Alabama Huntsville ended Northern Michigan's seven-game winning streak and eight-game unbeaten streak on Sunday afternoon with a 4-2 victory. That series split and the one between Bowling Green and Michigan Tech helped out Minnesota State in the WCHA regular-season race. The Mavericks are now just one point out of first with two games in hand on the Wildcats and Falcons.
Here's the top of the standings, and the teams' remaining schedules. Who has the advantage the rest of the way?
1. NMU 52 points ... vs. Alaska, vs./at Michigan Tech
2. MSU 51 points ... at Huntsville, vs. Ferris State, vs. Bemidji State
3. BGSU 49 points ... at Anchorage, at Huntsville
4. BSU 39 points ... at Michigan Tech, vs. Alaska, at Minnesota State
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Mavericks 4, Seawolves 3
Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...
1. Nothing's easy: One night after a dominating performance over Alaska Anchorage, Minnesota State overcame being down 1-0 and a late charge that turned a three-goal lead into a one-goal lead. But the Mavericks hung on to win and sweep the WCHA series. "You gotta feel good about two wins, for sure," said Jake Jaremko, the freshman forward, who had a goal and an assist (and now has 10 goals and 29 points for the year). "Any time you get two wins in this league, you gotta take a step back and be proud of that." It was MSU's fifth win in a row, the first time this season they have been on that long of a streak.
2. Fresh faces: Jaremko is well on his way to winning WCHA Rookie of the Year, but the wasn't the only freshman to shine on Saturday (or the weekend). Dallas Gerads had a goal and an assist for a three-point weekend. "He’s a guy, who, as a coach, you appreciate because he doesn’t cheat the game," coach Mike Hastings said of Gerads. "He does the little things. He’ll play physical. He’s responsible with it. He’s not reckless." Rookie defenseman Connor Mackey did yeoman's work, playing extra minutes after Daniel Brickley was lost for the game an injury (read my gamer, linked below, for an update on Brickley). "I thought Mackey did a pretty good job coming in cold and having to step right into that role," Hastings said. Jaremko's rookie linemate, Reggie Lutz, finished with two assists.
3. Where they stand: Saturday's win guaranteed MSU an upper-division finish in the WCHA, which means home ice for the first round of the league playoffs. Obviously, they're shooting for a MacNaughton Cup. They're currently in second place (thanks to Bowling Green's loss to Michigan Tech), one point behind league-leading Northern Michigan. The Wildcats, however, do have a chance to extend their lead on Sunday, when they close out a series at Alabama Huntsville. Meanwhile, the Mavericks moved up to No. 5 in the Pairwise after the game.
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA: Northern Michigan 4, Alabama Huntsville 3 ... Michigan Tech 4, Bowling Green 0 ... Lake Superior State 2, Bemidji State 0 ... Ferris State at Alaska (late)
1. Nothing's easy: One night after a dominating performance over Alaska Anchorage, Minnesota State overcame being down 1-0 and a late charge that turned a three-goal lead into a one-goal lead. But the Mavericks hung on to win and sweep the WCHA series. "You gotta feel good about two wins, for sure," said Jake Jaremko, the freshman forward, who had a goal and an assist (and now has 10 goals and 29 points for the year). "Any time you get two wins in this league, you gotta take a step back and be proud of that." It was MSU's fifth win in a row, the first time this season they have been on that long of a streak.
2. Fresh faces: Jaremko is well on his way to winning WCHA Rookie of the Year, but the wasn't the only freshman to shine on Saturday (or the weekend). Dallas Gerads had a goal and an assist for a three-point weekend. "He’s a guy, who, as a coach, you appreciate because he doesn’t cheat the game," coach Mike Hastings said of Gerads. "He does the little things. He’ll play physical. He’s responsible with it. He’s not reckless." Rookie defenseman Connor Mackey did yeoman's work, playing extra minutes after Daniel Brickley was lost for the game an injury (read my gamer, linked below, for an update on Brickley). "I thought Mackey did a pretty good job coming in cold and having to step right into that role," Hastings said. Jaremko's rookie linemate, Reggie Lutz, finished with two assists.
3. Where they stand: Saturday's win guaranteed MSU an upper-division finish in the WCHA, which means home ice for the first round of the league playoffs. Obviously, they're shooting for a MacNaughton Cup. They're currently in second place (thanks to Bowling Green's loss to Michigan Tech), one point behind league-leading Northern Michigan. The Wildcats, however, do have a chance to extend their lead on Sunday, when they close out a series at Alabama Huntsville. Meanwhile, the Mavericks moved up to No. 5 in the Pairwise after the game.
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA: Northern Michigan 4, Alabama Huntsville 3 ... Michigan Tech 4, Bowling Green 0 ... Lake Superior State 2, Bemidji State 0 ... Ferris State at Alaska (late)
Live: Minnesota State vs. Alaka Anchorage
The Mavericks will go for the series sweep against the Seawolves at 7:07 p.m. Saturday at the Verizon Center. Follow along with the action below tonight's lines.
MINNESOTA STATE
20-Michaelis, 15-Suess, 19-McClure
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 10-Knutson
23-Rivera, 11-Spooner, 6-Tuomie
22-Gerads, 26-French, 12-Coatta
8-Brickley, 18-Scheid
2-Mackey, 25-Zmolek
4-Lewis, 24-Hookenson
37-LaCouvee
39-Pawloski
29-Nelson
Scratches: Bigelbach, Cooper, Gerard, Duehr, McNeely, Schwalbe, Vanko
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
21-Kozun, 11-Azurdia, 29-DeGraaf
10-Sofo, 95-Erb-Ekholm, 9-Butcher
76-N. Renouf, 67-J. Renouf, 28-Xavier
19-Jackstadt, 20-Renwick, 12-Rygaard
41-McPheters, 4-Johnson
7-Nicholas, 23-Sinclair
37-Trinkberger, 6-Brown
33-Mantha
1-ClaeysFriday, February 2, 2018
Mavericks 7, Seawolves 1
Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...
1. Total domination: When one team is vying for a conference championship and another has two wins, Friday's outcome is what's come to be expected. That doesn't always happen, of course, and the Mavericks still have another game in the series on Saturday night. But they definitely took care of business in the opener — and in pretty much all facets of the game. Thirteen players had points, including Zeb Knutson with four (2G, 2A) and Marc Michaelis with three (1G 2A). MSU was 2 for 3 on the power play and gave up one on its kill after it was already up by a touchdown and extra point. The Mavericks outshot the Seawolves 43-18.
2. Give the goalie some love: Connor LaCouvee had a shutout going until 7:33 remained in the game when the Seawolves' Alec Butcher scored a power-play goal. He won his 14th game of the season and, despite the lopsided nature of much of the game, came up big when he had to, making a huge pad save on a 2-on-1 when the game was still scoreless and withstanding a flurry midway through the second period. "There were a couple," coach Mike Hastings said of LaCouvee's saves. "Sometimes it's when, not how many."
3. The big five-oh: C.J. Suess scored MSU's seventh goal of the game, but it was a significant one. It was the 50th goal of his college career. "Fifty goals is a lot of goals," Hastings said. "That was pretty neat — a to see his teammates' reaction on the bench, just the genuine appreciation for him and being real happy for him. They were arguing on who was going to get the puck for him, which is pretty neat." Suess is the ninth player in Minnesota State's Division I era to hit the 50-goal mark.
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 7, Michigan Tech 2 ... Lake Superior State 2, Bemidji State 0 ... Ferris State at Alaska (late)
1. Total domination: When one team is vying for a conference championship and another has two wins, Friday's outcome is what's come to be expected. That doesn't always happen, of course, and the Mavericks still have another game in the series on Saturday night. But they definitely took care of business in the opener — and in pretty much all facets of the game. Thirteen players had points, including Zeb Knutson with four (2G, 2A) and Marc Michaelis with three (1G 2A). MSU was 2 for 3 on the power play and gave up one on its kill after it was already up by a touchdown and extra point. The Mavericks outshot the Seawolves 43-18.
2. Give the goalie some love: Connor LaCouvee had a shutout going until 7:33 remained in the game when the Seawolves' Alec Butcher scored a power-play goal. He won his 14th game of the season and, despite the lopsided nature of much of the game, came up big when he had to, making a huge pad save on a 2-on-1 when the game was still scoreless and withstanding a flurry midway through the second period. "There were a couple," coach Mike Hastings said of LaCouvee's saves. "Sometimes it's when, not how many."
3. The big five-oh: C.J. Suess scored MSU's seventh goal of the game, but it was a significant one. It was the 50th goal of his college career. "Fifty goals is a lot of goals," Hastings said. "That was pretty neat — a to see his teammates' reaction on the bench, just the genuine appreciation for him and being real happy for him. They were arguing on who was going to get the puck for him, which is pretty neat." Suess is the ninth player in Minnesota State's Division I era to hit the 50-goal mark.
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA: Bowling Green 7, Michigan Tech 2 ... Lake Superior State 2, Bemidji State 0 ... Ferris State at Alaska (late)
Live: Minnesota State vs. Alaska Anchorage
The No. 7 Mavericks will take on the Seawolves in the first game of a WCHA series at the Verizon Center. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. Follow along with the action below tonight's lines.
MINNESOTA STATE
20-Michaelis, 15-Suess, 19-McClure
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 10-Knutson
23-Rivera, 11-Spooner, 6-Tuomie
22-Gerads, 26-French, 12-Coatta
8-Brickley, 18-Scheid
2-Mackey, 25-Zmolek
4-Lewis, 24-Hookenson
37-LaCouvee
39-Pawloski
29-Nelson
Scratches: Bigelbach, Cooper, Gerard, Duehr, McNeely, Schwalbe, Vanko
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
21-Kozun, 11-Azurdia, 13-Switzer
10-Sofo, 95-Erb-Ekholm, 9-Butcher
76-N. Renouf, 67-J. Renouf, 29-DeGraaf
12-Rygaard, 20-Renwick, 28-Xavier
41-McPheters, 6-Brown
7-Nicholas, 23-Sinclair
37-Trinkberger, 77-ANderson
33-Mantha
1-Claeys
Friday Morning Skate
The Mavericks begin the home stretch of the regular season when they host Alaska Anchorage today and Saturday. Minnesota State's goal over the next month is to climb back to the top of the WCHA standings.
"Obviously, looking at the standings now, they look a bit different than they did last month," said sophomore forward Parker Tuomie, whom I featured in today's Free Press. "Every team in the WCHA is still fighting for first place and for that MacNaughton trophy and I think that’s our approach all week. We know we have to get better every week and every day. We’re just getting ready for Anchorage right now."
For more on the series, read the Freep's College Hockey Gameday preview. My College Hockey Notebook takes a look at a partnership between WCHA teams and a concussion awareness organization. And, in case you missed it, my Tuesday column opines on the Mavericks' remaining schedule.
The Seawolves have struggled to win games this season, but no one's overlooking their Hobey Baker candidate, goaltender. "Olivier Mantha is one of the best goaltenders in our league," Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said.
Going around the WCHA ...
Michigan Tech at Bowling Green: This should be a good series between the Huskies and the Falcons. Bowling Green, which has won four straight, is led by Mitch McLain, a multi-award nominee, who the Toledo Blade's John Wagner featured this week. Wagner also has a blog post previewing the series. Tech, which is 4-4-0 so far in 2018 comes into the weekend more than a bit short-handed.
Lake Superior State at Bemidji State: The Beavers lost their first WCHA game since Dec. 1 last weekend with a split at Alabama Huntsville but have put themselves in the thick of the league race. The Bemidji Pioneer features freshman Andrew Miller, who is BSU's second-leading rookie scorer this season. The Lakers have won just one of their last eight games and are on the outside looking in the race to get into the league playoffs.
Ferris State at Alaska: The Nanooks currently hold the conference's final postseason spot but are approaching the final month of the season as if it is the playoffs in hopes of making sure they're in the tournament. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a home sweep of Michigan Tech, their most impressive weekend in quite some time.
Northern Michigan at Alabama Huntsville (Saturday-Sunday): The first-place Wildcats take their six-game winning and seven-game unbeaten streaks on the road to take on the Chargers. They hope they can clinch a home ice for the first round of the playoffs this weekend. UAH isn't out of the running for an upper-division finish, and it's won three of its last five games and is home for the rest of the regular season.
In this week's USCHO column, Jack Hittinger and Sean Shapiro take a look at how MSU's return to league play after two weeks away might affect the final standings.
"Obviously, looking at the standings now, they look a bit different than they did last month," said sophomore forward Parker Tuomie, whom I featured in today's Free Press. "Every team in the WCHA is still fighting for first place and for that MacNaughton trophy and I think that’s our approach all week. We know we have to get better every week and every day. We’re just getting ready for Anchorage right now."
For more on the series, read the Freep's College Hockey Gameday preview. My College Hockey Notebook takes a look at a partnership between WCHA teams and a concussion awareness organization. And, in case you missed it, my Tuesday column opines on the Mavericks' remaining schedule.
The Seawolves have struggled to win games this season, but no one's overlooking their Hobey Baker candidate, goaltender. "Olivier Mantha is one of the best goaltenders in our league," Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said.
Going around the WCHA ...
Michigan Tech at Bowling Green: This should be a good series between the Huskies and the Falcons. Bowling Green, which has won four straight, is led by Mitch McLain, a multi-award nominee, who the Toledo Blade's John Wagner featured this week. Wagner also has a blog post previewing the series. Tech, which is 4-4-0 so far in 2018 comes into the weekend more than a bit short-handed.
Lake Superior State at Bemidji State: The Beavers lost their first WCHA game since Dec. 1 last weekend with a split at Alabama Huntsville but have put themselves in the thick of the league race. The Bemidji Pioneer features freshman Andrew Miller, who is BSU's second-leading rookie scorer this season. The Lakers have won just one of their last eight games and are on the outside looking in the race to get into the league playoffs.
Ferris State at Alaska: The Nanooks currently hold the conference's final postseason spot but are approaching the final month of the season as if it is the playoffs in hopes of making sure they're in the tournament. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a home sweep of Michigan Tech, their most impressive weekend in quite some time.
Northern Michigan at Alabama Huntsville (Saturday-Sunday): The first-place Wildcats take their six-game winning and seven-game unbeaten streaks on the road to take on the Chargers. They hope they can clinch a home ice for the first round of the playoffs this weekend. UAH isn't out of the running for an upper-division finish, and it's won three of its last five games and is home for the rest of the regular season.
In this week's USCHO column, Jack Hittinger and Sean Shapiro take a look at how MSU's return to league play after two weeks away might affect the final standings.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
LaCouvee is WCHA's goalie of the month
Minnesota State senoir Connor LaCouvee was named WCHA Goaltender of the Month for January, the league announced on Thursday afternoon.
The Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, native went 4-0-0 with a 1.16 goals against average, .937 save percentage and a shutout in five appearances in the month. He stopped all 15 shots he faced in backstopping Minnesota State to a 1-0 win over No. 9 Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 23 for third career shutout.
For the season, LaCouvee owns a 13-3-0 record with a 1.78 goals against average (which ranks first in the WCHA and fourth in the country) and a .915 save percentage. His 13 wins stands tied for ninth in the nation.
The first-year Mavericks netminder led the WCHA and ranked second nationally with a 1.16 goals-against average in January, while his .937 save percentage was a sliver off the league lead and was ninth-best in the country.
The Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, native went 4-0-0 with a 1.16 goals against average, .937 save percentage and a shutout in five appearances in the month. He stopped all 15 shots he faced in backstopping Minnesota State to a 1-0 win over No. 9 Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 23 for third career shutout.
For the season, LaCouvee owns a 13-3-0 record with a 1.78 goals against average (which ranks first in the WCHA and fourth in the country) and a .915 save percentage. His 13 wins stands tied for ninth in the nation.
The first-year Mavericks netminder led the WCHA and ranked second nationally with a 1.16 goals-against average in January, while his .937 save percentage was a sliver off the league lead and was ninth-best in the country.
The WCHA other players of the month were: Northern Michigan junior Troy Loggins (Offensive), Bowling Green sophomore Alec Rauhauser (Defensive) and Bowling Green freshman forward Brandon Kruse (Rookie).
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