On Tap:   Minnesota State (2-2-2 overall, 0-2-0 WCHA) continues Western Collegiate Hockey Association action this weekend with a pair of league games with the University of Minnesota (4-1-0, 1-1-0 WCHA).  MSU and UM play in Minneapolis at Mariucci Arena (5,371) Friday (7:37 p.m.) and Saturday (7:07 p.m.).

About the MSU-UM Series: In a series that dates back to 1997-98, Minnesota leads the all-time series between the two schools 30-7-6. The Gophers won both games last season (4-2 and 3-2) in Minneapolis, but the Mavericks stand 5-3-0 in the last eight meetings with their Twin Cities rival.

Head coach Mike Hastings (SCSU ‘93), who is in his first year at the Maverick men’s hockey helm and as a college head coach, served as an assistant coach on the staff of the Golden Gophers in 2008-09.

MSU Most Recently:  Minnesota State stands 2-2-2 on the season after dropping a pair of 5-1 games in WCHA action at St. Cloud State last Friday and Saturday.

Minnesota State found a 3-0 first-period deficit insurmountable as St. Cloud State claimed a 5-1 victory over the Mavericks in St. Cloud Friday in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association opening game for both schools.

SCSU capitalized on its first power play opportunity at 7:34 of the opening period with Ben Hanowski batting a pass from Drew LeBlanc past MSU senior netminder Phil Cook high on the stickside.  The Huskies then scored a pair of goals 34 seconds apart late in the period.  Hanowski scored on a breakaway at 14:48 and Nic Dowd one-timed a shot past Cook at 15:22 and SCSU entered the locker room owning a 3-0 edge.

Following a scoreless second period, junior defenseman Evan Mosey wired a shot past Ryan Faragher on the stickside as the Mavericks got on the board at 8:57 of the final frame.  LeBlanc closed out the scoring at 19:12.
 
Minnesota State, now 2-1-2 overall on the season, was outshot 28-23 in the game.  The Mavericks went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Huskies were one-for-five. The game was played in front of 3,901 fans.

Then, for the second night in a row St. Cloud State opened up a lead that Minnesota State could not overcome with the final score resulting a 5-1 win for the Huskies over the Mavericks in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game played in St. Cloud Saturday.  After a scoreless opening period in which SCSU outshot the Mavericks nine to six, the Huskies got the first goal of the game at 2:44 of the second when Cory Thorson’s snapshot from between the top of the circles beat freshman Stephon Williams stickside. The Mavericks had three great scoring chances of their own in the period with Chase Grant’s one-timer  in close and two breakaways by J.P. Burkemper all denied by SCSU’s Ryan Faragher.

The Huskies scored twice to take a 5-0 third-period lead on power play goals by Cory Thorson at 14:24 and Kalle Kossila at 18:20.  The Mavericks spoiled Faragher’s shut-out bid on a shorthanded goal by senior defenseman Evan Mosey at 19:08.  The goal, which closed out the scoring, marked the first shorthanded goal of Mosey’s four-year college career and is his second goal of 2012-13. MSU owned a 38-30 shots on goal advantage in the game.

UM Most Recently:  Ranked #2 in both national polls this week, Minnesota is 4-1-0, 1-1-0 WCHA after downing visiting Canisius, 1-0, Sunday in a nonconference game.

This complete 12-page release as a pdf is available HERE.