On Tap:   Minnesota State (3-3-2 overall, 1-3-0 WCHA) continues Western Collegiate Hockey Association action this weekend with a pair of league games with #3 Denver (5-1-0, 3-1-0 WCHA).  MSU and DU play in Mankato at Verizon Wireless Arena (4,832) Friday (7:37 p.m.) and Saturday (7:07 p.m.).

Rankled: This week marks the third consecutive series for Minnesota State vs. a ranked opponent.  The Mavericks squared-off vs. #16 St. Cloud State in St. Cloud Oct. 26-27 before the home-and-home series vs. #2 Minnesota last weekend.  Denver comes to town owning a #3 national rating.  Including this week, the Mavericks have appeared in the “receiving votes” category of the USCHO.poll.

About the MSU-DU Series: DU maintains a 26-13-6 lead in the series which began in 1997-98. The Pioneers own a 12-0-2 mark in the last 14 meetings between the two schools with the last MSU win in the series coming when the Mavericks swept DU in Mankato in 2007-08.

MSU Most Recently:  Minnesota State stands 3-3-3 overall and is 1-3-0 in WCHA games after splitting (3-2 loss in Minneapolis Friday, 5-3 win in Mankato Saturday) a league series with #2 Minnesota last weekend. MSU stands 6-4 in the last ten meetings with the Golden Gophers and have won the last three games played in Mankato between the two schools.

DU Most Recently:  Ranked #3 in both national polls this week, the University of Denver is 5-1-0, 3-1-0 WCHA after splitting a conference home series with #16 St. Cloud State. The Huskies claimed a 3-0 win over the Pioneers in the first game before DU rebounded to claim a 6-1 win the next night.

MSU On the Web:  Tickets, Releases, statistics, player and staff biographies, etc. on all of Minnesota State’s 20 sports are available at the official website of MSU Athletics located at www.msumavericks.com

MSU All-Time:  The Minnesota State men’s hockey program, begun in 1969-70, completed its 43rd year of competition last year.  The Mavericks are in their 17th year as members of NCAA Division I and in their 14th season as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. With a total of 1,451 games played, the Mavericks sport an all-time record of 739-576-136 (.556).

The entire 11-page release is available as a pdf HERE.