On Tap:    Minnesota State (1-5-0 overall, 0-2-0 WCHA) takes on 16th-rated Michigan Tech (5-2-1, 3-2-1 WCHA) in conference action this weekend in Houghton, Mich.  MSU and MTU play at McInnis Ice Arena (4,128) Friday (7:07 p.m. EST) and Saturday (7:07 p.m. EST).

About the MSU-MTU Series:   The Mavericks are 23-14-4 all-time vs. the Huskies in a series that began in 1996-97.  MSU stands 5-2-1 in the last seven games vs. MTU.

Most Recently:  MSU was idle this past weekend after losing twice at third-rated Denver Oct. 21-22 in its last action.

About Michigan Tech:  #16 Michigan Tech stands 5-2-1 on the year after earning a 7-2 win and claiming a 2-2 overtime tie in a pair of WCHA contests with#8 Denver last weekend.  Both games were played in Houghton.

Tech, which went 4-30-4 last year (2-24-2 WCHA), return 24 letterwinners, while losing two.

Senior forward Brett Olson stands atop MTU’s scoring charts with 4-6--10 in eight games.  Senior Jordan Baker, who spent the 2010-11 season as a redshirt due to injury, has 2-6--8 in eight games to rank second.  Freshman forward Blake Pietila, selected by New Jersey in the fifth round (129th overall selection) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, has 3-4--7 in eight games.

Senior goaltender Josh Robinson owns a 4-1-1 record with a .922 saves percentage and a 2.28 goals against average.

Mel Pearson (Michigan Tech ‘81), who spent 23 years as an assistant coach at Michigan prior to being hired by Tech this past summer, is in his first year as a collegiate head coach.  Pearson was a forward at Tech from 1977-81 and served with an assistant coach with the Huskies for six seasons before joining the Michigan program in 1988.

Leading The Way:  Senior forward Michael Dorr and junior defenseman Tyler Elbrecht are serving as MSU team  captains in 2011-12.   The Mavericks plan on rotating an alternate captain during the course of the season.

MSU All-Time:  The Minnesota State men’s hockey program, begun in 1969-70, completed its 42nd year of competition last year.  The Mavericks are in their 16th year as members of NCAA Division I and in their 13th season as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. With a total of 1,407 games played, the Mavericks sport an all-time record of 725-552-132 (.562).

MSU's complete 12-page release (in pdf format) is available here.