The Mavericks are back at home for the next three weeks, possibly four or five, starting tonight against Ferris State, a team they're playing for the first time this season.
I wrote about Daniel Brickley today and the extra work he puts in every week as he prepares to play. I have a feeling this won't be the last time I do a story about him this year.
One nugget I liked from talking to Brickley that ended up on the cutting room floor was about him practicing with and against his talented teammates:
"We've got a really good forward group, four lines up front," he said. "Look at C.J. (Suess) and Marc (Michaelis) and (Parker) Tuomie and Brad McClure, those guys are just killing it. … Those guys can really wear you down.
"I actually try going against our top line and I also like to mix it up and go with our third and fourth lines a lot. They’re hard to play against down low; they’ll grind you down. I think that really helps us."
As for the Bulldogs, they're playing for their playoff lives. They go into the weekend with a one-point lead and two games in hand for the WCHA's final postseason spot.
Ferris State is 3-10-0 in their last 13 games.
This is the final weekend of the regular season for the Minnesota State women's team, as well as the Gustavus women and men.
Going around the WCHA ...
Michigan Tech is playing a nonconference series against Arizona State, welcoming the Sun Devils to Houghton for the first time. The Huskies are four points out of a home-ice spot for the WCHA playoffs and could be knocked out of an upper-division finish this weekend.
Bemidji State, which sits ahead of Tech, tied Alaska 2-2 last night and got the extra point for the standings with a 3-on-3 overtime victory.
In Anchorage, Bowling Green scored three goals in the final nine minutes to defeat Alaska Anchorage 5-2. That kept the Falcons in contention for a second-place finish. The Seawolves cannot make the playoffs.
The Star Tribune showed Minnesota State some love this week. Also, this week's USCHO column focuses on Bowling Green.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Early start to the weekend
There are three WCHA series this weekend and one one nonconference matchup. Games will start tonight with Alaska playing at Bemidji State and Bowling Green playing at Alaska Anchorage.
On Friday the other two series will begin, including Minnesota State at home against Ferris State and Arizona State at Michigan Tech.
In the games that begin tonight ...
Bowling Green is hoping to find a way to get the No. 2 seed for the conference playoffs, no easy task as it has to be perfect and get some help from the teams playing MSU and Northern Michigan the rest of the way. These will be the final home games of the season for the Seawolves.
Bemidji State could clinch home ice for the first round of the playoffs this weekend, while Alaska is finishing up a two-week road trip and trying to avoid slipping out of a playoff position.
Here are the current standings (conference games only), divided by current playoff position (top four get home ice in the first round, bottom two are out of the playoffs):
WCHA Men - 2017-2018 Standings
On Friday the other two series will begin, including Minnesota State at home against Ferris State and Arizona State at Michigan Tech.
In the games that begin tonight ...
Bowling Green is hoping to find a way to get the No. 2 seed for the conference playoffs, no easy task as it has to be perfect and get some help from the teams playing MSU and Northern Michigan the rest of the way. These will be the final home games of the season for the Seawolves.
Bemidji State could clinch home ice for the first round of the playoffs this weekend, while Alaska is finishing up a two-week road trip and trying to avoid slipping out of a playoff position.
Here are the current standings (conference games only), divided by current playoff position (top four get home ice in the first round, bottom two are out of the playoffs):
WCHA Men - 2017-2018 Standings
Pts GP W L T League Games remaining
1 Northern Michigan 58 26 18- 6- 2 2
2 Minnesota State 57 24 19- 5- 0 4
3 Bowling Green 49 24 14- 5- 5 4
4 Bemidji State 42 24 12- 8- 4 4
5 Michigan Tech 40 26 11-10- 5 2
6 Alabama Huntsville 30 26 9-15- 2 2 7 Alaska 29 24 9-14- 1 4 8 Ferris State 28 24 9-14- 1 4
9 Lake Superior State 27 26 8-15- 3 2 10 Alaska Anchorage 12 24 2-19- 3 4
Monday, February 12, 2018
Nelson scores first NHL goal
 |
| The Associated Press |
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 12, 2018
There is NOTHING like scoring your 1st @NHL goal. #NellyCelly (📸: @Schmidsss) pic.twitter.com/chM8Mhq05R— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 12, 2018
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Mavericks 6, Chargers 1
Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...
1. Special team: After getting blanked on the power play and allowing one goal on the penalty kill on Friday, the Mavericks' special teams came to life on Saturday. They were 3 for 7 on the power play and held the Chargers scoreless on seven man-advantage changes to get the series sweep. Brad McClure, Marc Michaelis and Daniel Brickley had power-play goals. Zeb Knutson finished with two assists on the power play.
2. Suess' big weekend: C.J. Suess wasn't Minnesota State's points leader on the weekend, as he had two goals and an assist, but his goals were timely. He had the overtime-winner on Friday, and Saturday, scored a key goal to put MSU up 3-1 1:44 after the Chargers scored early in the second period to make it a 2-1 game. He and Knutson now lead the Mavericks with 35 points each.
3. Heading home: Saturday's game was Minnesota State's last road game of the regular season and, they hope, their last one until the NCAA tournament if they get there (they remain fifth in the Pairwise). They'll have a chance to leapfrog Northern Michigan and claim first place in the WCHA standings next weekend when they host Ferris State at the Verizon Center. (NMU is idle next week).
Read my gamer here.
Around the WCHA: Northern Michigan 4, Alaska 1 ... Michigan Tech 5, Bemidji State 1 ... Lake Superior State 2, Alaska Anchorage 1
1. Special team: After getting blanked on the power play and allowing one goal on the penalty kill on Friday, the Mavericks' special teams came to life on Saturday. They were 3 for 7 on the power play and held the Chargers scoreless on seven man-advantage changes to get the series sweep. Brad McClure, Marc Michaelis and Daniel Brickley had power-play goals. Zeb Knutson finished with two assists on the power play.
2. Suess' big weekend: C.J. Suess wasn't Minnesota State's points leader on the weekend, as he had two goals and an assist, but his goals were timely. He had the overtime-winner on Friday, and Saturday, scored a key goal to put MSU up 3-1 1:44 after the Chargers scored early in the second period to make it a 2-1 game. He and Knutson now lead the Mavericks with 35 points each.
3. Heading home: Saturday's game was Minnesota State's last road game of the regular season and, they hope, their last one until the NCAA tournament if they get there (they remain fifth in the Pairwise). They'll have a chance to leapfrog Northern Michigan and claim first place in the WCHA standings next weekend when they host Ferris State at the Verizon Center. (NMU is idle next week).
Read my gamer here.
Around the WCHA: Northern Michigan 4, Alaska 1 ... Michigan Tech 5, Bemidji State 1 ... Lake Superior State 2, Alaska Anchorage 1
Friday, February 9, 2018
Mavericks 3, Chargers 2 (OT)
Freddy's three thoughts (from afar) ...
1. Whew! The Mavericks were dominating from a shot standpoint, outshooting Alabama Huntsville 17-2 in the second period. They led 1-0 going into the third, though, and then gave up a pair of quick goals to fall behind 2-1. They found a way, though, with Marc Michaelis tying the game with 2:10 to play and C.J. Suess potting the game-winner 26 seconds into overtime. "For a lot of different reasons, that was really important," coach Mike Hastings said.
2. Killing time: Minnesota State took four penalties in the third period and fell behind on a power-play goal. They killed the next three, including nearly a minute of 5-on-3 time. Hastings singled out Edwin Hookenson and Riese Zmolek for their work on the penalty kill, which kept their deficit at just one goal and allowed them the chance to tie the game late. The Chargers finished 1 for 7 on the power play; the Mavericks were 0 for 6.
3. Keeping pace: As Hastings said, the win was important for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons was the Mavericks were able to keep pace with first-place Northern Michigan, which also won in overtime on Friday night. Minnesota State remains one point behind the Wildcats and still has two games in hand. The Mavericks also stayed in fifth place in the Pairwise rankings with the win. A loss would have dropped them a spot.
Read my writeup of the game here.
Deep thought: Gotta give a shout out to the Minnesota State women's team, who upset No. 5 Ohio State 4-1 at the Verizon Center on Friday. The Buckeyes have the top two scorers in the WCHA and were coming off a sweep of previously top-ranked Wisconsin. Lindsey Coleman scored twice, and Chloe Crosby stopped 35 of 36 shots.
Around the WCHA: Northern Michigan 2, Alaska 1 (OT) ... Bemidji State 4, Michigan Tech 2 ... Lake Superior State 3, Alaska Anchorage 2 (OT)
1. Whew! The Mavericks were dominating from a shot standpoint, outshooting Alabama Huntsville 17-2 in the second period. They led 1-0 going into the third, though, and then gave up a pair of quick goals to fall behind 2-1. They found a way, though, with Marc Michaelis tying the game with 2:10 to play and C.J. Suess potting the game-winner 26 seconds into overtime. "For a lot of different reasons, that was really important," coach Mike Hastings said.
2. Killing time: Minnesota State took four penalties in the third period and fell behind on a power-play goal. They killed the next three, including nearly a minute of 5-on-3 time. Hastings singled out Edwin Hookenson and Riese Zmolek for their work on the penalty kill, which kept their deficit at just one goal and allowed them the chance to tie the game late. The Chargers finished 1 for 7 on the power play; the Mavericks were 0 for 6.
3. Keeping pace: As Hastings said, the win was important for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons was the Mavericks were able to keep pace with first-place Northern Michigan, which also won in overtime on Friday night. Minnesota State remains one point behind the Wildcats and still has two games in hand. The Mavericks also stayed in fifth place in the Pairwise rankings with the win. A loss would have dropped them a spot.
Read my writeup of the game here.
Deep thought: Gotta give a shout out to the Minnesota State women's team, who upset No. 5 Ohio State 4-1 at the Verizon Center on Friday. The Buckeyes have the top two scorers in the WCHA and were coming off a sweep of previously top-ranked Wisconsin. Lindsey Coleman scored twice, and Chloe Crosby stopped 35 of 36 shots.
Around the WCHA: Northern Michigan 2, Alaska 1 (OT) ... Bemidji State 4, Michigan Tech 2 ... Lake Superior State 3, Alaska Anchorage 2 (OT)
Friday Morning Skate
The No. 5 Mavericks are down south in the warmth of Huntsville, Alabama, to take on the Chargers in another important WCHA series. Minnesota State continues to get good play from its top six, but the bottom six have provided some sparks, too. And that's really important during the stretch run. The gold line (practice jersey color) of Josh French, Dallas Gerads and Max Coatta are bringing back memories of the Max Gaede-led group from three years ago. Hard-nosed but chipping in from time to time, too.
For more on the matchup, check out The Free Press' College Hockey Gameday.
In other MSU news, Teddy Blueger got called up to the show. He's expected to make his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. Also, Casey Nelson has found a regular spot in the Buffalo Sabres lineup, skating on the No. 1 D pairing with former Wild player Marco Scandella. Nelson played a career-high 21:47 on Thursday night.
Around the WCHA:
Bemidji State at Michigan Tech: It's Winter Carnival weekend in Houghton, and two teams vying for home ice will square off in an important series. The Beavers currently have a two-point lead over the Huskies for fourth place. Tech is going with a freshman in goal to start he series. Robbie Beydoun got a shutout last weekend in a split at Bowling Green.
Alaska at Northern Michigan: The first-place Wildcats will try to maintain their slim lead over Minnesota State in the WCHA standings when they host the Nanooks. Alaska is spending two weeks in the Lower 48, going to Bemidji State next week.
Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage: The bottom two teams in the WCHA are squaring off in hopes of sneaking into a playoff position. The Lakers are coming off a pair of shutout wins at Bemidji State, victories that snapped a four-game losing streak. The Seawolves have lost six in a row.
Bowling Green and Ferris State are idle this weekend.
For more on the WCHA, read the USCHO weekly column here.
For more on the matchup, check out The Free Press' College Hockey Gameday.
In other MSU news, Teddy Blueger got called up to the show. He's expected to make his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. Also, Casey Nelson has found a regular spot in the Buffalo Sabres lineup, skating on the No. 1 D pairing with former Wild player Marco Scandella. Nelson played a career-high 21:47 on Thursday night.
Around the WCHA:
Bemidji State at Michigan Tech: It's Winter Carnival weekend in Houghton, and two teams vying for home ice will square off in an important series. The Beavers currently have a two-point lead over the Huskies for fourth place. Tech is going with a freshman in goal to start he series. Robbie Beydoun got a shutout last weekend in a split at Bowling Green.
Alaska at Northern Michigan: The first-place Wildcats will try to maintain their slim lead over Minnesota State in the WCHA standings when they host the Nanooks. Alaska is spending two weeks in the Lower 48, going to Bemidji State next week.
Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage: The bottom two teams in the WCHA are squaring off in hopes of sneaking into a playoff position. The Lakers are coming off a pair of shutout wins at Bemidji State, victories that snapped a four-game losing streak. The Seawolves have lost six in a row.
Bowling Green and Ferris State are idle this weekend.
For more on the WCHA, read the USCHO weekly column here.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Brickley "day to day"
Minnesota State defenseman Daniel Brickley is "day to day," with a lower-body injury, coach Mike Hastings said on Monday. The junior did skate on Monday and may be available for this weekend's series against Alabama Huntsville, which is good news for the Mavericks.
Brickley left Saturday's game against Alaska Anchorage in the first period after getting caught in an open door in front of the Seawolves' bench during a UAA line change and did not return to the game.
Brickley is MSU's minutes leader on defense and top D on the Mavericks' power play. He has 26 points this season, which is tied for second in the WCHA for defensemen.
In other MSU news Monday ...
• Freshman Jake Jaremko was named WCHA Rookie of the Week after his two-goal, two-assist series against Anchorage. He was also plus-3 for the weekend. Jaremko had 10 goals and 29 points this season, with his point total ranking second in the country among freshmen. You can see the other WCHA players of the week here.
• Minnesota State moved up to No. 5 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine rankings, the same spot it's in in the Pairwise Rankings. The WCHA's Bowling Green stayed at No. 14, and Northern Michigan slipped a spot to No. 19 in the USCHO poll:
Brickley left Saturday's game against Alaska Anchorage in the first period after getting caught in an open door in front of the Seawolves' bench during a UAA line change and did not return to the game.
Brickley is MSU's minutes leader on defense and top D on the Mavericks' power play. He has 26 points this season, which is tied for second in the WCHA for defensemen.
In other MSU news Monday ...
• Freshman Jake Jaremko was named WCHA Rookie of the Week after his two-goal, two-assist series against Anchorage. He was also plus-3 for the weekend. Jaremko had 10 goals and 29 points this season, with his point total ranking second in the country among freshmen. You can see the other WCHA players of the week here.
• Minnesota State moved up to No. 5 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine rankings, the same spot it's in in the Pairwise Rankings. The WCHA's Bowling Green stayed at No. 14, and Northern Michigan slipped a spot to No. 19 in the USCHO poll:
USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll Minneapolis, Minn./February 05, 2018 Team (First Place) Record Pts Last Week 1 Notre Dame (36) 21- 5-2 982 2 2 Denver ( 8) 16- 6-6 927 4 3 Cornell ( 4) 19- 3-1 896 1 4 St. Cloud State ( 2) 17- 6-3 867 6 5 Minnesota State 21- 7-0 779 7 6 Ohio State 18- 6-4 757 5 7 Clarkson 19- 6-3 735 3 8 North Dakota 12- 8-8 606 10 9 Providence 17- 9-4 567 8 10 Minnesota Duluth 14-13-3 501 9 11 Northeastern 15- 7-5 494 11 12 Minnesota 16-13-1 491 12 13 Omaha 14-13-1 366 13 14 Bowling Green 17- 9-6 308 14 15 Western Michigan 14-13-1 303 15 16 Penn State 13-12-5 202 17 17 Wisconsin 14-13-4 194 18 18 Boston College 13-11-3 138 16 19 Michigan 13-13-2 128 20 20 Northern Michigan 18-11-3 127 19 Others receiving votes: Boston University 44, Maine 37, UMass Lowell 21, Harvard 13, Union 9, Bemidji State 4, Mercyhurst 2, Canisius 1, Quinnipiac 1.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)