UAH's Saulnier banned for four games

A combination of automatic suspensions and supplemental discipline by the WCHA has resulted in Alabama Huntsville senior forward Brennan Saulnier being banned for his team's next four games, the conference announced on Monday. That includes two games against Minnesota State on Feb. 9-10.

Saulnier was suspended by the WCHA earlier this season for his elbow to the head of MSU freshman forward Dallas Gerads and has been suspended by supplemental discipline two other times this season.

On Saturday, Saulnier was called for checking from behind 33 seconds into UAH's home game against Bemidji State. He was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the play. He was also given a game disqualification penalty for abuse of officials at the time. A DQ results in an automatic one-game suspension. The league also gave him an addition game after reviewing the hit. An additional two-game suspension comes from NCAA rules due to an accumulation of game-misconduct penalties.

Saulnier has received nine game-misconduct penalties throughout his college career. This is the third time he has received supplemental suspension by the WCHA.

Read more about the suspension here.

He will miss this weekend's games against Northern Michigan prior to the Minnesota State series. Certainly both teams are glad they won't be having to deal with him. 

Mavericks 5, U.S. Under-18s 3

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. A look at the future? C.J. Suess and Daniel Brickley were healthy scratches, getting a well-deserved break during the exhibition game after playing so many minutes this season and with some very important ones to come. But others stepped up in their place. Connor Mackey (1G, 1A), Josh French (1G, 1A), Reggie Lutz (1G, 1A, 7 SOG) and Jared Spooner (1G) all looked good, while Marc Michaelis (1G) played center, with coach Mike Hastings hinting that's where he'll probably be next year (read my gamer linked below for quotes on that and for more about Mackey). Jason Pawloski (17 saves) played the entire game, which might be unusual for an exhibition. "It’s been awhile since he’s been able to play 60 (minutes)," Hastings said of the goalie. "Connor (LaCouvee’s) done a real good job. Jason’s been working hard, and I wanted to give him an opportunity to see as many pucks as he could."

2. Solid opponent: The U.S. team's players may be young (mostly seniors in high school) but they're a talented group with 15 D-I commits and four players who may be first-round picks this summer (and another who just might be the No. 1 overall pick a year later). Jack Hughes, Oliver Wahlstrom, Mattias Samuelsson were impressive throughout the night. Besides playing several exhibition games against college teams, Team USA plays a regular schedule in the USHL. It's also preparing for the U-18 World Championships in Russia. "What they've done to put hockey in our country in a different place than it was 5-10 years ago is pretty special," Hastings said. "Year in and year out, the U.S. team's competing for gold. And to see what's transpired, not only with the matriculation of our guys going to the NHL, but how our world junior team does, I just think it's on a path that we need to continue to stay with because it's working."

3. What's ahead: Playing outside the WCHA the last two weeks, Minnesota State's actually dropped to third place in the league standings, behind Northern Michigan and Bowling Green. The Mavericks do have two games in hand, though, and will try to trek back to the top of the heap over the next month, starting Friday and Saturday at home against Alaska Anchorage. Will they be healthy for the home stretch? Senior forward Max Coatta took a hard hit late in the game (a major penalty for boarding was called) and hit his head. Hastings said he was waiting on seeing on his condition.

For more, please read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 3, Michigan Tech 1 ... Bowling Green 3, Lake Superior State 2 ... Bemidji State 5, Alabama Huntsville 1 ... Northern Michigan at Alaska Anchorage (late)

MSU vs. U.S. NTDP

The Mavericks and the U.S. Under-18s will play an exhibition game at the Verizon Center tonight. Should be interesting.

Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings is dressing all but three players, giving C.J. Suess and Daniel Brickley a break. Walker Duehr is also a scratch. It will be interesting to see how much the other regulars play.

The U.S. team is coached by Seth Appert, the former RPI head coach and Denver assistant. Fifteen of the 20 players dressed tonight are committed to Division I schools

Here are the lines:

MINNESOTA STATE
9-Gerard, 20-Michaelis, 6-Tuomie
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 10-Knutson
23-Rivera, 11-Spooner, 19-McClure
22-Gerads, 26-French, 12-Coatta
7-Cooper, 27-Schwalbe

2-Mackey, 18-Scheid
25-Zmolek, 3-McNeely
4-Lewis, 24-Hookenson
14-Bigelbach, 21-Vanko

39-Pawloski
37-LaCouvee
29-Nelson

U.S. NTDP U-18
28-Farabee, 43-Hughes, 18-Wahlstrom
17-Gruden, 12-Wise, 7-Janicke
8-Hain, 20-Pivonka, 24-Giles
16-Middendorf, 14-DeBoer, 9-Weiss

23-Samuelsson, 15-Wilde
19-Miller, 10-Emberson
5-Samuelsson, 27-King

1-Deridder
30-Mor

For updates on the game be sure to follow me on Twitter.

Friday Morning Skate

Minnesota State will wrap up a rather unconventional week on Saturday night with an exhibition game against the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 Team.

The team, which is made up of 2000- and 2001-born players, 19 of whom are already committed to Division I programs, has competed well against college teams this season, beating Ferris State 5-1 on Jan. 2 and losing to now-No. 1 Notre Dame 4-3 back in October.

Mavericks senior defenseman Clint Lewis played for the USNTDP, and the program's website caught up with him this week.

Meanwhile, eight WCHA teams are in action against each other this weekend. Here's a peek:

Northern Michigan at Alaska Anchorage: The Wildcats, who have won four straight and seven of their last eight league games, could jump over the idle Mavericks and into first place in the league with one win against the last-place Seawolves. MSU would have two games in hand, though.

Bowling Green at Lake Superior State: The Falcons could also jump over Minnesota State with a sweep at Lake Superior State. Bowling Green is coming off a home sweep over UAA after getting swept at Northern Michigan before that. They're going back to the U.P. now against a Lakers team that is in danger of missing the WCHA playoffs.

Bemidji State at Alabama Huntsville: With one loss in their last 13 games, the Beavers are red-hot. They have won eight straight games against WCHA opponents to put themselves into fourth place in the league. The Chargers, meanwhile, are trying to hold onto a playoff spot, if not move up into the upper division themselves.

Michigan Tech at Ferris State: With five weeks left in the regular season, the Huskies are two points out of a home-ice spot and hope to make some hay this weekend against a Bulldogs team that has just one win in its last eight games and are trying to fend off competition for one of the last league playoff spots.

Some more coverage of Minnesota State this week from me, College Hockey News and USCHO.

Brownlee to play Brewery

Photo courtesy chadbrownlee.com

Check out today's Free Press for a story on former Mavericks player Chad Brownlee. The Canadian country music artist will be in town on Friday night to play a show as part of the Anthony Ford Pond Hockey Classic festivities with proceeds from the concert going to the Anthony Ford Fund.

The 21+ show will take place at Mankato Brewery. More information on tickets can be found here.

Brownlee, playing for MSU in 2006-07.

I had a good chat with Brownlee for the article. Here are a few outtakes that didn't make the final edit:

On what he likes best, songwriting, recording or performing: It’s really hard to choose just one. Without songwriting, you can’t go in the studio, and without the studio, there are no songs to go out and play live.

On playing in front of big crowds (including 40,000 plus at festivals): Nothing in my life that can replicate the feeling that I have on stage. ... It’s like a different dimension. I almost become someone else. It’s like you walk through the curtain and enter a whole new world.

On the difference between music fans and hockey fans: With music you feel a more direct connection to the audience. With hockey you're more focused on the game. Plus (when you're a visiting team), they want you to do bad. They wish ill will toward you.

On the opportunity to perform in the Mankato area again: It's always a good excuse to come to Mankato. This is an easy one.

Mavericks 1, Bulldogs 0

Freddy's three thoughts of the game:

1. Good stretch: Minnesota State finished off a daunting January schedule (it will play an exhibition game on Saturday) with a 1-0 win over Minnesota Duluth. The Mavericks went 5-1-0 in the month that included four games in Alaska and two more against ranked nonconference rivals that defeated them earlier in the season. They went 3-1-0 in Alaska, beat St. Cloud State on Saturday in St. Cloud and got the win at home over Minnesota Duluth on Tuesday. "Those games were very important for us because we didn't win the first two," coach Mike Hastings said of the SCSU and UMD wins. "We needed to win the next two." The wins moved MSU up to No. 6 in the Pairwise Rankings.

2. No. 1 goalie? Connor LaCouvee stopped 15 shots to earn his 13th win and get his third shutout fo the year. "I thought Connor LaCouvee was rock-solid," Hastings said. LaCouvee has competed with Jason Pawloski throughout the year, but the big wins this week, along with the must-win at Alaska a week earlier, were impressive for the senior. He faced 62 shots in those games and allowed three goals. LaCouvee gave a lot of credit to his defense and penalty killers, who blocked a total of 22 shots against the Bulldogs. UMD went 0 for 4 on the power play and got just three shots to the goaltender.

3. Disaster averted: Zeb Knutson played a great game, leading all players with seven shots on goal. "Zeb was outstanding tonight," Hastings said. "He was oustanding the last two games. To have a senior step up and play the way that he played — and I told him in the locker room — I thought he was fantastic." However, Knutson missed an easy empty-net goal with 38 seconds left that would have iced the game. Many people, including Hastings, thought of this play between the Stars and Oilers from 2007. Unlike that night, though, the Mavericks prevented any good UMD chances and held on for the victory.

Read my game story here.

Live: Minnesota State vs. Minnesota Duluth

The No. 7 Mavericks and No. 9 Bulldogs will square off at 7:07 p.m. Tuesday at the Verizon Center. Follow along with the action below tonight's lines:

MINNESOTA STATE
20-Michaelis, 15-Suess, 6-Tuomie
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 10-Knutson
23-Rivera, 11-Spooner, 19-McClure
22-Gerads, 26-French, 12-Coatta

8-Brickley, 18-Scheid
25-Zmolek, 2-Mackey
4-Lewis, 24-Hookenson

37-LaCouvee
39-Pawloski
29-Nelson

Scratches: Bigelbach, Cooper, Gerard, Duehr, McNeely, Schwalbe, Vanko

MINNESOTA DULUTH
27-Tufte, 25-Krieger, 13-J. Anderson
23-Swaney, 22-Thomas, 20-Kuhlman
10-Roth, 19-Richards, 39-Mackay

5-Wolff, 7-Perunovich
4-Samberg, 3-M. Anderson
18-McCormack, 6-Roehl

32-Shepard
37-Deery
36-Patt