On Tap:   14th-rated Minnesota State (12-6-2 overall, 8-6-0 WCHA)  continues nonconference schedule with a pair of home games vs. Providence this weekend. The Mavericks and the Friars (7-6-3 overall, 5-4-2 Hockey East) play at Verizon Wireless Center (4,832) in downtown Mankato with a 7:37 p.m. face-off scheduled for Friday and 7:07 p.m. Saturday.

Ratings Reverb:   Minnesota State is rated 14th in this week’s national USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.  The Mavericks are in the USCHO.com poll for the third consecutive week, and are appearing in the USA Today/US College Hockey Magazine national poll for the first time after showing up in the “others receiving votes” category three times”this year. (see page 5 of this release for additional poll information).

Nonconference Notes:   MSU closes out the nonconference part of its schedule with this weekend’s games vs. Providence.  The Mavericks stand 4-0-2 in nonconference games this year.  MSU, which went 4-6-0 in nonconference games last year, have never gone undefeated in nonconference action since entering the WCHA in 1999-2000. MSU was 5-1-0 in nonconference play in 2000-01 and went 6-2-2 in nonconference action in 2010-11.

MSU Most Recently:  The Mavericks stand 12-6-2 overall after winning two games at the 20th Annual UConn Hockey Classic in Storrs, Conn., last weekend.

Minnesota State Head Coach Mike Hastings: Mike Hastings was named head coach of the men’s hockey program on April 14, 2012. Hastings, the third coach in the history of the Maverick men’s hockey program, arrived at MSU following a three-year stint as the associate head coach at Nebraska-Omaha. He also served as an assistant coach with the men’s hockey program at Minnesota for one season and before that had a 14-year run as head coach of Omaha of the United States Hockey League. The USHL’s all-time winningest coach, Hastings compiled a 529-210-56 record with the Lancers, never had a losing season and led Omaha to three Clark Cup titles as the USHL’s play-off champions.Named USHL Coach of the Year three times and as the team’s general manager, earned league GM of the Year honors five times. Hastings, a native of Crookston, Minn., was an assistant coach for the U.S. national junior team at the 2003 and 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships and served twice as head coach for the U.S. junior select team that competed in the Viking Cup, earning gold medal honors in 2000. A 1993 graduate of St. Cloud State, Hastings played the for the Huskies in 1986-87 and 1987-88 before a back injury ended his career.

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 1,455 games played, the Mavericks sport an all-time record of 748-579-136 (.558).

A complete 11-page pdf-version of this release is available HERE.