You want answers?!?!?

It's been awhile since I've offered up a Q&A. But with the season nearing its midway point, it's probably a good time to get your questions. Here are the rules: Post a question about MSU hockey or, really, anything you want, in the comment section of this post, and, probably Thursday, I will put up a blog post answering said questions. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Mavericks 9, Chargers 1

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's Three Thoughts of the Game:

1. Check the record book: The Mavericks haven't swept anyone for awhile, but you only had to go back to last season (Jan. 7-8 against American International) to find that. As for scoring nine goals, well, that took some work. That hasn't happened since March 6, 2004 when they beat Nebraska Omaha 9-1. This game was all MSU, and it really didn't matter what the situation was. The Mavericks scored three short-handed goals and two power-play goals. Huntsville's only goal came in a 5x3 situation.

2. Everybody's scoring: Michael Dorr scored two short-handed goals, and Zach Lehrke had the other. Lehrke also had another goal and an assist for a three-point game (he was the No. 1 star). Eriah Hayes had a goal and an assist, and Josh Nelson finished with two assists. Other goal scorers included Matt Leitner, J.P. Burkemper, Johnny McInnis and Corey Leivermann. That was Leivermann's first goal and first point of the year. In all, 13 players had at least one point for the Mavericks.

3. Confidence before CC: So what does MSU get out of beating up a 1-17-1 team that just found out this week that it won't be eliminated as a program at the end of the season? Well, confidence. The Mavericks got a lot of guys on the score sheet and really took it to the Chargers from the get-go on Saturday. For Dorr, who had just one goal going into the night, two shorties certainly seemed to give him a lift. "A lot of guys have been frustrated with the lack of scoring, myself included, so a blowout really helps with confidence," he said. Next week will be a little tougher, as the Mavericks will host No.6 Colorado College.

Deep thought: Lehrke's first goal, which made it a 2-0 game, was a thing of beauty. He jumped over the boards for a shift and picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, then he skated it in and fired on net. He got his own rebound and skated around the back of the net and back out to the left circle and took another shot through traffic. That one went in for the unassisted goal.

Quote of the night: "It was a great weekend, and we still had to work hard to do it. Four goals last night and nine tonight. Obviously, something was working. Our forecheck. We were shooting pucks, getting on rebounds, so that's good. Hopefully, we can carry the momentum to next weekend."

Read the game story here.

Around the WCHA: Bemidji State 2, Denver 1 ... North Dakota 1, Nebraska Omaha 0 ... Minnesota Duluth 4, Wisconsin 2 ... Colorado College 4, Alaska Anchorage 3 ... Minnesota 6, Michigan Tech 2

MSU vs. UAH — Game 2 live blog

A couple of changes for the Mavericks tonight. J.P. Burkemper is back in the lineup. Lines can be found below the live blog ...



MINNESOTA STATE
15-Burkemper     19-Lehrke     25-Hayes
12-LaFontaine     18-Leitner     8-Gaede
23-Dorr     14-Jokinen     22-McInnis
24-Mueller     9-Louwerse     11-Leivermann

3-Cooper     26-Schiller
7-Palmquist     16-Elbrecht
17-Mosey     2-Nelson

1-Lee
31-Karambelas
30-Cook

Scratches: Grant, Heath, Knoll, Stern, Thauwald, Zuck

ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE

12-Roy      26-Cseter      27-Lysaght
22-S. Geoffrion      7-Easton      19-Pierce  
5-B. Geoffrion     18-Creppin      16-Reid
13-Webley      8-Allan      15-Kotlarz

2-Strukoff      23-deBruyn
28-Reinhardt      24-Durnie
20-Uusivirta      14-Gatt

33-Saunders
32-Groh
31-Griggs

Referees: Pat Britt, Brett Klosowski
Linesmen: Matt Anderson, Nick Bradshaw

Mavericks 4, Chargers 2

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's Three Thoughts of the Game

1. Much-needed win: The Mavericks snapped a seven game winless streak on Friday by beating Alabama Huntsville before 2,421 at the Verizon Wireless Center. Minnesota State's last win came on Nov. 11 against St. Cloud State. "It's great to get a win," MSU coach Troy Jutting said. "I thought we played well, but we needed to win."

2. Suddenly, a power play: Minnesota State finished 3 for 5 on the power play and also held Huntsville scoreless on three power-play chances. Eriah Hayes (pictured), Johnny McInnis and Zach Lehrke all scored power play goals. Lehrke's was an empty-netter to seal the win with 30 seconds remaining. McInnis' goal stood up as the game-winner. He has proven in his year-plus as a Mavericks that he can shoot the puck, but the goals haven't come. That was his second of the season and the third of his career. Read more about McInnis in The Free Press' game story.

3. 15 yards or 5 minutes: Late in the second period, there was a scuffle around the MSU net after a Chargers scoring chance. Officials took at least 10 (maybe 15?) minutes to sort out the penalties, and they doled out four 5-minute majors for facemasking, including one each to the Mavs' Tyler Elbrecht and Zach Palmquist. Huntsville's Jeff Vanderlugt also got a game DQ during the altercation. Neither team ended up on the power play after the situation. The refs also ended up reviewing the scoring chance and determined that no goal was scored. Weird.

Quote of the night: "Everyone wants to score big goals. But to lose seven in a row and finally get the W, as a hockey player you want to contribute to that." — MSU forward Johnny McInnis (the Mavs actually went 0-6-1 in their last seven games)

Around the WCHA: Minnesota Duluth 3, Wisconsin 3 (OT) ... Michigan Tech 3, Minnesota 2 (OT) ... Denver 3, Bemidji State 2 ... Nebraska Omaha 2, North Dakota 1 ... Alaska Anchorage 6, Colorado College 3

MSU vs. UAH — Game 1 live blog

Lines can be found below the live blog ...



MINNESOTA STATE
24-Mueller     9-Louwerse     23-Dorr
11-Leivermann     19-Lehrke     25-Hayes
12-LaFontaine     18-Leitner     8-Gaede
22-McInnis     14-Jokinen     20-Thauwald

3-Cooper     26-Schiller
7-Palmquist     16-Elbrecht
17-Mosey     2-Nelson

1-Lee
31-Karambelas
30-Cook

Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Grant (inj.), Heath (inj.) Knoll, Stern (inj.), Zuck (inj.)

ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE
12-Roy      26-Cseter      27-Lysaght
19-Pierce      7-Easton      21-Vanderlugt
5-Geoffrion      18-Creppin      16-Reid
13-Webley      8-Allan      15-Kotlarz

2-Strukoff      23-deBruyn
28-Reinhardt      24-Durnie
20-UUsivirta      14-Gatt

33-Saunders
32-Groh
31-Griggs

Referees: Pat Britt, Brett Klosowski
Linesmen: Matt Anderson, Nick Bradshaw

Friday Morning Skate

The Mavericks are back in Mankato this weekend and are taking on Alabama Huntsville, whose players surely have spring in their step after their program appeared to get a reprieve this week.

More on the Chargers in a sec ...

As for Minnesota State, it is looking to break a seven-game winless streak after playing Minnesota pretty tough, only to get swept, a week ago. The Mavericks got some bad injury news this week, as Eli Zuck and J.P. Burkemper are out with minor injuries. They will be replaced by recent healthy scratches Mike Louwerse and Charlie Thauwald. Louwerse will center Adam Mueller and Michael Dorr. Thauwald will play on the fourth line, with Corey Leivermann moving up to Burkemper's spot with Zach Lehrke and Eriah Hayes.

Staying on the subject of Lehrke, he is the subject of today's feature in The Free Press. He is the third of three Lehrke brothers from Park Rapids, all of whom went on to play college hockey. Derek attended D-III Northland in Ashland, Wis., and Tyler played at Bemidji State.

For more on the Mavericks, see today's gameday preview.

Meanwhile, The Huntsville Times has plenty of coverage on the effort to save hockey, including this story on UAH's new president and a rather scathing column on the old interim president and current University of Alabama system chancellor Malcolm Portera, the man who gave hockey the ax a couple of months ago. Meanwhile, coach Chris Luongo has been given the go-ahead to schedule games for next year (Troy Jutting told me that MSU had Huntsville on the schedule for next year already and that those games have not been changed).

Going around the WCHA ...

Michigan Tech at Minnesota: Fresh off their sweep of the Mavericks the Gophers will host the much-improved Huskies, whose first-year coach, Mel Pearson, played against Minnesota's Don Lucia when the two were in high school. Tech is in the meat of its schedule right now, having been swept for the first time this season a week ago against defending national champion Minnesota Duluth.

Minnesota Duluth at Wisconsin: The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the country and riding a 12-game unbeaten streak into Madison, and some are wondering if this will be UMD's last trip to the Kohl Center. For the Badgers, much has been made about all-star defenseman Justin Schultz, but what about his partner, Frankie Simonelli?

Denver at Bemidji State: Apparently, you can't discuss anything Denver-related right now without mentioning Tim Tebow, and DU hockey is no exception. The Beavers, meanwhile, are expecting a tough matchup with the Pioneers in town.

Nebraska Omaha at North Dakota: It's the Blais bowl as Omaha coach Dean Blais returns to Grand Forks. But the UND's old coach won't be the only familiar name to fans in The Ralph tonight. As for the team formerly known as the Fighting Sioux (TFKATFS — put that on the jersey!), junior Corban Knight seems to do it all.

Alaska Anchorage at Colorado College: The Seawolves are tied for last place in the WCHA with MSU and are trying to grab some points before the first half of the season ends against a good CC team. As for the Tigers, superstar Jaden Schwartz is excited to get a second chance at playing in the World Junior Championships later this month. An injury derailed the opportunity to play for Team Canada a year ago. (His selection to the team, by the way, will force him to miss next weekend's series in Mankato — a nice break for the Mavs.)

More WCHA coverage at USCHO.

Be sure to stop back on the blog later today for tonight's lineups and PucKato's world-famous live blog.

Huntsville coming with good news

Don't bury the Alabama Huntsville Chargers just yet. On the eve of their trip to Mankato for this weekend's nonconference series against Minnesota State, the program just might have been saved, according to The Huntsville Times.

Plans have not been put in place, but after a Tuesday meeting, school officials announced:

"Members of The University of Alabama in Huntsville administration met this evening with hockey supporters, following discussions with Chancellor Malcolm Portera, and came to a consensus to work closely together to pursue institutional and community support to continue UAH hockey at the Division I level.

"Several scenarios were discussed to ensure recurring support is in place, and the two groups will continue to meet in the coming days to finalize a workable plan."

This comes nearly two months after it was announced that the team would be dismantled as an NCAA Division I program after this season be reverted to club status. However, there has been a grass-roots effort to save the program, and the group says it has raised $500,000 in pledges, according to the Times' story.

It will be interesting to see what happens going forward, as Chargers players have already begun looking into transferring (it was reported earlier this week that goalie Clarke Saunders is headed to North Dakota), and the issue of remaining an independent program amid all of the upcoming conference changes has yet to be resolved (the WCHA could use a 10th team, no?).

Huntsville and MSU will play on Friday and Saturday at the Verizon Wireless Center.