On Tap: 11th-rated Minnesota State (14-6-2 overall, 8-6-0 WCHA) resumes WCHA action with a pair of home games vs. Wisconsin this weekend. The Mavericks and the Badgers (6-7-5 overall, 4-5-5 WCHA) 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 Wiki: Minnesota State is rated 11th in this week’s national USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. The Mavericks are in the USCHO.com poll for the fourth consecutive week, and are appearing in the USA Today/US College Hockey Magazine national poll for the second straight week. (see page 5 of this release for additional poll information).
Nonconference Notes: MSU closed out the nonconference part of its schedule with the two-game sweep over Providence. The Mavericks went 6-0-2 in nonconference games this year after going 4-6-0 in nonconference games last year, This marks the second time MSU has gone undefeated in nonconference play since joining the WCHA in 1999-2000. The Mavericks were also 6-0-2 in nonconference action in 2010-11.
MSU Most Recently: Winners of 11 of their last 12 games, the Mavericks stand 14-6-2 overall after claiming a pair of home nonconference games over Providence.
Wisconsin Recently: Unbeaten in its last eight games (the Badgers have gone 5-0-3 since MSU claimed a pair of 4-2 wins over Wisconsin in a pair of league games played in Madison Nov. 23-24), Wisconsin downed Alaska Anchorage 5-3 and 5-0 in Anchorage last weekend.
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 750-579-136 (.558).
Noteables: Minnesota State has held opponents to three power play goals in the last 14 games and has killed off 44-of-47 opponent power play opportunities during that time.
Sophomore forwards
Jean-Paul Lafontaine and
Matt Leitner, along with second-year defenseman defensemen
Zach Palmquist, are MSU’s active leaders in terms of consecutive games played at 60.
On Tap: The Mavericks continue Western Collegiate Hockey Association action Jan. 18-19 with a pair of league road games at Alaska Anchorage.
The complete 11-page release is available as a pdf
HERE.
