Dan Myers recaps the 2023-24 season for the Minnesota State Mavericks men’s hockey team.

This story was originally published in the April 2024 Year In Review College/Frozen Four digital issue.

The post Minnesota State: Strand Era Begins appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Ryan Carter (No. 22) and fellow former Maverick David Backes await the ceremonial puck drop from current Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings prior to the Hockey Day Minnesota 2022 MSU alumni game. (David Faulkner / SPX Sports)

For the last three years, the longtime NHLer has been knee-deep in Hockey Day Minnesota festivities. With the event in Mankato in 2022, the former Minnesota State Maverick was one of the stars of the weekend, serving as a pseudo-ambassador, playing in the alumni game, broadcasting for Bally Sports North and generally running around like a chicken with his head cut off.

Things didn’t get much easier for him in 2023, with Hockey Day shifting north to his hometown, where the former White Bear Lake Bear is once again one of the starring attractions. 

Because the COVID-19 pandemic delayed Mankato’s day in the spotlight by 12 months, Carter has been essentially living and breathing Hockey Day for the last three years. 

Good thing he doesn’t have any connections in Warroad for 2024 … right?

“Time to take a Hockey Day breath,” Carter said with a chuckle.

The two Hockey Day experiences have been very different but equally satisfying for the affable Carter, who hasn’t turned down a single photo or interview request. 

Former Bears Ryan Carter (L) and Jon Anderson help Bally Sports North’s Marney Gellner reveal White Bear Lake as the 2023 Hockey Day Minnesota site on the ice in Mankato at the conclusion of HDM 2022.

“Last year, that was college alumni, people who supported the program, and lots of people close to the guys you played with,” Carter said. “So I knew a fair amount of people involved with running it [in Mankato].

“Here with this one though … top to bottom, I think I might know every face that comes through this place. It’s good this has finally come to White Bear. We’ve taken a lot of pride in this and I think we can all see why now with how it has turned out.”

Amazingly, Hockey Day Minnesota, celebrating its 17th annual event in 2023, had never ventured to White Bear Lake, which boasts one of the finest traditions in the State of Hockey. 

That’s certainly been the view of many in the community, including former alumni of the White Bear Lake Area High School program, which had so many former players take part in the alumni game, it had to create four teams just to get everybody involved.

“If you were to ask most people, they’d probably say, ‘White Bear hasn’t had it yet,'” Carter said. “It has created a lot of pride in our community, and as much as the other sports have had success, I might be biased, but this is a hockey town. To have the big marquee hockey event here in town is great.”

The last couple of years have provided Carter with a much different look at Hockey Day, who played on the unofficial hockey holiday as a member of the Wild at the tail end of his pro career.

But those Hockey Day experiences were very different, even as a native Minnesotan who was well aware of what this day means to so many.

“You’re kind of in your own world, concentrating on your own game, right?” Carter said. “Then you come out onside and you realize just how big of a deal this is, how big of a production it is and just how many people work so hard to make sure this event goes smoothly. It’s a big deal for these communities.”

Ryan Carter and fellow Bally Sports North personality Audra Martin talk Hockey Day Minnesota from the HDM 2023 Town Square at Polar Lakes Park in White Bear Township.

While Carter’s seemingly non-stop duties the last couple of Hockey Days have resulted in some long days and nights, he said he’ll do everything he can to try and soak in every last minute he can with his friends and family in White Bear Lake.

“I’d like to get things to slow down,” Carter said, “and just get a chance to talk to people and live a little bit more in the moment.

“Last year was such a scramble, trying to be everywhere, every minute. This year, I’ve tried to build in some time to just take it all in, chill and just hang out. It’s been great to catch up with so many people.”

The post Mr. Hockey Day appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Literally.

The 91st all-time meeting between these northeast metro schools, separated by just five miles, had another unforgettable chapter written, and not just because this edition was played outside. In a series that has featured countless dramatics and unforgettable endings, this one will go down in the history books forever.

Trailing by a goal in the final minute, the Pioneers used some early celebratory fireworks as motivation to find the tying goal with 46 seconds remaining in regulation before winning 2:06 into the extra session.

Brady Ingebritson is mobbed by teammates celebrating his game winner. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

Both goals were scored by senior captain Brady Ingebritson, who celebrated his tying and winning exploits by leaping into the glass in front of a jubilant — and stunned — Pioneer student section.

“I’ll be talking about this the rest of my life,” Ingebritson said. “OT, Hockey Day, against White Bear Lake. This is just a dream come true.

“And I love the fireworks.”

Moments before the goal, Hill-Murray coach Bill Lechner called timeout to gather his troops ahead of an offensive zone faceoff and to pull his goalie for the extra attacker. 

Then, rather inexplicably, a fireworks display reminiscent of Fourth of July grand finale, began going off along the near horizon about 200 yards from the ice sheet. 

Did someone hit the button too early? Was there confusion with the horn signifying the end of the timeout? 

Regardless of what happened, it’s set in motion a series of events that will live in infamy in these parts for years. 

With smoke from the display settling in, and fireworks still going off in the distance, officials dropped the puck to resume play in the White Bear Lake defensive zone. Forced into a front-row viewing of the pyrotechnics was Bears sophomore goaltender Leo Gabriel, who corralled a first shot, but couldn’t contain a second, with Ingebritson whipping the puck through the haze and into the cage.

“The fireworks, that got my energy up,” Ingebritson said. “I got together with the guys and said, ‘look at this, they’re already celebrating the win.’

“Our energy was going. The fireworks were great, that helped us.”

It’s not often Lechner, the legendary 69-year-old head coach of the Pioneers, sees something new at a hockey rink. But this certainly qualified.

“We always talk about, ‘play between the glass,’ if we’re focused, they don’t know if they’re playing in front of 10 people or 10,000,” Lechner said. “It’s easier said than done, especially with kids. They’re not pros.”

It’s a consistent message that Lechner preaches, regardless of the setting, the opponent or the time of game, and in this case, that calm paid off.

When things got wild at the end, Hill-Murray looked calm and composed in a setting that was anything but.

“It’s easy to say when you win that you have the perfect formula,” Lechner said. “It’s a little bit early to have everything falling into place, and we still don’t have all the pieces, but we’ll get some guys back and we’ll get closer.”

The post Captain Chaos Stuns Bears appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It also happened to be the first week of hockey season.

Granted the OK by Ponies girls hockey head coach Annie Cashman to take the team’s afternoon practice off, junior Brooke Nelson strolled into St. Croix Valley Rec Center just a few hours after her soccer season had ended ready to start her winter sport.

Cashman describes Nelson as a bit of a throwback. In this day and age of the specialized athlete, Nelson is one of the state’s best soccer players and also excels on the ice. 

And she does it while maintaining a low-maintenance attitude.

“She wants zero attention, zero accolades,” Cashman said. “She just wants to be there for her sisters and go out and play.”

In the midst of an impactful campaign for the ninth-ranked Ponies, Nelson had a bit of a coming out party on Hockey Day, scoring four goals, including a natural hat trick in the first period, in an 8-3 win over host White Bear Lake. 

Four of Nelson’s junior classmates are already committed to Division I schools to play hockey, and if she put her mind to it, Nelson could likely make it five.

Not bad for her “part-time job,” as Cashman describes it.

Brooke Nelson (12) battles a trio of White Bear Lake Bears for puck possession on Hockey Day Minnesota at Polar Lakes Park in White Bear Township. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

“She’s about as good of an athlete as you’ll come by,” said Ponies senior captain Avery Braunshausen. “She’s excelled in soccer since we were iddy-iddy-biddy. She excels in hockey. Having someone like that on our hockey team, and someone that knows what it’s like to play on a team that makes a state tournament, that knowledge is helpful.”

Nelson insists her soccer skills translate on the ice and make her a better hockey player.

“I think I’m able to see the ice differently than other people,” Nelson said. “In soccer, it’s all about finding space, and I can translate that on the ice, finding the puck in spaces that people don’t really expect you to.”

Nelson is one member of an outstanding junior class where she, admittedly, flies a bit under the radar, something she’s perfectly fine with. 

Josie St. Martin started the month with the U.S. National Team in Sweden and is headed for Ohio State. Addison Finn will play collegiately at Boston University, Josie Lang will attend Providence and Myah Krueger, who did not play at Hockey Day, is committed to St. Cloud State. 

“I’ve played with a lot of these girls since I was really little,”  Nelson said. “So for me, I’m just going out to play with my friends and do our thing.”

With all of that junior talent on its roster, Nelson’s Hockey Day performance showcases exactly what makes the Ponies dangerous as section time approaches.

On any given day, someone new can help carry the load, whether it’s one of their junior superstars, or one of its senior leaders.

“Brooke is a great player and we’re all super proud of her. But it just as easily could have been Josie or that whole junior class,” Braunshausen said. “Our whole team is so talented. Today it was Brooke.

“It’s one of things that makes us so successful and why our team excels, when we’re all using each other’s strengths. One of the things about our team is we all have different strengths and we have lots of moving parts.”

At Hockey Day, Nelson found herself on the business end of a collision early on that left her down on the ice and slow to the bench. 

After laboring back to her teammates and shaking off the trainer, it didn’t take Nelson to exact revenge.

One shift, to be exact.

Her next time on the ice, Nelson scored her first goal, one that gave Stillwater a 2-1 lead, an advantage it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.

“When I scored, I was good,” Nelson said. 

So was Stillwater.

It’s early one-goal deficit was the first time this season the Ponies had trailed in a conference game, but it’s the kind of adversity that could come in handy as sections approaches.

When section play begins early next month, Stillwater will likely start with either Woodbury or East Ridge, two teams that have hung tough in both meetings this season.

Should the Ponies win there, potential semifinal and final foes could include rivals Hill-Murray and Gentry Academy, two of the best girls hockey programs in Minnesota.

The post Dual Threat appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Series of disappointing first-round exits at the NCAA Tournament the only blemish on Hastings’ era in Mankato

The Minnesota State Mavericks have had their hearts broken just about every way imaginable over the years.

In 2015, MSU was the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and saw its season end in the first round on a goal that, by the letter of the law, shouldn’t have counted.

Three years later, the Mavericks jumped in front by a pair of goals early and watched their opponent slowly claw back, drawing even in the final period before winning in overtime.

That opponent would go on to win the NCAA title.

Last season, in a hostile environment, MSU took a three-goal lead — and very a nearly a four-goal lead — before watching that advantage wither away in a blink in an eventual 6-3 loss.

They’ve lost in empty buildings. They’ve lost in full ones. They’ve lost out east. They’ve lost in Sioux Falls, just a two-hour drive from their Mankato campus.

MSU G Dryden McKay (Photo courtesy of Minnesota State University Athletics)

It hasn’t mattered much the circumstance or the quality of opponent, Minnesota State has known only losing when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. And for a program that has won more games than any other in college hockey since Mike Hastings became head coach in 2012, winning games in the NCAAs is really the only measuring stick that matters anymore.

Since college hockey realignment in 2013, Minnesota State has proven its mettle in conference play. MSU has won three WCHA regular season championships and two more playoff titles.

They’ve also reached the NCAA Tournament four times during that span, more than any other team in the conference.

Unfortunately for MSU, the Mavericks are 0-4 once there. And of all the heartbreaking losses once there, last season may have the most staying power.

Minnesota’s State’s 32 victories were a program record. Just a week prior, a miracle comeback in the final minute of the WCHA Championship game allowed MSU to raise yet another banner.

It was almost as though they were a team of destiny.

But placement in the Providence, Rhode Island regional — and a game against Providence College — would be a challenge. An early three-goal lead seemed to put those worries to bed. An apparent fourth goal was waved off for offsides, and from that point on, the game changed.

Providence scored the next six goals and would go on to reach the Frozen Four by winning the following afternoon.

The job of leading the Mavericks to new heights will fall largely on the shoulders of senior captain Marc Michaelis. A native of Mannheim, Germany, Michaelis is one of the top returning players in the country. The WCHA’s Preseason Player of the Year was also named to the All-College Hockey News first team nationally.

Michaelis has been a model of consistency over the years for the Mavericks, scoring between 36 and 42 points in each of his first three years on campus.

He led the team in both goals and points a year ago and could be a darkhorse candidate for the Hobey Baker Award.

Michaelis, who wore the ‘C’ for MSU last season as a junior, will do so again after being named co-captain, along with fellow senior Nick Rivera.

Perhaps no contender in the country had a better offseason than MSU. The Mavericks lost one regular contributor off last year’s team, where former captain Max Coatta will be missed more off the ice. His eight goals and 15 points should be easily replaceable.

Coatta ranked 14th on the Mavericks in scoring last season. The 13 players in front of him all return, as do the next eight behind him.

In this day and age of college hockey, it’s a remarkable statistic: the Mavericks return 20 of their top returning 21 scorers.

Also back is sophomore goaltender Dryden McKay, who was CHN’s Freshman of the Year nationally after posting a 24-7-2 record to go with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.

Joining McKay between the posts will be freshman Jaxson Stauber, son of former University of Minnesota Hobey Baker Award winner, Robb.

MSU D Connor Mackay (Photo courtesy of Minnesota State University Athletics)

Up front, the Mavericks bring in a player with another familiar surname to college hockey fans in Minnesota, Ryan Sandelin. The son of Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin, Ryan stands 6-foot and 192 points and is coming off a 31-goal season with Penticton last year.

Also added to the mix is forward Nathan Smith, a third-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2018 who hails from Hudson, Florida. Smith led Cedar Rapids of the USHL with 53 points in 59 games last season and had 47 points in 51 games the year prior.

On defense, the Mavericks are buoyed by the return of Connor Mackey, a junior who had plenty of NHL options following last season. Mackey led Maverick blueliners in goals (seven) and was tied with Ian Scheid in points (25). Scheid returns for his senior campaign as well.

Edwin Hookenson, Jack McNeely, Riese Zmolek and Wyatt Aamodt all return having played at least 36 games last season, with Hookenson and McNeely having played in all 42.

Skill? Check.

Experience? Check.

Motivation? Check.

All the pieces seem to be in place for the Mavericks this season, leaving just one box left to be checked. And while an NCAA Tournament win would be one giant monkey off the back of the program, there’s no reason why MSU shouldn’t aim significantly higher than that in 2020.

The post Mavericks hope 2020 is their time to shine appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

MANKATO — Not long ago, a No. 2 seed in the WCHA playoffs and a share of the MacNaughton Cup would have been hailed as a miracle season for Minnesota State.

But following a 1-0 loss to Bemidji State on Saturday night, a result that knocked it from the league’s top playoff seeding, there was a hint of disappointment around the Verizon Wireless Center.

That’s what happens when a culture has been changed.

MSU rolled to a 6-1 win over the Beavers here on Friday night, securing at least a share of the regular season championship for the second consecutive season.

The Mavericks will need to win their third consecutive Broadmoor Trophy if they hope to reach the NCAA Tournament for a fourth-straight season.

Anything less would constitute a down season.

“We’re at a point here where we are expected to compete for championships,” said fourth-year coach Mike Hastings, largely responsible for the raised expectations.

Since the WCHA rebooted before the 2013-14, the league has handed out a trophy five times. Minnesota State has been on the receiving end of that presentation on four occasions.

“It’s just the beginning,” Mavericks senior forward Bryce Gervais said. “You see with the rink, but what Coach Hastings, Coach [Todd] Knott and Coach [Darren] Blue have done… things are just going to get better and better.”

A $4 million-renovation of the Verizon Wireless Center is just one part of what Minnesota State has become during the Hastings era, which is nearing the end of its fourth season.

Gervais said alumni are more engaged in the program and have been pouring cash into the arena project, as evidenced by the $100,000 gift from David Backes of the St. Louis Blues for a world-class weight room just steps from the brand new locker room.

Fans have also been flocking to the arena. Attendance on Saturday night was 5,052, the 15th-largest crowd in school history, despite the fact that students are on spring break.

The university has also shown more of a willingness to provide the program with amenities that the previous regime wasn’t afforded. Much of that effort is because of pressure from Hastings, considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country.

Of course, it’s easy to ask for — and receive — such help when the program is successful on the ice. And in that regard, MSU is experiencing its most successful stretch in its history.

Two victories over Lake Superior State in the first round of the WCHA playoffs next weekend would mark four-straight 20-win seasons, something that has never been done in the Division I era.

It’s tough for seniors on this year’s team to imagine it being any other way. But championships and banners were not common in Mankato prior to this year’s senior class.

Gervais relayed a story of when he was a freshman and then-senior Eriah Hayes told him something that he’s remembered to this day.

“He told me [hiring Hastings] was the best thing to ever happen to Maverick hockey,” Gervais recalled. “He said back in the day, they weren’t always fully committed. That’s the thing you’re going to get with Hastings. You gotta be completely committed if you want to be a part of this program. And obviously, it shows.”

Next fall, Minnesota State will hang at least one more banner in the rafters of the Verizon Wireless Center. It’s come as a result of a shift in culture, one that Hastings said the program is still trying to perfect.

“[The players] have continued to elevate on what the expectations are. I’m incredibly appreciative of that,” Hastings said. “I’m proud to say I have the opportunity to coach this program.”

The post Mav-Naughton appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Hat trick extends Johnson’s record-setting season for Prowlers

ST. PAUL — Thief River Falls forward Ethan Johnson has been giving goaltenders nightmares all season.

Apparently, not just opposing goalies either.

Johnson netted his 47th, 48th and 49th goals of the season in leading the Prowlers to a 6-1 win over Princeton in the second Class A quarterfinal game of the day in the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center.

“In practice, it’s almost kind of scary when you see him coming down to take a shot,” Prowlers goaltender Kade Nelson said. “His speed, his hands and his shot … He’s a heck of a player. He’s going to continue to impress people at this tournament and hopefully us as a team can continue to do that.”

In that regard, job one is done.

The Prowlers overcame a slow start against the upstart Tigers, the champions of Section 5. Nelson made a couple of big saves early to keep the game scoreless before Johnson stole the show with a pair of dazzling goals less than four minutes midway through the first. He finished off the hat trick by capping a 2-on-1 rush chance with a goal at 9:27 of the third period.

“It was key,” Prowlers coach Tim Bergland said. “They got a couple of chances, some pretty decent ones early. If they go in, [it’s] going to give them life. Fortunately, Kade has been solid for us all year. Today was no different.”

“It helps a lot to start playing good early,” Johnson said. “It gives us a little cushion. Then other lines start scoring and it really helps us out.”

Johnson got his season going in a similar fashion. He scored three goals in a season-opening 6-3 win over Roseau and his torrid goal-scoring pace hasn’t tapered.

Ethan Johnson completes his hat trick in Wednesday’s 6-1 win over Princeton. (Photo by Tim Kolehmainen / Breakdown Sports U.S.A.)

The senior has rewritten the record book at Thief River this season, breaking Jack Erickson’s 65-year old school goal-scoring record during the Section 8 playoffs. Erickson’s previous record of 42 goals was established during the 1950-51 season.

Whomever is maintaining that book better be using pencil because Johnson doesn’t look like he slowing down any time soon.

Johnson has scored at least one goal in 11 consecutive games and has 23 goals during that span. His hat trick on Wednesday was his eighth of the season.

“It keeps you on your toes,” Bergland said. “We’ve seen this since grade 9. He’s such a good skater, strong on his skates. It’s fun to see.”

Perhaps more encouraging for the Prowlers is Johnson’s propensity to show up in big games.

He scored six goals in the Section 8 tournament, including two goals in the championship game against two-time defending Class A state champion, East Grand Forks.

In three games against the Green Wave this season, Johnson scored nine goals. His two goals in the section championship was the first time he didn’t have at least three goals against their Mariucci Conference rivals.

Now, with one hat trick in the tournament already under his belt, Johnson will try and push the Prowlers one step closer to their first state title since 1956.

“I just try to play my game and help the team out as much as I can,” Johnson said.

Added Bergland: “He’s a special player. You wish you had more of them.”

Princeton coach Jeff Hanson said the plan going into the game was to try and score early and ride the momentum. Slowing down Johnson was also a high priority.

The Tigers nearly accomplished the first part of that in the opening minutes. Despite trailing by a pair of goals, Princeton actually outshot Thief River Falls by a 9-7 margin after 17 minutes.

The difference? Johnson was able to finish his chances while the Tigers couldn’t close the deal.

“I think it definitely changes the game. It’s just going to tilt the ice for us a little bit, give us even more energy and maybe put them back on their heels,” Hanson said. “In a situation like that, I think that’s what you have to try and do; just get a fast start, hopefully you get a little puck luck and maybe a call here and there, try to get up on them early and ride that momentum.

“We just couldn’t get one to bounce there for us early.”

The Tigers, playing in their third state tournament and first since going in back-to-back years in 2002 and 2003, will move to the consolation bracket to play Mankato West at Mariucci Arena at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

The post On the Prowl appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Blake, Ellingson hat tricks lead Breck over Mankato West

ST. PAUL — After a disappointing quarterfinal round exit at last year’s State Boys Hockey Tournament, Chase Ellingson and William Blake made sure the Breck Mustangs’ stay at the Xcel Energy Center would last a little longer this time around.

Ellingson and Blake each had a hat trick and added an assist as second-seeded Breck rolled to an 8-0 win over Mankato West in the first Class A quarterfinal game on Wednesday.

The Mustangs, which lost 1-0 to St. Cloud Apollo in the quarterfinal round last season, will play Thief River Falls in Friday’s 11 a.m. Class 1A semifinal in St. Paul. The Prowlers beat Princeton 6-1 in Wednesday’s second quarterfinal.

“This is our seventh time here. We’ve learned that you’ve gotta win that first game,” Breck coach Les Larson said. “I’ve got nothing against Mariucci [Arena], but there are 10,000 empty seats a 9 a.m. [on Friday]. We’ve experienced that. It’s a lot better to be here. And now we’re here, so we can move onto the next step.”

In the process, Breck’s lethal power play claimed another victim, scoring all three times it was on the ice. This time, it was the Scarlets on the business end of one of the state’s best man-advantage units.

Breck’s power play, which has clicked at a 40 percent clip entering the tournament, scored twice in the first period to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead after 17 minutes.

“We work really hard on it. We spend a lot of time on it,” Larson said. “And we have good players. We have players that understand what we’re trying to do.”

Blake scored his first goal of the day and Breck’s third power-play goal 60 seconds into the second period.

But the senior forward wasn’t done.

He added an even-strength goal then a short-handed tally, finishing the natural hat trick in a span of 6 minutes 41 seconds.

“It’s pretty special. A lot better than last year, a lot more fun,” Blake said. “It’s nice to get it done, get the win and move onto the next one.”

The three-goal burst staked Breck to a 5-0 lead headed to third period when Ellingson put the finishing touches on his hat trick with a pair of goals, including one pretty coast-to-coast effort that also came short-handed.

“We came out in the second period looking to shut them down and get rid of all hope,” Ellingson said. “We know you can’t leave a team hanging around. They’ll score a couple of goals and it’s a whole new game. Those goals in the second period were huge for us.”

Ellingson, a Mr. Hockey Award finalist, now has 40 goals and 37 assists in 29 games this season.

“He always has a good game. He always has a good practice,” Larson said. “I’ve never seen a guy that consistent for four years. I’ve never seen him play bad and he always plays, at least, very good. We’re going to miss him.”

The Scarlets skated with Breck for the opening five minutes of the game before a holding penalty on freshman Nick Wieben near center ice put the Mustangs on their first power play at 5:07.

Junior Austin Heidemann banged home a rebound 1:41 into the man advantage to give Breck a 1-0 lead.

Wieben was whistled for kneeing five minutes later and Ellingson roofed a rebound try after an initial pad save by West junior goaltender Jackson Peterson.

The Scarlets never recovered.

“We came out with the intensity we needed to come out with,” West coach Curtis Doell said. “We were skating with them 5-on-5, we get the penalty and it took the wind out of our sails.”

West had two five-minute power play chances to get back into the game in the second and third periods, but instead saw Breck score short-handed on each opportunity.

“We were a split second behind on everything which I think led to a lot of blocked shots,” said West captain Tyler Loe. “We put ourself in a position to bury a few pucks with two five-minute penalties, we just couldn’t do it.”

Breck sophomore goaltender Linden Olness made 16 saves before giving way to sophomore Blaine Madson for the final eight minutes of play.

Peterson finished with 27 saves.

The Scarlets will move to the consolation bracket and play Princeton  at Mariucci Arena at 10 a.m. on Friday.

The post Power Players appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Red-hot Mavericks head into the holidays in need of a break

MANKATO — Few teams in the country have had the marathon first half to their season that Minnesota State has, which finally gets a break heading into holidays after playing on 10 consecutive weekends.

If you count an exhibition against the University of Alberta on Oct. 4, it’s actually been 11 straight weekends of hockey.

“We’ll take the break,” Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said. “Coaches aren’t geniuses. We get greedy. But they’ve put in a lot of work. They’ve put a lot of hay in the barn as far as just finding ways to get points when maybe we weren’t as sharp.”

Just the latest example was this weekend’s sweep of Alabama Huntsville at the Verizon Wireless Center. With the tanks nearly on empty, Minnesota State gutted out a pair of wins over the plucky Chargers, overcoming a first-period deficit each night.

With the finish line to the first half within sight, Hastings challenged his team not to go on break before Sunday.

“That was one of the things we talked about in the locker room, not to check out until these two games were done,” Mavericks forward Bryce Gervais said. “We found a way to get two wins. I think that shows a lot about our mental approach as a hockey team.”

Minnesota State has found several different ways to get points this season. The Mavericks have allowed the fewest shots on goal per game in the country and have a penalty kill in the top-15 nationally. But a toothless power play and some bad puck luck have made scoring a chore most weekends.

MSU suffered from a historic lack of offense; including a span of 213 minutes, 58 seconds without a goal at one point this season — which started the Mavericks’ season 0-4 for the first time in the Hastings era.

But a late comeback against Minnesota on Nov. 14 may have been the season’s turning point.

Just 24 hours after being shutout for the fourth time in 11 games, the Mavericks appeared well on their way to being shutout on the weekend for a second time.

Down 2-0 with under four minutes to play, the Mavericks got one back with the extra attacker to make it a one-goal game. A couple of minutes later, with the goalie pulled again, MSU tied it and sent the game to overtime.

With under a minute left in the extra session, senior forward Teddy Blueger scored off a rush, giving Minnesota State a 3-2 win over their rivals from the north.

It also started a nine-game unbeaten streak that the Mavericks will ride into the second half of the season.

“That was huge,” Gervais said. “Just finding a way, we put two forwards back there, I think that was a really big character-builder for our team.

“We found a way to get two big points.”

Not only did the Mavericks potentially turn their season that night at Mariucci Arena, they did it short-handed. Defenseman Jon Jutzi blocked a shot with his head and didn’t return. Fellow defenseman Jaden Schmeisser blocked a shot with his forearm; the injury was believed to be so serious, Hastings was told Schmeisser had broken his arm.

“I walked into the locker room and I thought I was in bantams,” Hastings said. “I went in and said ‘Has anybody in here ever played defense before?’ Zach Stepan stepped up.”

It’s been a battle to get guys back healthy ever since.

In the second of last week’s 2-2 ties with Bowling Green, injuries forced Minnesota State to dress two forwards at defense.

“We knew we didn’t have two defensemen back there but it didn’t slow us down,” Gervais said. “Those guys back there didn’t play with any hesitation.”

Going forward, the challenge will be to build on a challenging first half that has offered the Mavericks a full season’s worth of injuries and drama.

Hastings said he expects all but one of his players to be back from injury when his crew hits the ice next against Northern Michigan on Jan. 8.

Said Gervais: “We’ve gotta put our foot to the floor when we get back from break and just keep going.”

The post Running on fumes appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Freshman’s three goals lift Minnesota State to Broadmoor Trophy win

St. Paul — Minnesota State freshman forward Brad McClure arrived in Mankato last fall with the nickname ‘Captain Clutch.’

Bestowed on him by former teammates and coaches on his junior team in Penticton, McClure always seemed to score big goals in big games.

With one of the deepest teams in the country, the Mavericks haven’t needed ‘Captain Clutch’ yet this season. But Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center, he made a triumphant return.

McClure netted a natural hat trick in the third period, helping MSU to a 5-2 win over No. 4 Michigan Tech in the championship game of the WCHA Final Five.

The freshman from Stratford, Ont., finished the two-game tournament with five goals and an assist and was named the Final Five’s Most Valuable Player.

“He has a history of scoring big goals and of scoring a lot of them,” Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said. “Brad was very deserving of the MVP; he was very good both nights and I’m glad he’s wearing our jersey.”

The Mavericks needed McClure Saturday too. Down 2-1 after 40 minutes, MSU looked tired and worn out. Minnesota State hadn’t led all night, its power play was sluggish, and its normally rock-solid penalty kill had yielded a pair of goals.

Heading to the third needing one against the stingy Jamie Phillips — just to tie — seemed daunting enough, much less two to win.

But ‘Captain Clutch’ came through.

Jordan Nelson’s goal at 8:08 of the third tied the score, setting up McClure’s heroics over the final half of the period.

His first goal was a heavy snap shot from the right circle that snuck under the cross bar at 11:29.

Almost three minutes later, McClure danced out of the way of a Teddy Blueger shot from the point, redirecting the puck through his legs and past Phillips.

His final goal, a power-play tally like his second, was another deflection with 1:20 remaining.

“There were quite a few bounces that went my way,” McClure said. “It’s always nice to have those. There are some nights where you don’t. Tonight, it was on my stick at the right time and I found the back of the net a couple times.”

McClure’s 15 goals rank second on the team and his 29 points rank fourth.

“He does a good job. He was prepared when he got here,” Hastings said. “He got an opportunity [last summer] to go to Pittsburgh’s Developmental Camp and I think it put him in the right frame of mind.

The hat trick was the first in a Final Five game since 2009 when Minnesota Duluth’s MacGregor Sharp scored three goals against Denver, also in the championship game.

“He can shoot it from the bench as far as I’m concerned,” Hastings said. “He has a release. He likes to do it. He’s good at it.”

McClure has been consistent all season, never going more than three games without a point. But after scoring just one goal in his previous nine games, McClure now has six in his past three — just in time for the start of the NCAA Tournament next weekend.

The win delivered a second consecutive playoff title to the Mavericks, who also hoisted the MacNaughton Cup as regular season champions two weeks ago. MSU is the first team since 2011 to win both trophies in the same season.

“It’s really hard to put into words. Obviously, at the start of the season, it was a goal,” Mavericks captain Chase Grant said. “I think everybody starts out with that goal, but we knew it was realistic. We knew it was going to be hard to do and it’s hard doing it with the target on your back after winning it last year.”

Minnesota State will open the NCAA Tournament next weekend in South Bend, Ind., likely against Atlantic Hockey champion RIT.

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