Men's Hockey | 5/4/2017 11:32:00 AM
Mankato, Minn. --- One of the winningest programs in the nation the last four years, the Minnesota State men's hockey team is slated to play 18 home games in 2017-18 as the University formally announced its schedule today.
The Mavericks, who posted a 22-13-4 mark and finished third in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season with a 15-7-6 league mark last year, feature ten home contests prior to the end of December and eight home games in the second half of the 2017-18 schedule.
Following an exhibition game vs. the University of Regina Oct. 1, the Mavericks begin regular-season action with a single nonconference home game vs. in-state rival St. Cloud State Oct. 7.
The Mavericks continue nonconference action Oct. 13-14 with a pair of games at Boston University Oct. 13-14. The series will mark the first time the two teams have faced each other. BU is a team that went 24-12-3 in 2016-17 and finished the year rated sixth by USCHO.com.
Minnesota State begins conference play Oct. 20-21 with a road series at Bowling Green before hosting Michigan Tech Oct. 27-28, which is followed by a a trio of WCHA weekends (road series at Northern Michigan Nov. 3-4, road series at Bemidji State Nov. 10-11 and a home series with Bowling Green Nov. 17-18. A nonconference game at St. Cloud State Nov. 22 precedes a game at Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 25) and a league trip to Lake Superior State (Dec. 8-9). Home conference weekends vs. Alabama Huntsville (Dec. 15-16) and Northern Michigan (Dec. 29-30) close out the pre-New Year's portion of the schedule.
The Mavericks start the New Year with a trip to the Last Frontier where they will square-off against a couple of WCHA foes in Alaska Anchorage Jan. 5-6 and the University of Alaska Jan. 12-13.
A return engagement on Tuesday, Jan. 23 vs. Minnesota Duluth, which played in the 2016-17 national championship game, kicks-off the home half of the schedule. The Mavericks will host the USA NTDP Jan. 27 and Alaska Feb. 2-3 prior to a league road trip to face Alabama Huntsville Feb. 9-10.
A quartet of league home contests close out the regular season with Ferris State visiting Mankato Feb. 16-17 and Bemidji State 23-24.
The WCHA first round of best-of-three quarterfinals is scheduled for on-campus sites March 2-4. Semi-final round best-of-three action is set for March 9-11 and the single-game championship ear-marked for March 17.
Including two NCAA tournament appearances, two MacNaughton Cups as WCHA regular-season champions and a pair of Broadmoor Trophies as league post-season champs, Minnesota State has gone 98-48-15 in the last four seasons. The 98 victories rank only behind the 2016-17 national champion Denver (112), 2015-16 national champion North Dakota (109), Quinnipiac (102) and UMass Lowell (99) in terms of where the Mavericks stand nationally amongst winningest men's hockey programs in the country in the last four years.
Single-game tickets for Minnesota State men's hockey home games will be available at the beginning of October. Season tickets are now on sale. For more information on the season ticket packages, please call Maverick Athletics at (507) 389-6111 during regular business hours (8:00-4:00, M-F).

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