I'm already in Wisconsin but not near Madison yet. I'll be headed there for this weekend's Mavericks-Badgers series on Friday morning. There may be an abbreviated Friday Morning Skate posted before I go for what looks like an important series for both teams.
As for the Mavericks, they're spending Thanksgiving together, traveling to Madison and trying to treat it like a normal travel day. Holiday? What holiday? This is a Division I sport!
Upon last check, the Mavericks' lineup appears to have stayed the same as it was during the Denver series. However, I'll post the official lines when they're available on Friday, possibly on Twitter first.
Meanwhile, here's an interesting story out of Wisconsin, which had a players-only meeting this week to figure out its one-win situation..
Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Friday morning skate, bye week edition
The Mavericks are off this weekend and will return to play Thanksgiving weekend at Wisconsin. Locally, the MSU women play at No. 1 Minnesota, while the Gustavus teams will play St. Thomas
The MSU men have practiced all week, following their two losses to Denver, and it should be interesting to see how they come out of the bye. Between now and Christmas they will play at Wisconsin, home against Bemidji State, home against Anchorage and at Nebraska Omaha. Based on the old sweep-at-home, split-on-the-road mantra, a 6-2 record in that stretch would be ideal. Can it be done?
As for this weekend, eight WCHA teams are in action. Here's a look:
Wisconsin at Minnesota: The Badgers are reeling a bit with the injury to Mark Zengerle and the unexpected departure of assistant coach Bill Butters, so they're retooling their lineup this week against their Big Ten rival. Beat writer Andy Baggot points out that another problem the Badgers have is their failure to close out games. ... As for the Gophers, star forward Erik Haula may be a native of Finland, but he's all Minnesota. Minnesota also has a blossoming star from Wisconsin in Nate Condon.
Minnesota Duluth at North Dakota: The Bulldogs are looking for a little chemistry from some freshmen after a slow start that has included a five-game winless streak. Ending that run will be no easy task at The Ralph. For UND, Dillon Simpson is emerging as a top defenseman after playing alongside some pretty good blueliners in his first two years of college hockey. Also in Grand Forks, they're thinking of another rivalry, that with Minnesota, which will not take place next year due to the upcoming conference shakeup.
Michigan Tech at Bemidji State: Remember when the Huskies beat Minnesota and were 2-1-0? Five losses in a row later, and coach Mel Pearson is calling his team desperate. To be fair, he's saying the same of the Beavers, who were swept last weekend at Colorado College. Bemidji State is hoping to get things rolling now that Jordan George appears to be heating up.
Denver vs. Colorado College (home and home): The Gold Pan rivalry begins tonight in Colorado Springs where two of the hottest teams in college hockey, the No. 14 Tigers and the No. 2 Pioneers will square off. The Pios are finding much success by recruiting in-state talent. There are seven Coloradans on this year's team.
Read the USCHO weekly WCHA notebook here.
Just a thought ... While the bye week may come at a good time for MSU, the Mavericks, Anchorage, Omaha and St. Cloud State are all idle this weekend. Three of those teams (MSU, UAA, SCSU) will play league series over Thanksgiving weekend, while UNO will play nonconference games, as will four other WCHA teams. Seems like this would be a good weekend to play league games while giving Thanksgiving weekend as an option for a bye week or tournaments or nonconference games. There are too few weekends in which all 12 WCHA teams are in action against each other, and the league is better served when that happens. The fewer "games in hand" fans have to calculate late in the season when trying to follow the race for the McNaughton Cup or home ice, the better.
The MSU men have practiced all week, following their two losses to Denver, and it should be interesting to see how they come out of the bye. Between now and Christmas they will play at Wisconsin, home against Bemidji State, home against Anchorage and at Nebraska Omaha. Based on the old sweep-at-home, split-on-the-road mantra, a 6-2 record in that stretch would be ideal. Can it be done?
As for this weekend, eight WCHA teams are in action. Here's a look:
Wisconsin at Minnesota: The Badgers are reeling a bit with the injury to Mark Zengerle and the unexpected departure of assistant coach Bill Butters, so they're retooling their lineup this week against their Big Ten rival. Beat writer Andy Baggot points out that another problem the Badgers have is their failure to close out games. ... As for the Gophers, star forward Erik Haula may be a native of Finland, but he's all Minnesota. Minnesota also has a blossoming star from Wisconsin in Nate Condon.
Minnesota Duluth at North Dakota: The Bulldogs are looking for a little chemistry from some freshmen after a slow start that has included a five-game winless streak. Ending that run will be no easy task at The Ralph. For UND, Dillon Simpson is emerging as a top defenseman after playing alongside some pretty good blueliners in his first two years of college hockey. Also in Grand Forks, they're thinking of another rivalry, that with Minnesota, which will not take place next year due to the upcoming conference shakeup.
Michigan Tech at Bemidji State: Remember when the Huskies beat Minnesota and were 2-1-0? Five losses in a row later, and coach Mel Pearson is calling his team desperate. To be fair, he's saying the same of the Beavers, who were swept last weekend at Colorado College. Bemidji State is hoping to get things rolling now that Jordan George appears to be heating up.
Denver vs. Colorado College (home and home): The Gold Pan rivalry begins tonight in Colorado Springs where two of the hottest teams in college hockey, the No. 14 Tigers and the No. 2 Pioneers will square off. The Pios are finding much success by recruiting in-state talent. There are seven Coloradans on this year's team.
Read the USCHO weekly WCHA notebook here.
Just a thought ... While the bye week may come at a good time for MSU, the Mavericks, Anchorage, Omaha and St. Cloud State are all idle this weekend. Three of those teams (MSU, UAA, SCSU) will play league series over Thanksgiving weekend, while UNO will play nonconference games, as will four other WCHA teams. Seems like this would be a good weekend to play league games while giving Thanksgiving weekend as an option for a bye week or tournaments or nonconference games. There are too few weekends in which all 12 WCHA teams are in action against each other, and the league is better served when that happens. The fewer "games in hand" fans have to calculate late in the season when trying to follow the race for the McNaughton Cup or home ice, the better.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Recruits sign with Mavericks
Four recruits signed their letters of intent to play at Minnesota State on Wednesday afternoon. The group includes one forward, two defensemen and a goaltender. Here's a look at the group:
Mike Huntebrinker, F, Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL): The 5-11, 187-pound forward missed the start of the USHL season after undergoing offseason wrist surgery, but he's made a big impact since getting healthy, scoring three goals and assisting on four others in just four games. Mike Hastings' first recruit (he committed less than two months after the coach took the MSU job), Huntebrinker had 17 goals and 17 assists last season, including a strong late-season surge that carried over to the Clark Cup playoffs, in which he had 10 points in 13 games. “I think Mike can come in and contribute offensively right away,” Hastings said.
Cole Huggins, G, Coquitlam Express (BCHL): The 6-0, 180-pound netminder is off to a great start this season. He currently ranks as the BCHL’s leader in save percentage at .938 through 18 games. The 20-year-old Colorado native has a 10-5-1 record with a 2.25 goals-against average. “I really like his demeanor in the net,” Hastings said. “I like what he brings, and I think he can help us between the posts.”
Sean Flanagan, D, Penticton Vees (BCHL): The 6-1, 170-pounder was traded to the Vees from the Salmon Arm SilverBacks on Wednesday. A puck-moving defenseman who could be a future power play presence, he has three goals and five assists in 20 games this season. He had 31 points in 60 games with Salmon Arm last year. He was an alternate captain with the SilverBacks before the trade.
Carter Foguth, D, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL): More of a physical, defensive defenseman a la Tyler Elbrecht, the 6-2, 210-pound Foguth is in his third season in the USHL and a two-year captain with the Lumberjacks. He has one goal and one assist through 14 games this season. In 97 career games, he has 12 points and 233 penalty minutes.
“We’re losing two senior defensemen (Elbrecht and Evan Mosey), and I think it’s a good mix,” Hastings said of Flanagan and Foguth. "We need to get a little better on the blue line."
Read The Free Press' story here.
Read The Free Press' story here.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota State women's team signed two defensemen on Wednesday, including Mankato's own Savannah Quandt. Quandt, a senior at Mankato East and standout for East/Loyola, was a forward when she committed to MSU as a sophomore, but after getting moved to D, she has shined, and Mavericks coach Eric Means says he'll likely keep her there. The other player is Stillwater's Sara Bustad. Read more here.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Pioneers 3, Mavericks 2
Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...
1. No moral victory: Clearly, Mike Hastings isn't interested in a lengthy rebuilding project here. And when his team outplayed No. 3 Denver for much of the weekend, only to get itself in early deficits each night (on Saturday it was 2-0) and get below-par goaltending on top of that, he shouldn't be. Denver will be flying back home on Sunday feeling like it stole two, maybe four points in Mankato. The difference in each game came down to the goalies. On Saturday, Juho Olkinuora (30 saves) outplayed Stephon Williams (20 saves, including a big one on Jarrod Mermis' breakaway early in the second period). "Their goalie made one more save than ours did — actually, more than one," Hastings said.
2. What went right: There were some good things that happened for the Mavericks, just not enough to put them in the "points for" category, Hastings said. They limited Denver to just 23 shots (43 for the weekend) and went 2 for 9 on the power play, getting goals from Eriah Hayes and Josh Nelson. They also took just two penalties and killed off both of the Pioneers' power plays. Jean-Paul LaFontaine assisted on Hayes' goal, giving him a four-point series
3. Freshman fun: A couple of highlights from Minnesota State's rookies on Saturday: Teddy Blueger assisted on Nelson's goal, giving him five points so far this season. ... Dylan Margonari also assisted on that goal and continued playing with the confidence of a veteran, it seemed. ... Brett Knowles and Jon Jutzi both had big hits in the third period when the game was still tied 2-2. Knowles was impressive on the penalty kill as well.
Deep thought 1: Saturday's announced crowd was 3,499, a big improvement from Friday's opener and definitely late-arriving, probably due to the unseasonably warm weather. The pep band makes a big difference to the atmosphere in the building, especially in what ended up being another close game.
Deep thought 2: Nice to see MSU honor the 11-0, NSIC-champion Maverick football team by bringing the entire squad out on the ice during the first intermission. Minnesota State closed out its regular season on Saturday with a 70-7 home win over Upper Iowa.
Read my Free Press game story here.
Around the WCHA: Nebraska Omaha 3, Minnesota Duluth 2 ... St. Cloud State 5, North Dakota 2 ... Colorado College 6, Bemidji State 3 ... Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage (late, Gophers won Friday's game 4-0)
1. No moral victory: Clearly, Mike Hastings isn't interested in a lengthy rebuilding project here. And when his team outplayed No. 3 Denver for much of the weekend, only to get itself in early deficits each night (on Saturday it was 2-0) and get below-par goaltending on top of that, he shouldn't be. Denver will be flying back home on Sunday feeling like it stole two, maybe four points in Mankato. The difference in each game came down to the goalies. On Saturday, Juho Olkinuora (30 saves) outplayed Stephon Williams (20 saves, including a big one on Jarrod Mermis' breakaway early in the second period). "Their goalie made one more save than ours did — actually, more than one," Hastings said.
2. What went right: There were some good things that happened for the Mavericks, just not enough to put them in the "points for" category, Hastings said. They limited Denver to just 23 shots (43 for the weekend) and went 2 for 9 on the power play, getting goals from Eriah Hayes and Josh Nelson. They also took just two penalties and killed off both of the Pioneers' power plays. Jean-Paul LaFontaine assisted on Hayes' goal, giving him a four-point series
3. Freshman fun: A couple of highlights from Minnesota State's rookies on Saturday: Teddy Blueger assisted on Nelson's goal, giving him five points so far this season. ... Dylan Margonari also assisted on that goal and continued playing with the confidence of a veteran, it seemed. ... Brett Knowles and Jon Jutzi both had big hits in the third period when the game was still tied 2-2. Knowles was impressive on the penalty kill as well.
Deep thought 1: Saturday's announced crowd was 3,499, a big improvement from Friday's opener and definitely late-arriving, probably due to the unseasonably warm weather. The pep band makes a big difference to the atmosphere in the building, especially in what ended up being another close game.
Deep thought 2: Nice to see MSU honor the 11-0, NSIC-champion Maverick football team by bringing the entire squad out on the ice during the first intermission. Minnesota State closed out its regular season on Saturday with a 70-7 home win over Upper Iowa.
Read my Free Press game story here.
Around the WCHA: Nebraska Omaha 3, Minnesota Duluth 2 ... St. Cloud State 5, North Dakota 2 ... Colorado College 6, Bemidji State 3 ... Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage (late, Gophers won Friday's game 4-0)
Minnesota State vs. Denver — Game 2
Lines are posted below the live blog. A couple of juggles on the chart. Stephon Williams will start in goal for MSU.
MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles 29-LaFontaine 25-Hayes
26-Margonari 18-Leitner 19-Lehrke
21-Grant 23-Blueger 22-McInnis
9-Gervais 29-Zuck 8-Gaede
16-Elbrecht 2-Nelson
7-Palmquist 4-Buchanan
27-Stern 28-Jutzi
35-Williams
30-Cook
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
17-Allen 9-Levin 39-Arnold
21-LaLeggia 4-Didier
7-Phillips 2-Mayfield
10-Makowski 6-Mermis
31-Olkinuora
1-Brittain
Referees: Scott Bokal, Jarod Moen. Linesmen: Dan Dineen, Matt Anderson
MINNESOTA STATE
24-Knowles 29-LaFontaine 25-Hayes
26-Margonari 18-Leitner 19-Lehrke
21-Grant 23-Blueger 22-McInnis
9-Gervais 29-Zuck 8-Gaede
16-Elbrecht 2-Nelson
7-Palmquist 4-Buchanan
27-Stern 28-Jutzi
35-Williams
30-Cook
31-Karambelas
Scratches: Burkemper (inj.), Herndon, Knoll (inj.), Leivermann, Mosey, Thauwald
22-Mermis 27-Q.Shore 25-Tabrum
16-Larraza 26-Ostrow 19-Doremus
11-Knowlton 23-N.Shore 12-Loney
17-Allen 9-Levin 39-Arnold
21-LaLeggia 4-Didier
7-Phillips 2-Mayfield
10-Makowski 6-Mermis
31-Olkinuora
1-Brittain
Referees: Scott Bokal, Jarod Moen. Linesmen: Dan Dineen, Matt Anderson
Friday, November 9, 2012
Pioneers 4, Mavericks 3
Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...
1. Big hole: Blame a lax start, the goaltending or the penalties. Either way, the Mavericks put themselves into too big of a deficit — 3-0 — early against the third-ranked Pioneers before finally waking up and doing something about it. First the penalties ... Three penalties in the first 10 minutes of the game got MSU out of its rhythm, even as it killed them all off (Denver was 0 for 6 on the power play). "I think we've gotten better at killing penalties," coach Mike Hastings said. "But I'm OK if we don't keep practicing it on Fridays and Saturdays." The Mavericks were called for 12 penalties totaling 35 minutes. With just under two minutes left in the game, Jean-Paul LaFontaine's major for checking from behind, all but quelled MSU's comeback attempt.
2. Goaltending issues: On to the goaltending ... Denver's Sam Brittain stopped 33 of 36 shots, and coach George Gwozdecky called him his team's best player. Still, Juho Olkinuora is slated to start Saturday's game, while back in Colorado, Adam Murray is nursing an injury. Three top-flight goaltenders. Not a bad problem for Gwozdecky. As for the Mavericks, they're looking for one. Starter Phil Cook allowed three goals on 12 shots before being lifted for freshman Stephon Williams at 3:28 of the second period. Williams stopped seven shots in the second and saw only one in the third, which Daniel Doremus ripped over his shoulder from the high slot and ended up as the game-winning goal. Combined, Cook and Williams have a .884 save percentage and a 3.16 goals-against average this season.
3. LaFontaine heats up: Prior to the bad penalty at the end of the game, Jean-Paul LaFontaine showed the spark he had most of last season. Perhaps the empty-net goal against the Gophers a week ago got him going. The sophomore finished Friday's game with two goals and an assist, which moved him up to second place on the Mavericks' scoring list behind Matt Leitner, who had a picture-perfect assist on LaFontaine's second goal, which came with an extra attacker on the ice and made it 4-3 with just under two minutes to play. LaFontaine has three goals and four assists so far and continues to lead the team in shots on goal.
Deep thought: Friday's attendance at The Cell was 3,184, nearly 1,700 fewer than the number who came for last Saturday's game against Minnesota. That's disappointing and puzzling, considering the buzz created by that win over the Gophers and the fact that another top team and national power, No. 3 Denver, was coming in.
Around the WCHA: North Dakota 3, St. Cloud State 0 ... Colorado College 3, Bemidji State 2 ... Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage (late)
1. Big hole: Blame a lax start, the goaltending or the penalties. Either way, the Mavericks put themselves into too big of a deficit — 3-0 — early against the third-ranked Pioneers before finally waking up and doing something about it. First the penalties ... Three penalties in the first 10 minutes of the game got MSU out of its rhythm, even as it killed them all off (Denver was 0 for 6 on the power play). "I think we've gotten better at killing penalties," coach Mike Hastings said. "But I'm OK if we don't keep practicing it on Fridays and Saturdays." The Mavericks were called for 12 penalties totaling 35 minutes. With just under two minutes left in the game, Jean-Paul LaFontaine's major for checking from behind, all but quelled MSU's comeback attempt.
2. Goaltending issues: On to the goaltending ... Denver's Sam Brittain stopped 33 of 36 shots, and coach George Gwozdecky called him his team's best player. Still, Juho Olkinuora is slated to start Saturday's game, while back in Colorado, Adam Murray is nursing an injury. Three top-flight goaltenders. Not a bad problem for Gwozdecky. As for the Mavericks, they're looking for one. Starter Phil Cook allowed three goals on 12 shots before being lifted for freshman Stephon Williams at 3:28 of the second period. Williams stopped seven shots in the second and saw only one in the third, which Daniel Doremus ripped over his shoulder from the high slot and ended up as the game-winning goal. Combined, Cook and Williams have a .884 save percentage and a 3.16 goals-against average this season.
3. LaFontaine heats up: Prior to the bad penalty at the end of the game, Jean-Paul LaFontaine showed the spark he had most of last season. Perhaps the empty-net goal against the Gophers a week ago got him going. The sophomore finished Friday's game with two goals and an assist, which moved him up to second place on the Mavericks' scoring list behind Matt Leitner, who had a picture-perfect assist on LaFontaine's second goal, which came with an extra attacker on the ice and made it 4-3 with just under two minutes to play. LaFontaine has three goals and four assists so far and continues to lead the team in shots on goal.
Deep thought: Friday's attendance at The Cell was 3,184, nearly 1,700 fewer than the number who came for last Saturday's game against Minnesota. That's disappointing and puzzling, considering the buzz created by that win over the Gophers and the fact that another top team and national power, No. 3 Denver, was coming in.
Around the WCHA: North Dakota 3, St. Cloud State 0 ... Colorado College 3, Bemidji State 2 ... Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage (late)
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
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
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