Blueger makes NHL debut

The Associated Press

Former Minnesota State center Teddy Blueger made his National Hockey League debut Thursday when he suited up for Pittsburgh in a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Blueger, who was called up from the AHL on Tuesday, became the 13th former Mavericks player to play in the NHL.

Blueger played 6:22 in the 4-2 victory and was plus-1, being on the ice for the game's first goal (53, pictured above). He also had a penalty. Here are a couple of tweets worth noting:

Coach Sullivan on Blueger: “I thought Teddy had a strong game. He’s a real conscientious player. I think the more comfortable he gets here, the more his game will grow. I know he’s a good penalty killer and my intention is to get him more involved with that moving forward.” pic.twitter.com/fU8l6VBYlL

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2019

Congrats to one of the most determined, hardest working players we have been lucky enough to have in Mankato!!! https://t.co/NoEwiSBzVN

— Darren Blue (@DarrenBlue4) January 31, 2019

Blueger recalled by Pittsburgh

Free Press file photo

Former Mavericks player Teddy Blueger was called up to the NHL by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

The third-year pro, who played at Minnesota State from 2012 to 2016, hopes that he'll get his first big-league shot this time after getting called up last season, only to be sent down without ever getting in a game. If he gets in a game he will be the 13th former MSU player to skate in the NHL and the fifth this season (David Backes, Tyler Pitlick, Casey Nelson, Daniel Brickley*).

Blueger is leading his AHL team in scoring and has eight points over a five-game point streak that he's on. Click the link above to read more.

Also, here's a good story from earlier this month on what his teammates have to say about him.

* Brickley played four games with LA and is back in the AHL.

Gerads, McMahan receive honors

Two Minnesota State forwards received WCHA awards for their play in last weekend's victories at Northern Michigan. 

Sophomore Dallas Gerads was named the league's Forward of the Week after recording five points — three goals and two assists — in the series. He had a goal and an assist in Friday's 3-2 win and two goals and an assist in Saturday's 8-2 victory. (A postgame scoring change on MSU's second goal gave Gerads the goal.) Gerads now has 12 goals and 17 points. 

Freshman Shane McMahan was named Rookie of the Week, scoring two goals and setting up another on Saturday to double his point total to six, including three goals, for the season. 

For more on the WCHA weekly awards, go here.

Mavericks 6th in national polls

Minnesota State bumped up a spot to No. 6 in both national polls on Monday following its impressive series sweep at Northern Michigan. The Mavericks, who are No. 7 in the all-important Pairwise Rankings, were seventh in both opinion polls last week.

For more on this past weekend's series, read my weekend review here.

Below is the USCHO poll. Go here for the USA Today/USA Hockey rankings.

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
Minneapolis, Minn./January 28, 2019

   Team             (First Place)    Record   Pts  Last Week
 1 St. Cloud State           (33)   18- 4-2   980     1
 2 Massachusetts             ( 3)   19- 5-0   920     2
 3 Minnesota Duluth          ( 7)   16- 6-2   888     5
 4 Ohio State                ( 6)   15- 5-4   878     3
 5 Quinnipiac                ( 1)   18- 5-1   792     6
 6 Minnesota State                  21- 6-1   764     7
 7 Denver                           14- 6-3   696     4
 8 Western Michigan                 15- 8-1   594    13
 9 Providence                       15- 7-4   546    14
10 Clarkson                         17- 7-0   509    10
11 Notre Dame                       14- 8-3   496    11
12 Northeastern                     15- 7-1   475     8
13 Bowling Green                    17- 7-3   424     9
13 Cornell                          12- 6-1   424    12
15 Penn State                       14-10-2   224    15
16 Arizona State                    17-10-1   221    17
17 UMass Lowell                     14- 8-2   195    19
18 Union                            12- 7-4   168    16
19 Harvard                          10- 6-3   101    NR
20 Lake Superior                    16- 8-2    99    18

Others receiving votes: North Dakota 70, Yale 19, Air Force
7, Boston University 7, American International 2, Bemidji
State 1.

Brownlee sings 'O Canada' at NHL All-Star Game

Hockey player-turned country music singer Chad Brownlee, a former Minnesota State defenseman and captain, sang the Canadian national anthem prior to the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday night in San Jose. Check it out:

Mavericks 8, Wildcats 2

Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...

1. You get a point! You get a point! Seven different players scored goals and 13 players had points in a stunning rout at Northern Michigan. The Mavericks' eight goals was the most they've scored this season. Coach Mike Hastings praised the play of his top line of Marc Michaelis, Parker Tuomie and Charlie Gerard for the way they played from the get-go. The trio accounts for two goals and five points. "They gave us a great start in the first period," Hasting said. "We’ve been looking for (that line)for awhile to assert themselves." Michaelis now has 30 points for the season. Tuomie has 27, and Gerard has 21.

2. Depth coming through: With Max Coatta, Nick Rivera and Riese Zmolek still out with injuries, the Mavericks, as they did on Friday with Walker Duehr, got a boost from others down the line chart on Saturday. Most notable was Shane McMahan, who entered the game with three points, doubled his scoring with two goals and an assist. "I'm starting to getting a little more confidence in my game and everything I do on the ice," McMahan said. "Tonight felt pretty good." McMahan's second goal, which was MSU's eighth of the game, came on an assist from freshman defenseman Zak Galambos, his first career point.

3. Pulling away: When Minnesota State lost 1-0 at home to Lake Superior State a week ago, it kept its gap atop the WCHA standings pretty close at five points. But the sweep of the Wildcats, combined with Bowling Green's upset loss at home to ninth-place Ferris State, allowed the Mavericks to increase their lead over the Falcons to eight points. Northern Michigan is now 12 points behind MSU but with two games in hand. "Now it’s behind us, and this journey doesn’t stop," Hastings said, adding that the team will be at the Anthony Ford Pond Hockey Tournament in North Mankato on Sunday.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State 3, Bowling Green 0 ... Bemidji State 5, Lake Superior State 3 ... Alaska 5, Alabama Huntsville 2 ... Michigan Tech at Alaska Anchorage (late)

Live: MSU at Northern Michigan, Game 2

MINNESOTA STATE
6-Tuomie, 20-Michaelis, 9-Gerard
16-Lutz, 5-Jaremko, 17-Duehr
10-McMahan, 26-French, 15-Napravnik
19-Van Os-Shaw, 11-Spooner, 22-Gerads

2-Mackey, 3-McNeely
7-Aamodt, 18-Scheid
4-Carroll, 24-Hookenson
13-Galambos

29-McKay
32-Israelsson

Scratches: Berger, Bigelbach, Coatta, Schwalbe, Vanko

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
9-Loggins, 11-Rockwood, 8-Pierce
26-Readman, 18-Nardi, 16-Loughran
5-Lee, 13-Voltin, 37-Craighead
20-Klee, 29-Loven, 15-Schroer
23-Slattery

7-Bretzman, 25-Beaulieu
2-Vermeulen, 3-Fosdick
44-Black, 4-Frantti

41-Tolvanen
34-Kent

***