Friday morning skate

Pat Christman/The Free Press

It gets no easier for the Mavericks, as No. 3 Denver comes to town tonight. Minnesota State hasn't beaten the Pioneers in their last 14 meetings, going 0-12-2.

Of course, we all know strange things can happen when these two teams meet, especially in Mankato.

Barring any late-week injuries, don't expect too many lineup changes for Minnesota State from last Saturday's important win over No. 2 Minnesota. As of Thursday afternoon, coach Mike Hastings wasn't committed to a starting goaltender. Phil Cook had the game-saving stop on Saturday, but neither his nor freshman Stephon Williams' numbers have been stellar to start the season.

As the Mavericks try to improve defensively from the net on out, junior defenseman Josh Nelson (pictured) has made some big strides, especially compared to where he was a year ago. He's a minutes eater and is on the second power-play unit. He also scored his second career goal to get things going against the Gophers.

As for the Pioneers, they are making their first road trip of the season. While they lost some top-end forwards to pro contracts in the offseason, there is a belief that Denver is already showing signs of better chemistry with this squad.

Going around the rest of the WCHA ...

North Dakota at St. Cloud State: Tonight, UND hopes to break a 10-game Friday-night losing streak at St. Cloud. It won't be easy, as the Huskies are off to their best eight-game start (5-3-0) since the 2003-04 season. ... Also, UND beat writer Brad Schlossman has a fun story on what the folks at Ralph Engelstad Arena do with all the hats thrown on the ice after a player scores a hat trick.

Bemidji State at Colorado College: Last week's bye week came a little too early for the Beavers' liking, so they're more than glad to be back on the ice this weekend. Meanwhile, the Tigers are back in the rankings and getting a great start from junior defenseman Eamonn McDermott.

Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage: A lot of teams would take the Gophers record, but they're trying to find a way to bounce back from Saturday's loss at Minnesota State. One Minnesota player who was really good in Mankato was Wild draft pick Erik Haula. For the Seawolves, they're digging deep to find talent for their team. Also, Anchorage lost a player, Andrew Pickering, who had to retire due to concussion issues.

Minnesota Duluth at Nebraska Omaha (Saturday-Sunday): The Bulldogs have to wait one extra day off their bye week to start this series. They will face a team that is killing penalties at a 91.4 percent clip as well as one that's expected to get a key player back in the lineup this week.

Also in the WCHA this week, Wisconsin is dealing with issues, including Mark Zengerle's broken finger and subsequent surgery and the surprising departure of assistant coach Bill Butters.

The USCHO preview notebook this week focuses on Denver's luxury in goal.

Be sure to return to the blog later to see tonight's lines and my in-game live chat. And if you're not doing it already, be sure to follow me on Twitter.

Finally, at Gustavus Adolphus tonight, the Gustavus women's team's MIAC-opener against Bethel will be a "White-Out" as a tribute to junior Marah Sobczak, who was critically injured this summer in a head-on traffic collision near her home in Stillwater. Family, friends and fans are encouraged to wear white in honor and in support of Marah and her family. White T-shirts for the event will be sold to raise money for the family and Sobczak's recovery.

Two Mavs win WCHA awards

Following their WCHA series split against No. 2 Minnesota, the Mavericks' Zach Palmquist and Dylan Margonari received league awards for their play.

Palmquist was named the WCHA's defensive player of the week, while Margonari was named rookie of the week.

Palmquuist, a sophomore defenseman from South St. Paul, helped the Mavericks hold the Gophers to just two even-strength goals int he series. He also had a goal and an assist. For the season, Palmquist has five points and is +3.

Margonari, a freshman forward from Greensburg, Pa., scored his first game-winning goal in Saturday's 5-3 victory.

Mavericks 5, Minnesota 3

Pat Christman/The Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. Huge win: Not only was the first WCHA victory of the season for the Mavericks, snapping a three-game losing streak, but it was important because of the atmosphere in the Verizon Wireless Center. The crowd of 4,854 the first sellout and largest crowd for hockey since Feb. 28, 2009 when MSU drew 5,013 for a game against Wisconsin. The pep band was back for the first time in years, and a new lounge-like area called the Big Bobber Ice House was unveiled in the dead area of the horseshoe on the  west end of the rink. When Jean-Paul LaFontaine scored an empty-net goal, flipping a backhander from the boards about 150 feet away, the arena made a sound not heard in a long, long time.

2. Play of the game? Which is it? Dylan Margonari's game-winner with 3:41 to play or Phil Cook's sprawling save to stop a Grade A 3-on-1 opportunity with 15 seconds left in the second period. Coach Mike Hastings called Cook's save the game's turning point, and a goal there would have put the Gophers up 4-3 going into the third despite getting outshot 27-17 at that point. Cook said he was disappointed in the first couple of Minnesota goals and "owed it to my teammates to make a big save." Margonari's goal came just after the Mavericks killed a penalty (remember the kill problems on Friday?), and was a huge play in what had been a scoreless period up to that point. Max Gaede won a battle for the puck along the boards and threw the puck out to Margonari, who had fresh legs coming off the bench.

3. Forwards march: Junior defenseman Josh Nelson scored the Mavericks' first goal of the game, and at the time, three of the team's last four goals had come from blueliners. After that though, forwards Zach Lehrke, Johnny McInnis, Margonari and LaFontaine scored. In St. Cloud, Hastings said his forwards have too much talent to be shut out. They sure came to life on Saturday. McInnis' goal was his fourth of the year, and Margonari's was his second. But Lehrke and LaFontaine each got his much-needed first of the season. LaFontaine ended up with two-point game.

Read The Free Press' game story here.

Up next: The Mavericks will host Denver on Friday and Saturday.

Around the WCHA: Nebraska Omaha 5, Michigan Tech 3 ... Boston University 4, North Dakota 2 ... Colorado College 3, Wisconsin 0 ... Denver 6, St. Cloud State 1

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.