Mavericks swept

As most already know, the Mavericks took a 5-2 loss at the hands of red-hot Denver last night at the Alltel Center. The Mavericks have been struggling lately, losing their last four games.

Read Friday night's recap here, and Saturday's here.

Denver 3, Minnesota State 2 - End of 2

Adam Mueller scored his first goal of the season 17 seconds into the period on a breakaway and Mike Louwerse added a power-play goal at 8:06 to tie the game. Denver, however, was able to get yet another last minute goal, when Glasser netted his second of the game at 19:05. The Pioneers are now outshooting the Mavericks 25-15.

Denver 2, Minnesota State 0 - End of 1

Matt Glasser put Denver on the board at 13:55 and Jesse Martin added his third goal of the series with just 10 seconds remaining in the period. Denver outshot the Mavericks 15-4. Minnesota State didn't get its first shot on goal until midway through the period. The Mavericks went 0-1 on the power play, Denver went 0-3.

Minnesota State vs. Denver Pregame

As most know the Mavericks could not complete the comeback last night and dropped the series opener 3-2. After a knee-to-knee hit last night Andy Sackrison and Tyler Bozak are both out tonight. Also out is James Gaulrapp, and Jerad Stewart and Jason Wiley are still nursing injuries. A big change in the Mavericks lineup tonight is that Channing Boe will be playing left wing on the fourth line. Without looking it up, I'm about 99 percent sure this is Boe's first game at MSU as a forward. The puck drops in about 35 minutes. Starters in bold.

Minnesota State
Adam Mueller-Trevor Bruess-Kael Mouillierat
Geoff Irwin-Rylan Galiardi-Mike Louwerse
Tyler Thompson-Zach Harrison-Mick Berge
Channing Boe-Joe Schiller-Justin Jokinen

Kurt Davis-Brian Kilburg
Cameron Cooper-Ben Youds
Blake Friesen-Nick Canzanello

Mike Zacharias
Dan Tormey
Austin Lee

Denver
Joe Colborne-Tyler Ruegsegger-Kyle Ostrow
Anthony Maiani-Jesse Martin-Rhett Rakhshani
Nate Dewhurst-Brandon Vossberg-Luke Salazar
Matt Glasser-Brian Gifford-Dustin Jackson

Patrick Mullen-John Lee
J.P. Testwuide-Cody Brookwell
John Ryder-Chris Nutini

Marc Cheverie
Lars Paulgaard

Denver 3, Minnesota State 1, End of 2

Jesse Martin had two goals and Joe Colborne had the first of the period as Denver got out to a 3-0 lead. All three goals where plays where Zacharias really couldn't do much. Tyler Thompson netted MSU's first goal in the final minutes of the period to make it 3-1. Will Thompson's tally give the Mavericks momentum for the third? We'll see.....

Denver 0, Minnesota State 0, End of 1

Denver had a power-play chance just 27 seconds into the period but couldn't convert. Denver went 0-3 on the power play, the Mavericks went 0-2. The Mavericks had a five-on-three for 1:29, but couldn't get off more than a couple shots.

Tyler Bozak was stuffed on the doorstep by Mike Zacharias on a power play and Trevor Bruess hit the post when driving through the slot, which he drew a penalty on. Other than those, not too many great scoring opportunities. See you at the second intermission.

Mavericks vs. Pioneers Pregame

About 30 minutes to game time and a few lineup changes. Nick Canzanello, who's been in and out of the lineup this year, is out in favor of Cameron Cooper. Otherwise, Jerad Stewart and Jason Wiley are still injured and remain out. For Denver, freshman defenseman Patrick Wiercioch is out of the lineup, trying out for Team Canada in the World Juniors Tournament. Which, is good news for the Mavericks. Starters in bold.

Minnesota State
Andrew Sackrison-Trevor Bruess-Mike Louwerse
Kael Mouillierat-Geoff Irwin-Mick Berge
James Gaulrapp-Zach Harrison-Tyler Thompson
Adam Mueller-Rylan Galiardi-Joe Schiller

Kurt Davis-Brian Kilburg
Channing Boe-Ben Youds
Blake Friesen

Mike Zacharias
Dan Tormey
Austin Lee

Denver
Rhett Rakhshani-Tyler Bozak-Luke Salazar
Joe Colborne-Tyler Ruegsegger-Kyle Ostrow
Anthony Maiani-Jesse Martin-Brandon Vossberg
Matt Glasser-Brian Gifford-Dustin Jackson

Patrick Mullen-John Lee
J.P. Testwuide-Cody Brookwell
John Ryder-Chris Nutini

Marc Cheverie
Lars Paulgaard

Mavs drop to 14th

No surprise the Mavericks drop to 14th after getting swept by the Huskies. St. Cloud State moves up to 17th and Wisconsin is starting to creep up, now at 16th.

And in last weeks poll on here, two of 10 people were right saying Mick Berge would lead the Mavericks in points over the weekend. Berge had three assists and was tied for the weekend lead with Kael Mouillierat, who had three goals. Mouillierat wasn't on the poll because his availability was uncertain at the beginning of the week. Probably a good guess that both guys would have gave up all their points to at least get 0ne W. Nice to see Mouillierat scoring some goals after being out, though.

Big week on the way

By now I'm sure everyone knows the Huskies won convincingly Saturday night at the National Hockey Center. And now, the Mavericks have a big rebound series this weekend with Denver at home. The Reporter won't come out for a while now, but I'll still try to update some things this week and next weekend. And I'll be at both Denver games this weekend for some updates.

Huskies 4, Mavericks 2

Aaron Marvin added the only goal ofthe third period, making it a 4-2 final in favor of the Huskies. MSU outshot SCSU 12-8 in the period but couldn't convert on a five-on-three midway through the period to help bring them back. The Mavericks and Huskies finish the series Saturday in St. Cloud.

Read Friday night's recap here.

Huskies 3, Mavericks 2 -- End of 2nd

Garrett Roe put the Huskies on the board at 14:26 of the second and added another at 16:50 on a power play. Kael Mouillierat answered a minute later when he scored from the doorstep on a pass from Andy Sackrison to tie it again at three. SCSU then took the lead heading into the break with a goal by Jordy Christian in the final minute. Four goals in the last six minutes of the second period could lead to an exciting final frame...

Mavericks 1, Huskies 0 -- End of 1

Kael Mouillierat scored the period's only goal at 6:26 of the first period. Zach Harrison had the puck in the corner and passed to Ben Youds on the blue line. Youds shot toward the net and Mouillierat put it over Jase Weslosky's right shoulder on a deflection from the slot. This is Mouillierat's first game back after missing the previous five. SCSU was 0-3 on the power play and MSU was 0-1.

MSU vs. SCSU Pregame

The lines shuffled a big for the Mavericks, and Tyler Thompson is out with Justin Jokinen and Adam Mueller in. Andy Sackrison and Kael Mouillierat are also back in the lineup after missing games dues to injury.

Minnesota State
Irwin - Bruess - Wiley
Gaulrapp - Galiardi - Louwerse
Mueller - Harrison - Berge
Mouillierat - Sackrison - Jokinen

Davis - Kilburg
Canzanello - Friesen
Boe - Youds

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

St. Cloud State

Swanson - Marvin - Novak
Christian - Roe - Lasch
Olson - Oslund - Ryan
Mosey - LeBlanc - Volpei

Carlisle - Raboin
Lauridsen - Barta
Zabkowicz - Hepp

Weslosky
Dunn

Weekend Preview

Just less than six hours now until the puck drops tonight at the Alltel Center with the first game of the home-and-home series vs. the Huskies. Kael Mouillierat will be back in the lineup tonight, after missing the last five games and Andy Sackrison has been cleared to play. Jerad Stewart, however, will be out this weekend.

Jutting said earlier in the week that all or zero of those three forwards might be in the lineup, but it looks like it will be two.

I'll post the line charts when I get to the rink. See ya there. Oh yeah, forgot my MSU prediction to match the ones below. The Mavericks have been very good against St. Cloud State in the past, and I think will be OK again. MSU sweep.

Other WCHA matchups
No. 8 Denver at Michigan Tech
The Pioneers are coming off a 4-1 victory against No. 10 Air Force last weekend, but travel to Houghton, Mich., still looking for their first road win (0-3). The Huskies, however, were swept by Bemidji State last weekend and went winless in the month of November (0-8-1). With Tech struggling to score goals and Denver not, I'm going to look past Denver's away record and say it will be fine this weekend.
Prediction: Denver sweep

No. 15 Alaska-Anchorage at Wisconsin
Despite the Seawolves' unpredictable start to the season, they happen to be running into a very good Wisconsin team that's playing its best hockey of the season right now. The Badgers have won seven of their last nine after a winless October. UAA was off last weekend after splitting with Colorado College the series before in Anchorage. The Seawolves have earned some quality wins this season but with how the Badgers are playing as of late, I have to go with the Badgers.
Prediction: Wisconsin sweep

Minnesota-Duluth at No. 5 Colorado College
The Bulldogs haven't been on the road for quite some time and the Tigers have lost just one game in Colorado Springs this season. UMD has been playing well lately, coming off a 5-1 win against St. Cloud State in Duluth on Saturday.
Prediction: Split

Nonconference
North Dakota at Harvard
The Fighting Sioux shouldn't have a problem in this series, but if they do, they're going to be in trouble.
Prediction: North Dakota sweep

Wednesday update

Not too much to report tonight. Andy Sackrison and Kael Mouillierat both practiced today, but Jerad Stewart didn't. Jutting said all three might play or all three might not. We'll find out tomorrow.

Tomorrow's Reporter will have a Gameday, along with small blurbs about the other WCHA games this weekend.

Here's another preview

No. 11 Minnesota State (8-3-3, 5-3-2 WCHA) vs. St. Cloud State (8-6-0, 3-5-0 WCHA) (home-and-home)

7:07 p.m. Friday, Alltel Center

7:37 p.m. Saturday, National Hockey Center — St. Cloud

By looking at stats, both teams are virtually identical. Both have scored 49 goals, MSU has given up two more (36), both kill penalties at 81 percent and their power-play success is just 1.2 percent different. MSU - 17.2; SCSU - 16.

Last season the Mavericks had a pair of 5-3 wins against the Huskies in another home and home series and played a physical style of hockey that made SCSU look overmatched. The main key to the game, however, might be stopping Ryan Lasch and Garrett Roe from scoring. Roe is off to a very good start, with seven goals and 21 points on the season, but Lasch is still stuck with just one goal, which came in the Huskies' second game of the season.

Dan Dunn and Jase Weslosky have both been good in net this year, with Dunn owning a 2.35 GAA and Weslosky at 2.38. Weslosky will most likely start Friday, and is a big reason St. Cloud State isn't struggling more than it is already.

BOTTOM LINE: The Mavericks need to finish. Twice at home this season they've had games slip away at the end. It's not even a stretch to say they would be in first place in the WCHA right now if not for a late-period downfall.

I'll give a quick preview of the other conference games Thursday or Friday, and an update on some injuries if I can. Otherwise, I'll be at the Alltel Center Friday for pregame and ingame coverage.

Mavericks drop

Despite a win and tie against nonconference opponent Bowling Green last weekend the Mavericks dropped from No. 10 to No. 11 in the polls. The team that jumped the Mavericks, however, was Air Force, who lost for the first time last weekend to Denver after beating Colorado College the night before.

MSU plays three of its next four games at home, hosting St. Cloud State Friday and playing in St. Cloud Saturday. The Mavericks host Denver the following weekend.

I'll be back Wednesday afternoon or night to update this weekend's matchup, and see if a couple injured forwards will be back in the lineup.

Minnesota State 5, Bowling Green 2

Four Minnesota State juniors scored goals as the Mavericks edged Bowling Green 5-2 Saturday in a nonconference matchup in Bowling Green, Ohio. Jason Wiley, Jerad Stewart, Trevor Bruess and Kurt Davis all scored goals and Geoff Irwin added an empty-netter. Mick Berge had two assists and Mike Zacharias made 25 saves in net. Davis extended his scoring streak to 14 games, tied for the longest in MSU's DI era.

Notes: With October and November now in the books, the Mavericks wrapped up the first two months of the season with eight wins after getting nine total wins in the last three seasons combined during those months. Some of the success has to do with a couple underclassmen, Read About It Here, though it's a few days old the point's still the same....MSU still hasn't lost on the road (4-0-3) and plays in a WCHA home-and-home series this weekend vs. St. Cloud State. Friday's game will be in Mankato....Keep voting on the polls, of the 27 who voted on the last one, only four said MSU would have a three-point weekend (technically not a three-point weekend because the games were nonconference, but it's just an easier way to say a win and a tie...17 people thought MSU would sweep). I'll think of something else to vote for and put it up in a day or so, along with some updates later in the week.

Mavericks 2, Bowling Green 2

Mick Berge scored his third goal of the season on a power play at 10:25 of the first and Geoff Irwin gave the Mavericks a 2-0 lead at 6:58 of the second. Kai Kantola then scored two second-period goals, one on a power play, to tie the game. Mike Zacharias looked like he had a busy night in net, making 38 saves.

Kurt Davis added two assists in the game and Mike Louwerse and Jason Wiley both had one. Davis pushed his scoring streak to 13 games and Louwerse pushed his to eight.
The teams finish the series tonight.

Berge on trip

A little late, but Mick Berge was cleared Wednesday night to make the trip to Bowling Green. It's a pretty good guess he'll be in the lineup, too. Update courtesy of Shane Frederick.

Nonconference weekend

The WCHA will be playing in nonconference games this weekend, with Minnesota-Duluth hosting St. Cloud State Saturday as the only conference matchup. I could preview each series like I planned, but to tell you the truth, with all the different nonconference series going on, that's a lot of previewing on teams I really don't know a lot about (i.e. Cornell, Bowling Green, Colgate). Here are the matchups for this weekend. I'll try and update throughout the weekend.

Weekend matchups
Minnesota State at Bowling Green
Michigan Tech at Bemidji State
Cornell at North Dakota
St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth (Sat.)
Denver vs. Colgate Fri., vs. Air Force Sat.
Colorado College at Air Force Fri., vs. Colgate Sat.
Minnesota vs. Michigan Fri., Michigan State Sat.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State Fri., vs. Michigan Sat.

Wednesday injury update

As expected Kael Mouillierat and Andy Sackrison won't make the trip to Bowling Green this weekend. Neither practiced Wednesday. Mick Berge participated in the second half of practice today, the noncontact portion. Jutting said it's not up to him if Berge goes, but up to the doctors. Mouillierat and Sackrison will be replaced with a couple freshmen (Justin Jokinen, Joe Schiller, Adam Mueller).

The Mavericks leave Thursday morning for the nonconference trip, which I will not be at. Check back Friday afternoon for a weekend preview.

Injury trouble

MSU senior forward Mick Berge and sophomore forward Andy Sackrison both left in the first period last weekend with an injury. Berge returned to start the third period and was in the lineup Saturday. Sackrison, however, didn't return and didn't dress Saturday.

Even worse news is that neither practiced Monday and Jutting said Sackrison has already been ruled out for this weekend's nonconference matchup against Bowling Green. With fellow forward Kael Mouillierat already out this weekend with an arm injury, that leaves the Mavericks with at least two of their top forwards out for the series. It could be three if Berge can't go.

MSU is off Tuesday but there will be at least some sort of update Wednesday.

Back Again

First off, I'm sorry. I've been very busy lately and haven't had as much time as I wanted to contribute to this blog. But now, we are back with I promise, in-game updates, weekend previews and predictions, recaps and other bits of information. I might add an injury update within the next few days but if I don't I will have one with the weekend preview for next week. See you then.

END OF 1

After one period the game remains scoreless. Both teams have had their chances on the power play but couldn't convert. MSU leads in shots on goal, 11-9. Each team had three penalties.

MSU's Andy Sackrison had the best opportunity so far just a couple minutes into the game, but his shot from the slot was blocked by BSU netminder Orlando Alamano.

0-0 after 1

Minnesota State vs. Bemidji State, Game 2

Mike Louwerse had two goals Friday night to lead the Mavericks to a 5-2 victory in their first game of the season.

Lines for Game 2

MSU
Wiley-Bruess-Berge
Galiardi-Harrison-Louwerse
Irwin-Sackrison-Thompson
Mueller-Schiller-Jokinen

Davis-Kilburg
Youds-Boe
Friesen-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

BSU
Scofield-Read-Cramer
Lowe-Winter-Marino
Kinne-McKelvie-Lehrke
MacQueen-Walters-Billberg

Bostock-Hunt
MacIntyre-McManamin
Hardwick-Jundt

Alamano
Bakala

END OF 2ND PERIOD

BSU tied the contest at one but the teams traded goals and Louwerse put MSU up 4-2 with just more than one minute left.

MSU 4-2, end of 2nd.

IN-GAME

BSU ties the game at one early in the second period with a power-play goal off a rebound from Travis Winter, assisted by Brandon Marino and Cody Bostock at 3:44.

1-1

END OF IST PERIOD

MSU leads 1-0 after 20 minutes of play. With eight penalties in the period, it's been a lot of special teams-play so far.

The Mavericks have had at least three good scoring opportunities but couldn't convert. Davis fired a wrist shot off the post late in the period. The teams will play 4-on-4 for the first 38 seconds of the second period, with the Beavers getting a power play for 21 seconds after the Mavericks' penalty expires.

IN-GAME

MSU takes 1-0 lead on Mike Louwerse power-play goal at 4:16. Louwerse scored on a rebound, his first goal as a Maverick. Mick Berge and Kurt Davis assists.
MSU 1-0

Minnesota State vs. Bemidji State line chart

Mavericks

Wiley-Bruess-Berge
Galiardi-Harrison-Louwerse
Irwin-Sackrison-Thompson
Mueller-Schiller-Jokinen

Davis-Kilburg
Youds-Boe
Friesen-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

Beavers

Scofield-Read-Cramer
Lowe-Winter-Marino
Kinne-McKelvie-Lehrke
MacQueen-Walters-Billberg

Bostock-Hunt
MacIntyre-McManamin
Hardwich-Adams

Dalton
Bakala

New season on the way

The new season if right around the corner and a new blogger (me) takes over. Besides coverage in the Reporter, the Maverick Hockey blog will provide features, updates, news, questions and in-game coverage. Along with post game coverage and more.

The blog will start to pick up a lot more in the next few weeks, so keep in touch. My next post will be previewing the Mavericks and also the WCHA. See you then.

NCAA Hopes...

The last three days have kept sportswriters and experts of college hockey and the famous PairWise rankings very busy. There have been a plethora of scenarios putting several teams in and out of the NCAA tournament. As disgusting as it may be, the Mavericks will likely be out of the picture, and sub-.500 Wisconsin will be in. While it may not make sense to many, that looks to be the way it's going to finish. The Badgers moved ahead of the Mavericks tonight when Princeton won its conference tournament. Couple that with the fact the Northern Michigan beat Notre Dame, bringing NMU into the PairWise picture thus throwing everyone for a spin. Even though the Mavericks were 2-1-1 against the Badgers this season, it appears that UW, who was swept in two games by St. Cloud State in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, will be playing more games this season. The process is very complicated, but it appears there are two spots for Notre Dame, Wisconsin and MSU. Wisconsin moved ahead of the Mavericks with Princeton winning, and the Irish's loss put them in a tie with MSU, with Notre Dame edging Minnesota State by fractions of PairWise points.

The next question is, where did MSU go wrong? Losing to Nebraska-Omaha twice is what ultimately kept MSU out of the tournament, as Northern Michigan and Notre Dame combined for a 3-0 record against the other Mavericks.

Of course, the final field of 16 will be officially announced tomorrow morning at 10:30 on ESPN 2, but as far as the numbers are concerned, the Mavs will need a miracle to continue their season.

Jutting, Hanson Honored by WCHA...

Minnesota State head coach Troy Jutting and senior captain Joel Hanson were both recognized at the annual WCHA post-season banquet. Jutting was named the WCHA Coach of the Year while Hanson received the Student-Athlete of the Year award.

More surprisingly, no Maverick was named to the WCHA first, second, third or even all-rookie team. I wasn't terribly surprised to see that the first three teams had no Mavericks because frankly none of them had the numbers to be there. That is why they had so much success, however, because they get contributions from so many players that no individual had overly impressive numbers. An argument could be made for MSU goalie Mike Zacharias to be on the third team, because Denver's Peter Mannino had a very forgettable season but may have made it due to his reputation and strong first half of the season. Also, I was surprised that neither Kurt Davis or Ben Youds made the all-rookie team as they were two of the top young defenders in the league, quite obviously in my opinion.

Additional Update...

Aside from my post yesterday about the Mavericks' fate, there is a new scenario that recently came to my attention. In Hockey East, the four teams left are New Hampshire, Boston College, Boston University and Vermont. New Hampshire and BC play each other on one side of the bracket, and they are both virtual locks for the NCAA Tournament. That leaves BU and Vermont on the other side, both of which are currently out of the NCAA picture. If BU or Vermont wins that tournament, that is another automatic bid for a team that otherwise wouldn't have made the field of 16, and that means one less spot for the Mavericks, who currently sit in one of the very last spots on the bubble. BU or Vermont wins Hockey Easy, and one of those teams will be in the finals so it is possible, that is likely all she wrote for MSU. Root for BC and/or UNH if you are a Maverick fan. There are of course many scenarios, but this is one that you should pay attention to. If Notre Dame falls apart in its final two games, then this may not even matter, but as it looks right now Hockey East a key for MSU.

Making sense of it all..

The Mavericks dropped to #14 in this week's USCHO/CSTV top-20 rankings, but all that matters are the PairWise Rankings. MSU suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Gophers this last weekend, putting them out of the WCHA playoffs and in a tie for 13th in the PairWise with Wisconsin. They must now wait to see if they will be selected by the committee for the NCAA Tournament. The committee meets Sunday.

What Maverick fans should be watching:

Since MSU is tied for 13th with Wisconsin, and since Wisconsin hosts one of the NCAA regionals, it is likely the Mavericks will have to move ahead of th Badgers, even though they have a better resume, to make the tournament. With Colgate upsetting Clarkson in the ECAC Tournament, that leaves one less at-large bid and puts the cutoff at 13 in the Pairwise to make the tournament. With Air Force and Niagara winning their respective conference tournaments and gaining automatic bids, coupled with the fact that four other conferences (including the WCHA) will crown champions this weekend, that leaves 10 at-large bids left.

To put this ever so complicated selection process simply, the Mavericks need the team (Notre Dame) directly in front of them in the PairWise to lose, and teams behind them to also lose. The Irish play second-rated Miami this weekend, and with top-rated Michigan also in the field, the Mavericks need the Irish to lose to those teams as a win would propel Notre Dame much higher and make them a shoe-in for the tournament. If the highly-rated teams beat the Irish, they will likely slip in the PairWise, allowing the idle Mavericks to jump them, and the third place game against a weak Northern Michigan Team (pending they lose to Michigan in their first round game) would be meaningless, as beating a weaker opponent like Northern Michigan wouldn't be enough to move the Irish back into the picture.

Secondly, the Mavericks need teams behind them to lose, specifically Harvard (15th PairWise) and Princeton (16th PairWise). In the final four of the ECAC Tournament, those two teams are on opposite sides of the bracket, so if they both lose that would be perfect for MSU. Ideally, if Cornell wins that tournament, that means that they will have gone through Harvard, and likely Princeton, which means that Maverick fans should be rooting for the Big Red.

All of this would help the Mavericks, but this is also pending that there are no major upsets an any of the tournaments, as major upsets result in fewer at-large bids and that means less spots for MSU to take in the field of 16.

To summarize, Maverick fans should root for all of the favorites to win their respective tournaments, root for Cornell, watch Harvard, Princeton and Notre Dame closely and hope they lose, and hope that Minnesota does not do well in the Final Five. If the Gophers do well, that would be a 5 seed winning these games, making them upsets, thus taking at-large bids away from the rest of the field. Bad for MSU. More updates will come as the conference tournaments wrap up.

Questions? Check out the blogs of Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press and Dan Myers of USCHO.com.

Shane Frederick's Blog
Dan Myers' Blog

These guys are excellent and their analysis should help any questions you may have.

Game 3: #15 Minnesota at #10 MSU IN GAME

I was surprised to see that the teams came out and for the most part didn't look mentally or physically tired, but towards the end of the period it was evident that these guys have played a lot of hockey this weekend. MSU got on the board first on the power play when Mick Berge fired a shot from the left circle that beat Alex Kangas on the far side. Kangas robbed Jon Kalinski point-blank with about two minutes to go in the period, and the Gophers proceeded to come down and tie the game on the ensuing rush. UM's Stu Bickel was called for hooking as time ran out in the period, and the Mavericks will start the second period on the power play.

1st Period Scoring Summary
8:30 - Berge (Davis, Irwin) PPG 1-0 MSU
18:12 - Barriball (Wheeler, Gordon) 1-1

The Mavericks and Gophers skated a pretty even period with the Gophers scoring to gain the lead 2-1. Jason Wiley was tabbed with a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. The Gophers were unable to score on their power play, and frankly both teams looked dreadful on the power play. Zach Harrison was robbed on a clean breakaway by Kangas, and the Mavericks are going to have to find a way to beat him if they want to have a chance.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
13:51 - White (Howe, Lucia) 2-1 UM

For the third straight night, were going to overtime. Kael Mouillierat tied the game at two when he took a feed from Trevor Bruess and tucked it between the pads of Kangas. We'll see who has the most left in the tank.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
3:20 - Mouillierat (Bruess, Youds) 2-2

The Mavericks completely dominated the first overtime session but Kangas stayed strong and even got help from the crossbar late in the period. We're headed to a second overtime for the second time this weekend, and how these two teams have anything left in the tank is beyond me.

Overtime Scoring Summary
No Scoring

Overtime 2 Scoring Summary
16:59 - Lucia (Kaufmann, Flynn) 3-2 UM

Game 3: #15 Minnesota at #10 MSU PRE GAME

Here we are, a decisive game three will determine who will be going to the WCHA Final Five, and quite possibly the NCAA tournament, tonight here in Mankato. The Gophers won the game 1-0 in overtime last night as they dominated the first two periods but saw the Mavericks have the better chances for the rest of the game. Nothing else can be said, these two teams in a setting like this is all a college hockey fan can ask for.

Here are the line-ups for both teams, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Kalinski-Galiardi-Berge
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Gaulrapp-Harrison-Stewart

Davis-Kilburg
Youds-Friesen
Boe-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

MINNESOTA
Gordon-Wheeler-Howe
Hoeffel-Carman-Barriball
Lucia-Kaufmann-Flynn
Pohl-White-Bostrom

Peltier-Fischer
Fairchild-Bickel
Wehrs-Anderson

Kangas
Frazee

Sunday Update...

The Minnesota Gophers tied the best of three WCHA first round playoff series 1-1 last night with an overtime win over the Mavericks. On Friday, it was the Mavericks who dominated most of the game and had to weather the late storm from the Gophers, eventually giving MSU the double overtime victory. On Saturday it was an exact opposite of Friday's game. Minnesota dominated most of the game and weathered a late storm from MSU, with UM winning the game in the first overtime. UM's Alex Kangas and MSU's Mike Zacharias have been brilliant the entire series, shutting down the opposition on nearly every scoring chance. They have become the focus of this series, and tonight should be no different as each team should be playing with great desperation to save their respective seasons.

Here is what we do know:

With the loss last night, the Mavericks slipped into a tie for 11th place in the PairWise rankings with the Gophers. With the top 16 teams going to the NCAA tournament, it is realistically the top 12 that can actually plan one going to the NCAA tournament. With upsets in other conferences and automatic bids from teams nowhere on the PairWise map considered, it is the top 12 that everyone is shooting for.

That said, the winner of tonight's game will essentially punch their ticket to the tournament, and the loser will have to sit and wait to get a final spot. That is not a good feeling, and you can bet that each team is going to give it everything they've got so they can control their own destiny. Minnesota probably needs it a little more than the Mavericks because MSU has a better record and a better resume, so the Gophers are essentially in a do-or-die situation. They knew that coming into the series, and they certainly played that way last night. Aside from this being a wonderful intra-state rivalry, Minnesota is fighting for its season, and the Mavericks do not want to leave anything to chance, so we should be in for an incredibly entertaining and intense hockey game tonight. I expect this game to be no different than the first two.

We also know this:

Michigan Tech used a late goal to send the game into overtime with North Dakota, where the Huskies then capitalized on a power-play opportunity to force a third game in Grand Forks. Colorado College, Denver and St. Cloud State each swept their respective home series and are awaiting the final two members to join them in the WCHA Final Five.

Game 2: #15 Minnesota at #10 MSU IN GAME

One period in the books here at the Alltel Center and the Gophers lead 1-0 on a goal that came off a scrum in front of the net. UM's Alex Kangas looks to be sharp again tonight as he robbed several quality chances for the Mavericks early. Mike Zacharias also made a few very nice saves, but MSU looked a little flat and hopefully will come out with more jump in the following periods.

1st Period Scoring Summary
6:07 - Bostrom (Pohl, Wehrs) 1-0 UM

The second period, like most this weekend, was scoreless. The Gophers seemed to control the play and are out-shooting the Mavericks 25-12. MSU opens the third period with 1:24 of power-play time and they will need to do something with it if they want to get back in this game.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
No Scoring

Were going to overtime yet again tonight as MSU tied the game on an Andrew Sackrison power-play goal. He took a nice feed from Geoff Irwin and beat Kangas glove side with the one-timer. MSU proceeded to come to life for the first time all night after that and a big penalty kill a few minutes later. Buckle your seat belts, here we go again.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
11:09 - Sackrison (Irwin, Hanson) PPG 1-1

Mike Carman ended the game at 7:33 of overtime when his wrist shot hit the cross bar and bounced passed Zacharias. This sets up a third game tomorrow night here at the Alltel Center with the winner advancing to the WCHA Final Five.

Overtime Scoring Summary
7:33 - Carman (Peltier) 2-1 UM

Game 2: #15 Minnesota at #10 MSU PRE GAME

About 30 minutes to start time here on a beautiful Saturday night in Mankato. The Mavericks outlasted the Gophers last night in double overtime gaining the lead in this best of three series 1-0. This series is far from over, as I expect to see the same intensity and sharp play that we saw last night from both teams. The atmosphere in the building should be hair-raising again as the two teams look to give it everything they've got tonight.

Here are the line-ups, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Galiardi-Gunderson-Stewart

Youds-Friesen
Davis-Kilburg
Boe-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

MINNESOTA
Gordon-Wheeler-Howe
Hoeffel-Carman-Barriball
Lucia-Kaufmann-Flynn
Pohl-White-Bostrom

Peltier-Fischer
Fairchild-Bickel
Wehrs-Anderson

Kangas
Frazee

#15 Minnesota at #10 MSU IN GAME

The first period was scoreless with each team getting some good chances. The Gophers had four power plays but the Mavericks did an excellent job killing them off and even had probably the best scoring chance of the period on a shorthanded chance in front for Zach Harrison. The energy was sustained in the building and on the ice throughout the period, and we should be in for a wild ride the rest of the game.

1st Period Scoring Summary
No Scoring

No scoring again in the second, as Alex Kangas is single-handedly keeping his team in this game. MSU is out-shooting Minnesota 21-9, and it sets us up for a very exciting third period.

2nt Period Scoring Summary
No Scoring

Were going to overtime here in Mankato. Both teams have had plenty of chances to win it but Mike Zacharias and Alex Kangas have both played very well. The Mavericks have probably been the better team tonight, but the team to make the first mistake will be the ones on the losing end of this one.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
No Scoring

These teams are giving it everything they've got in what has to be one of the best games of the year in college hockey. We will play another overtime and see which team can outlast the other. Jared Stewart appeared to score the winning goal but the referee ruled that he kicked the puck in the net causing the goal to be disallowed.

Overtime 1 Scoring Summary
No Scoring

The Mavericks were called for too many men on the ice late in the second overtime to put them on the penalty kill yet again. It turned out to be just what MSU needed, as Jon Kalinski and Trevor Bruess broke a 2-on-1. Kalinski walked around the sliding defender and slid it across to Bruess who finished this marathon game. It was a pretty goal to finish a well-played game, and tomorrow night should be another great one.

Overtime 2 Scoring Summary
17:23 - Bruess (Kalinski) SHG 1-0 MSU

#15 Minnesota at #10 MSU PRE GAME

About 30 minutes to face off here at Alltel Center, and this first round playoff match up between these intra-state rivals is what college hockey is all about. The Mavericks haven't had much success against the Gophers, which includes being swept by the Maroon and Gold earlier this season. Not much needs to be said as this promises to be an electrifying atmosphere here tonight.

Here are the line-ups, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Gaulrapp-Gunderson-Stewart

Youds-Friesen
Davis-Kilburg
Boe-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

MINNESOTA
Gordon-Wheeler-Howe
Hoeffel-Carman-Barriball
Lucia-Kaufmann-Flynn
Pohl-White-Bostrom

Peltier-Fischer
Fairchild-Bickel
Wehrs-Anderson

Kangas
Frezee

Down a Spot...

The Mavericks dropped a spot to #10 in thie week's USCHO/CSTV top-20 rankings after their split with Michigan Tech last weekend in Mankato. The Mavericks earned the #4 seed for the WCHA playoffs and will host Minnesota, who got the 7th seed, this weekend at the Alltel Center. MSU has had virtually no success all-time against the Gophers, including suffering a sweep earlier this season in a home-and-home series. They will look to turn things around and end their winless streak against Minnesota this weekend and return to the WCHA Final Five for the first time since 2002-03.

First Round...

The Mavericks will host the Minnesota Gophers next weekend in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Game 2: Michigan Tech at #9 MSU IN GAME

The first period wasn't the best period of hockey the Mavericks have played all year, and they are lucky they are only down by two goals. MTU scored twice in just over a minute on a pair of rebound goals. MSU cannot afford to continue its sloppy play because a loss here would hurt them in the PairWise rankings, in which they are tied for eighth, and every game is important if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. A loss here could come back to haunt them.

1st Period Scoring Summary
14:24 - Kattelus (Foote, Kinrade) 1-0 MTU
15:35 - Gagne (Shelast, Vlaisavljevich) 2-0 MTU

More of the same for the Mavericks in the second, with Matt Tyree getting nailed with a 5 minute major penalty and a game misconduct for checking from behind. The Huskies wasted little time taking advantage of the power play and made it 3-0. That was the only goal of the major penalty, and MSU looks very flat and needs a few bounces to get back in this game.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
13:22 - Kinrade (Dobson, Rouleau) PPG 3-0 MTU

The Mavericks managed to get two goals to make it a game, but it was too little too late as MTU was able to hold on for the win. This is a tough loss for MSU in terms of their national tournament hopes, but they will still host a playoff game here next weekend. Who is will be against will be determined when all the games have been completed later tonight.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
5:23 - Wiley (Berge, Kalinski) PPG 3-1 MTU
14:12 - Mouillierat (Bruess, Davis) 3-2 MTU

Game 2: Michigan Tech at #9 MSU PRE GAME

Last night the Mavericks clinched home ice advantage in the first round of playoffs and a win tonight can get them the #4 seed. MSU dominated the opener from start to finish, and on senior night here at the Alltel Center the Mavericks will look to close out the regular season on a positive note.

Here are the line-ups for tonight, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Tyree-Gunderson-Stewart

Davis-Kilburg
Youds-Friesen
Boe-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

MICHIGAN TECH
Foote-Kattelus-Gwilliam
Gagne-Rouleau-Shelast
Lord-Angelow-Bunger
Kitti-Royer-Baker

Kinrade-Kivisto
Malekoff-Dobson
Vlaisavljevich-Vanwagner

Teslak
Nolan

Michigan Tech at #9 MSU IN GAME

The Mavericks looked good in the first period as they were hungry and got many scoring chances from their first three lines. It is almost a playoff-like atmosphere here at Alltel Center and if they play with the same intensity they had in the first, a playoff game is exactly what were going to see here in the near future. Trevor Bruess scored a pretty goal in which in used his speed to go around the MTU defender and then tucked the puck underneath Teslak for the goal.

1st Period Scoring Summary
8:30 - Bruess (Kilburg, Davis) SHG 1-0 MSU

MSU pounded out four goals in the period to extend its lead to 5-1. Mick Berge added a pair of his own and Trevor Bruess had another brilliant play where he faked the shot and hit Joel Hanson on the doorstep for the goal. The Mavericks also had 18 shots in the period.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
3:58 - Hanson (Bruess, Davis) 2-0 MSU
10:23 - Gwilliam (Kinrade, Rouleau) PPG 2-1 MSU
12:44 - Berge (Kalinski, Harrison) 3-1 MSU
15:07 - Berge (Youds, Kalinski) PPG 4-1 MSU
15:45- Sackrison (Wiley, Irwin) 5-1 MSU

The Huskies added a meaningless goal in the period and the Mavericks cruised to a 5-2 victory. Minnesota State had control of the entire game, and with the win, MSU has secured a spot in the top five and will host the first round of the WCHA playoffs here next weekend. Who they play will be determined after the game tomorrow.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
14:59 - Malekoff (unassisted) 5-2 MSU

Michigan Tech at #9 MSU PRE GAME

About 15 minutes to face off here at Alltel Center, and the Mavericks have a chance to solidify one of the final two spots this weekend for home ice advantage in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Wisconsin is idle this weekend, and only sits one point ahead of MSU in the standings. The other team in the running, St. Cloud, is tied for fifth in the WCHA with the Mavericks and play at #1 North Dakota this weekend. MSU holds the tie-breaker with both teams and looks to capitalize on this golden opportunity at home against the Huskies of Michigan Tech.

Here are the starting line-ups, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Gaulrapp-Gunderson-Stewart

Youds-Friesen
Davis-Kilburg
Boe-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

MICHIGAN TECH
Rouleau-Gagne-Shelast
Foote-kattellus-Gwilliam
Kitti-Angelow-Bunger
Lord-Royer-Kivisto

Kinrade-Dobson
Malekoff-Cousens
Vlaisavljevich-Vanwagner

Lee-Teslak
Nolan

NEW BLOG!

Looking to get your WCHA fix? I have started a new blog and am inviting anybody that wants to partake to come on over to my new blog. Join in, post on the forum and have some fun! Keep reading Pat's work too!

http://wchahockey.blogspot.com

PairWise Drop...

Minnesota State dropped four spots and is currently tied for 11th in the PairWise Rankings after its 4-2 home loss to Nebraska-Omaha. It was evident that MSU had been off for a week, and hopefully the loss got all of the bad out of their system as they head to Colorado College for a big series where they will need to play very well.

Nebraska-Omaha at #9 MSU IN GAME

No scoring in the period, but each team had flashes of dominance. MSU probably had better scoring chances, but as far as possession is concerned it was fairly close. The only penalty in the period was taken by UNO. Geoff Irwin and Mick Berge each hit the post, solidly I might add, in the period.

1st Period Scoring Summary
No Scoring

MSU managed to get a huge goal from Joel Hanson with five seconds remaining to cut the lead to one heading into the locker room. UNO got two power-play goals on their five minute power play when MSU's Trevor Bruess was given the major for kneeing. Nebraska-Omaha had the majority of the scoring chances in the period with Zacharias standing on his head to make some marvelous saves to keep MSU in the game. Minnesota State will have to play much better in the third period to avoid the upset here tonight.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
2:11 - Ambroz (Goulet, Martin) PPG 1-0 UNO
4:07 - Goulet (Koehler) PPG 2-0 UNO
19:54 - Hanson (Irwin, Sackrison) PPG 2-1 UNO

The late goal from Hanson did not give MSU any life as they went on to lose the game 4-2. UNO played as if they were the team with something to lose. This is a tough one for the Mavericks as the disappointing effort tonight makes things harder for them in the Pairwise rankings as the season winds down. MSU travels to Colorado College this weekend to take on the league-leading Tigers. They will surely need to play much better.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
9:24 - Lawrence (Fanto, Von Bokern) 3-1 UNO
18:37 - Berge (Davis, Kalinski) 3-2 UNO
19:49 - Koehler (unassisted) EN 4-2 UNO

Nebraska-Omaha at #9 MSU PRE GAME

The ninth-ranked Mavericks are set to take the ice in about 20 minutes here against some other Mavericks, these ones coming from Omaha, Nebraska. The last time these two teams met, it was UNO coming away with the 6-3 victory over an MSU team that was stricken by illness. MSU is undoubtedly a different team than they were when they faced UNO in Omaha, and hopefully we will see a different outcome. MSU cannot afford to take a night off, because while this is a non-conference match up, a loss here could really hurt Minnesota State in the pairwise rankings, where they currently sit tied for seventh place.

Here are the starting line-ups, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Galiardi-Gunderson-Stewart

Davis-Kilburg
Youds-Friesen
Canzanello-Boe

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

NEBRASKA-OMAHA
Scero-Martin-Lawrence
Charleston-Platisha-Klempa
Fanto-Agosta-Ambroz
Koehler-Bargon-Swanson

Del Grosso-Bernier
Uotila-Phillippi
Von Bokern-Goulet

Dupont
Aarnio
Kaufmann

Top 10...

The Mavericks moved up two more spots in this week's USCHO/CSTV top-20 rankings, coming in at #9. MSU was idle last weekend, but host Nebraska-Omaha tomorrow (Tuesday) before traveling to league-leading Colorado College this weekend. Wisconsin managed to only get one point in their series with Minnesota last weekend, putting them one point ahead of MSU with two more games played. The Mavericks are tied with St. Cloud State for fifth place. MSU will have a tough test at CC, but should have a good showing at home against Michigan Tech to finish out the regular season. A lot will happen to shuffle up the standings in the next two weeks, but MSU is in good position for contention for home ice advantage with St. Cloud and Wisconsin each having two tough series left, one in which they play each other.

Slow Climb...

Minnesota State climbed to #11 is this week's USCHO/CSTV top-20 rankings after splitting with #10 Wisconsin, winning 3-0 before losing 4-2. The Mavs stunned the sellout crowd on Friday by taking control of the game right out of the gate, but a flurry of second-period goals for Wisconsin ended the Mavericks' school record seven-game winning streak on Saturday. MSU is off this weekend before hosting Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 26. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m. at Alltel Center.

Going up...

After completing a sweep of Alaska-Anchorage at home this past weekend, the Mavericks have jumped to #13 in this week's USCHO/CSTV top-20 rankings. They were ranked 15th last week. In the pairwise rankings-the ranking system that mimics the system used by the NCAA selection committee in choosing the national tournament field at the end of the year-the Mavericks are tied for 8th with Minnesota-Duluth. The sweep this last weekend sets up a showdown between MSU and 10th-ranked Wisconsin, who are tied for fourth place in the WCHA standings. It's a huge series, in an incredibly tough place to play (Kohl Center), but the Mavericks are on fire and are proving that they are indeed a very good team. If they keep playing this way, and they certainly can, the opposition is in a lot of trouble. It will be a good test for the Mavericks this weekend in Madison.

Game 2: Alaska-Anchorage at #15 MSU IN GAME

MSU leads 1-0 after one in a game that has much more flow to it tonight. The Mavericks outshot the Seawolves 16-6 as that is a good indication as to who had most of the chances in the opening frame. Zach Harrison put the Mavericks on the board with a nice individual effort when he snuck one low past the UAA goaltender on the far side. The shot, which came from the right circle, hit the post and went in. MSU will start the second with 1:08 of power-play time.

1st Period Scoring Summary
17:37 - Harrison (Irwin) 1-0 MSU

The second period was another solid stint for the Mavericks as they are now outshooting the Seawolves 30-11. Mick Berge put MSU up by two when Jon Kalinski slid the puck to him wide open behind the UAA defense and me made a nice play tucking the puck between the pads of Seawolves' goaltender Bryce Christianson.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
2:59 - Berge (Kalinski, Friesen) 2-0 MSU

The Mavericks got a much-needed sweep and had control for most of the game. Kael Mouillierat scored two consecutive goals as the Mavericks won 4-2. The Seawolves scored two power-play goals and found themselves on another power play shortly after but MSU was able to kill it off.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
4:24 - Mouillierat (Hanson, Youds) 3-0 MSU
6:47 - Mouillierat (Linder, Bruess) 4-0 MSU
8:16 - Parkinson (Tassone) 4-1 MSU
10:05 - Lunden (Vidmar, Waldrop) PPG 4-2 MSU

Game 2: Alaska-Anchorage at #15 MSU PRE GAME

Internet troubles have been the theme here as far as my job is concerned here at Alltel Center, so I will try my best again to keep the in game stats as up-to-date as possible. The Mavericks won last night, and quite honestly, it was a boring game where neither team played very well. Coach Jutting was not happy with his team's effort last night, and you can rest assured that both teams will come out harder tonight. Three points will not do the job this weekend, the Mavs must win tonight to get a four-point weekend and continue to put pressure on UMD and Wisconsin.

Starting line-ups are as follows, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Gaulrapp-Gunderson-Galiardi

Davis-Kilburg
Youds-Linder
Boe-Friesen

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

ALASKA-ANCHORAGE
Lunden-Cartwright-Clark
Waldrop-Crowder-Grant
Tassone-Parkinson-Tarkir
Haddad-Wiles-Tuton

Beaverson-Robinson
LaFranchise-Hunt
Carlson-Vidmar

Christianson
Olthuis

Alaska-Anchorage at #15 MSU IN GAME

The Mavericks had control for most of the first period but it was the Seawolves that struck first on a nice feed from behind the net. MSU responded on the power play when Jason Wiley finished off a pretty passing play when Ben Youds kept the puck in the zone. Mick Berge then picked up the puck at the blue line, fed it to Mouillierat down low and he hit Wiley back-door for the tap in.

1st Period Scoring Summary
4:22 -Lunden (Vidmar, Clark) 1-0 UAA
8:44 – Wiley (Mouillierat, Berge) PPG 1-1

The Mavericks looked a bit sloppy in the early going, but managed to get some nice chances and wasted no time capitalizing on them. Joel Hanson had a goal waved off, but responded by burying one that was a no-doubter off a nice feed from Bruess. The Mavericks then got a nice deflection from Bruess off a wrist shot to give them their second power-play goal of the night. MSU looks calm and in control.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
15:01 - Hanson (Bruess, Youds) 2-1 MSU
18:50 - Bruess (Davis, Sackrison) PPG 3-1 MSU

No scoring in the third, but MSU comes away with a 3-1 victory even if it wasn't pretty. It's 2 points nonetheless, and with Wisconsin tieing Michigan Tech, the Mavericks are currently tied for fourth place in the WCHA standings.

Alaska-Anchorage at #15 MSU PRE GAME

About 30 minutes to go before the start of this one at Alltel Center. In what is the first WCHA series where MSU is a favorite to probably win two, the Mavericks are going to have to come out and continue to play well and avoid the difficult task of taking it easy against a weaker opponent. Any team in this league can beat you if you don't play your best game and the Mavericks will have to do just that, and in a very big series I sure hope they are ready.

Starting line-ups are as follows, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Gaulrapp-Gunderson-Stewart

Davis-Kilburg
Youds-Linder
Boe-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

ALASKA-ANCHORAGE SEAWOLVES
Waldrop-Crowder-Cartwright
Lunden-Parkinson-Clark
Tuton-Tassone-Tarkir
Haddad-Wiles-Grant

Beaverson-Robinson
Lovdahl-Vidmar
Lafranchise-Hunt

Olthuis
Christianson

Sackrison named WCHA Rookie of the Week...

Freshman forward Andrew Sackrison has been named the WCHA Rookie of the Week for his efforts last weekend in the Mavericks' sweep over No. 7 Denver. Sackrison had 2-2--4 that included his first career three-point night (1g, 2a) in Friday's 5-1 victory. In addition, he has 3-7--10 in the last 10 games. He is MSU's top-scoring newcomer with 15 points and has done an excellent job making things happen on the offensive side of the ice. He and line mates Jason Wiley and Geoff Irwin have been MSU's most productive line of late. It just goes to show that MSU's depth is so important to its success because it seems to be a new set of guys carrying the team every weekend, and we are set up for what should be a thrilling ride down the stretch.

Big jump...

After being unranked the last two weeks, the Mavericks jumped to #15 in the latest USCHO/CSTV top-20 rankings thanks to their excellent play of late. The Mavericks are proving that their young team has matured to the point that they can establish themselves for a run at the Final Five and make it to the NCAA tournament. They host Alaska-Anchorage this weekend, and in a series where they should probably take two, it is important that the Mavs stay hungry and continue to play well. Slipping up in this series could ruin their hopes for going anywhere important, and they have worked hard to get where they are. A sweep here, and they continue to stay on fire going into tough road series with Wisconsin and Colorado College. In my opinion, this is the biggest series of the year for the Mavericks.

Game 2: #4 Denver at MSU IN GAME

Due to internet troubles here at Alltel Center I was not able to do the pre-game. Much apologies.

Minnesota State had to expect that Denver would come out flying tonight following their disappointing effort last night. Denver did come out strong, but MSU impressively matched that intensity. The Mavericks weathered the storm and got a goal on the power play off the stick of red-hot freshman forward Andrew Sackrison. It was big for the Mavs not to let Denver score early and control the flow, and MSU is playing physical again refusing to let the Pioneers get back in the series.

1st Period Scoring Summary
17:38 - Sackrison (Irwin, Canzanello) PPG 1-0 MSU

The Mavericks made it 2-0 early in the second period when Joel Hanson tipped a shot by R.J. Linder past Mannino. Denver cut the lead to 2-1 shortly after a power play had expired, and the Pioneers looked to have MSU on its heels. A break in the action may have been a blessing for the Mavericks as a piece of glass became dislodged and the game stopped for a few minutes. Jon Kalinski needed only a minute after the break to give MSU another two-goal lead when his rebound snuck past Mannino. If the Mavericks can stay aggressive they will be successful in the third period.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
1:11 - Hanson (Linder, Bruess) 2-0 MSU
6:19 - Bozak (Rakhshani, Butler) 2-1 MSU
15:50 - Kalinski (Harrison, Davis) 3-1 MSU

The Mavericks were able to weather the storm all night long and went blow-for-blow with a top team in the nation. They continue to prove themselves against top competition and really are establishing themselves as a team to be reckoned with in the WCHA. These wins are also huge for MSU's consideration in the NCAA post season tournament. They are rolling, and look to be very tough to stop.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
13:46 - Ostrow (Testwuide, Mannino) PPG 3-2 MSU

#4 Denver at MSU IN GAME

The Mavericks had the majority of the chances and really controlled the first period. Geoff Irwin capitalized on an opportunity and beat Mannino off a scrum in front of the Denver goal. Each team had time on the power play but neither were able to get anything going. MSU is playing very physical, and that is something they will need to continue to do in order to beat this tough Denver team.

1st Period Scoring Summary
11:39 - Irwin (Sackrison) 1-0 MSU

MSU continues to control the game and has had an array of scoring chances to go along with the goals they have scored. The Mavericks are going hard to the net and are being rewarded for it.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
4:01 - Rakhshani (Mullen, Butler) PPG 1-1
9:21 - Wiley (Linder, Davis) 2-1 MSU
13:12 - Sackrison (Linder) 3-1 MSU

The Mavs impressed a lot of people tonight with their 5-1 victory over a highly touted Denver team. MSU controlled every second of this game and look as if they are serious about making a post-season run.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
7:13 - Youds (Irwin, Sackrison) 4-1 MSU
18:15 - Hanson (Bruess, Mouillierat) 5-1 MSU

#4 Denver at MSU PRE GAME

About 30 minutes until the start of this one here at Alltel Center. DU's leading scorer Brock Trotter did not make the trip this weekend which should be a huge sigh of relief for the Mavericks as they look to use the momentum they gained last weekend in their WCHA sweep over #20 St. Cloud State. Denver has been at the top of the WCHA standings all season and this will be yet another huge weekend for the Mavericks if they can manage some points out of the series. MSU sits only three points out of a spot in the top five in the standings, so points here are a must.

The Starting line-ups for tonight are as follows, with starters in italics:

MINNESOTA STATE
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Gaulrapp-Gunderson-Stewart

Davis-Kilburg
Youds-Linder
Boe-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

DENVER
Ostrow-Bozak-Ruegsegger
Rakshani-Martin-Mullen
Maiani-Gifford-May
Glasser-Vossberg-Jackson

Butler-Thomas
Nutini-Brookwell
Testwuide-Blom

Mannino
Cheverie

Wiley recognized by WCHA...

Sophomore forward Jason Wiley was named WCHA co-Offensive Player of the Week. Wiley got four points (2g, 2a) this last weekend as the Mavericks swept No. 20 St. Cloud State. Wiley has done a nice job establishing himself offensively this season to add to a sophomore class that gives the team an excellent amount of depth in their forward lines. He has good hands, plays physically and does a good job finishing when he gets the chance.

Getting closer...

The Mavericks still were not in the USCHO/CSTV top-20 rankings this week, but did receive more votes. MSU is coming off a big sweep over now 20th-ranked St. Cloud and really could have easily found their way into that top 20. The Mavs got a spark late in Friday's game and finally got that break they have been waiting so long for. R.J. Linder scored his first goal of the season and from that point on the Mavericks were electric and put themselves in a great position to make a late season run. They host No. 4 Denver this weekend, which will be a tough test, but hopefully they can use this last series as a building point for next weekend and the rest of the season.

#13 St. Cloud State at MSU IN GAME

Not much action to speak of this period. This game has been played along the boards and in the neutral zone for the most part. Two defensive zone break downs led to virtually the same back- door goals that were just 24 seconds apart for the Huskies. A disappointing start in a big series for MSU.

1st Period Scoring Summary
12:15 - Dey (Mosey, Lasch) 1-0 SCSU
12:39 - Hartman (Marvin, Borgen) 2-0 SCSU

The second period was more of the same for the Mavericks, with SCSU scoring at 13:13 on yet another back-door goal where Zacharias had no chance. MSU is going to need a major spark and had better get started quickly if they plan to make a comeback.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
13:13 - Mosey (Volpei) 3-0 SCSU

R.J. Linder's first goal of the season made the Mavericks an entirely new team in the third period as they made an unbelievable comeback to win 5-3. The gravity of this win can not be put in to words as the Mavericks have undoubtedly revived their hopes to make a run at the end of the season and have some desparately needed momentum going in to St. Cloud tomorrow.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
11:45 - Linder (Wiley) 3-1 SCSU
12:20 - Bruess (Mouillierat, Friesen) 3-2 SCSU
15:11 - Wiley (Irwin, Harrison) 3-3
18:43 - Berge (Kalinski) 4-3 MSU
19:08 - Kilburg (Bruess, Hanson) EN 5-3 MSU

#13 St. Cloud State at MSU PRE GAME

About 20 minutes until the puck drops here at Alltel center. The Huskies have some good scorers that MSU will have to keep off the board along with staying out of the penalty box to keep the WCHA's best power play for SCSU off the ice. The Mavericks changed up the line pairings last Saturday vs. North Dakota, but look to have reverted to the old lines for the most part.

Here are the starting line-ups for tonight, with starters in italics:

MINNESOTA STATE
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Kalinski-Harrison-Berge
Irwin-Sackrison-Wiley
Gaulrapp-Galiardi-Stewart

Youds-Friesen
Davis-Kilburg
Linder-Canzanello

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

ST. CLOUD STATE
Nodl-Roe-Volpei
Mosey-Dey-Lasch
Borgen-Marvin-Hartman
Mjelleli-Olson-Oslund

Raboin-Stephenson
Swanson-Anderson
Brocklehurst-Barta

Weslosky
Dunn

Dropping Out...

The Mavericks dropped out of the USCHO/CSTV top-20 rankings this week, but were still receiving votes.

After suffering a sweep at the hands of sixth-ranked North Dakota, the Mavericks now look at a home-and-home series with No. 13 St. Cloud State with Friday being at Alltel Center and Saturday at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. The Mavs sure could have used some points this last weekend, but with the league the way it is, it isn't over until all of the games are played. With only seven points separating six teams in the league, the race is far from over. It will be an interesting rest of the regular season.

Game 2: #6 North Dakota at #20 MSU IN GAME

The Mavericks came out with more intensity than last night which is a pace they will need to keep up. MSU was given a power play just 21 seconds into the game but were unable to get set up. UND went on the power play soon after but also failed to get anything going. UND found itself on the power play again a short time later and managed to get a goal on a nice shot from the slot. After a shorthanded goal from Duncan to put UND up 2-0, MSU got a much needed goal again from Mick Berge and carry a little momentum going into the second period.

1st Period Scoring Summary
8:34 -- VandeVelde (Chorney, Bina) PPG 1-0 UND
9:58 -- Duncan (Oshie) SHG 2-0 UND
15:47 -- Berge (Sackrison, Youds) 2-1 UND

The Mavericks and Sioux traded goals with the Sioux again cashing in on the power play. The Mavericks got a late goal from Jon Kalinski with under a second remaining when he threw the puck at the net from around the goal line near the left corner and snuck a shot under the pads of Lamoureux. Again the Mavs get a goal late in the period when they need to stay in the game.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
13:55 -- Kozak (Genoway, Frattin) PPG 3-1 UND
19:59 -- Kalinski (Mouillierat, Berge) PPG 3-2 UND

The Sioux got 2 goals 12 seconds apart and that was the clincher as UND went on to win 5-3. The Sioux had 5 power play goals this weekend and 3 of them came tonight. UND has a lot of weapons and when they can finish like they were this weekend it makes it awfully tough on the opposition.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
2:48 -- Genoway (Finley, Frattin) PPG 4-2 UND
3:00 -- Trupp (Frattin) 5-2 UND
18:37 -- Stewart (Hanson, Davis) PPG 5-3 UND

Game 2: #6 North Dakota at #20 MSU PRE GAME

About 35 minutes to faceoff here in Mankato and it's not as cold out which means there might not be as many late arrivals from MSU fans. The Mavericks lost a tough one last night in a game where they couldn't seem to get anything going on offense. While both teams struggled to find a flow, it was the special teams that ultimately decided the game as all three of the game's goals came on the power play. MSU did a good job of containing Ryan Duncan and T.J. Oshie last night, and they must do the same tonight if they want to win. A split here keeps the Mavericks very much alive in the WCHA standings, but a sweep might be difficult to rebound from. Power plays will likely be the main factor again tonight, and whichever team capitalizes will be on top at the end.

Here are the line-ups for tonight, with starters in italics.

MINNESOTA STATE
Sackrison-Irwin-Berge
Hanson-Kalinski-Mouillierat
Gaulrapp-Harrison-Stewart
Tyree-Harrison-Wiley

Youds-Kilburg
Davis-Friesen
Linder-Boe

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

NORTH DAKOTA
Duncan-Oshie-Kozek
Watkins-VandeVelde-Martens
Trupp-Zajac-Frattin
Radke-Malone-Davidson

Chorney-Bina
Finley-Genoway
Jones-Marto

Lamoureux
Walski

MSU Senior Matt Tyree is playing in only his third career game as coach Troy Jutting may be looking to add a little size to the line-up considering last night's events. Again, I will be providing thoughts and up-to-date scoring.

#6 North Dakota at #20 MSU IN GAME

In a big series like this, I expected to see MSU come out with a lot more energy and to play very physical. I was suprised to see that North Dakota was the team playing hard and physical. The Mavs need to play with more emotion and intensity in the following periods. Mouillierat hit post on nice 2-on-1 feed from Bruess, but that was it for the Mavericks offensively.

1st Period Scoring Summary
5:06 -- Genoway (Watkins, Finley) PPG 1-0 UND

The second period was a bit better for the Mavericks as they saw a few more scoring chances, but had nothing to show for it. MSU had two goals disallowed, so they have been getting chances, they just need to cash in, legally. It sets us up for a great third period here in frigid Mankato.

2nd Period Scoring Summary
No Scoring

The Mavericks managed to get a power play goal from Mick Berge, but couldn't keep UND off the board on a power play of their own. MSU also could not seem to get much going offensively the entire game. Trevor Bruess and Rylan Kaip will not be available tomorrow night as they were both ejected for fighting.

3rd Period Scoring Summary
5:52 -- Bina (Oshie, Chorney) PPG 2-0 UND

10:29 -- Berge (Youds, Zacharias) PPG 2-1 UND

#6 North Dakota at #20 MSU PRE GAME

It's about 30 minutes until the puck drops at Alltel Center. The Maverick student section is full and looks to be full of energy. Let's hope they can get loud early due to an early goal. Hopefully we will all have something to cheer about tonight as it is that time of the season when teams in the league start separating themselves. This is a big weekend for MSU.

Here are the line-ups for both teams. Starters are in italics:

MINNESOTA STATE
Irwin-Harrison-Berge
Hanson-Bruess-Mouillierat
Galiardi-Kalinski-Stewart
Gaulrapp-Sackrison-Wiley

Linder-Davis
Boe-Kilburg
Youds-Friesen

Zacharias
Tormey
Lee

NORTH DAKOTA
Watkins-VandeVelde-Kaip
Duncan-Oshie-Trupp
Kozek-Zajak-Frattin
Radke-Malone-Martens

Finley-Genoway
Chorney-Bina
Jones-LaPoint

Lamoureux
Walski

The Mavs are going to have to stop the Duncan-Oshie-Trupp line if they are going to be successful. I will be providing scoring updates and thoughts throughout the game.