Jack Connolly, UMD (3); Jason Gregoire, UND (2); Mike Connolly, UMD (1); Matt Read, BSU (1); Evan Trupp, UND (1)

Rookie of the year: Jaden Schwartz, CC (10); Derek Forbort, UND (6); Beau Bennett, DU (4); Nick Bjugstad, UM (2); Tyler Barnes, UW (1); J.T. Brown, UMD (1); Rob Gunderson, UAA (1); Radoslav Illo, BSU (1); Jason Zucker, DU (1)

***

Here's how PucKato voted in the media poll (you can see the entire media panel here):
1. North Dakota
2. Minnesota Duluth
3. St. Cloud State
4. Denver
5. Wisconsin
6. Minnesota
7. Colorado College
8. Minnesota State
9. Bemidji State
10. Nebraska-Omaha
11. Alaska-Anchorage
12. Michigan Tech

Player of the year: Jack Connolly. Rookie of the year: Jaden Schwartz

Here's a link to my Wednesday column.

What do you think of the polls? Let me know. For now, it's late. I'm going to bed.

A tale of two goalies

Folks in Mankato may be curious to know how the USHL Fall Classic has started. On the first day of the preseason festival in Sioux City, Iowa, both ex-MSU goalie Kevin Murdock and Mankato native Tyler Bruggeman saw time in goal.

Murdock, back with the Lincoln Stars after one season with the Mavericks, had a rough go of it, allowing seven goals on 32 shots in a 7-0 loss on Wednesday. He did not play on Thursday.

Meanwhile Bruggeman, a former Mankato West standout who had a solid season in the NAHL a year ago, appeared to pick up where he left off with the Des Moines Buccaneers. He played the first half of a game against Sioux Falls and stopped 17 of 18 shots before being replaced. Bruggeman also sat out on Thursday.

As for the Mavericks themselves, the USHL currently has five recruits (no goalies) playing in the league, including J.P. Lafontaine and Brett Stern in Green Bay, Max Gaede in Sioux City, Zach Palmquist in Waterloo and Josh Berge in Lincoln.