Minnesota State Captures Albany Regional Title With Wins over Harvard and Notre Dame; Mavericks Advance to Frozen Four for Second Straight Year and Face Minnesota In Semi-Final Matchup in Boston April 7
Mavericks have 26 Wins in Last 27 Games; McKay Builds on NCAA Record for Single-Season Wins and Second All-Time in NCAA History With 112 Career Victories; Smith Hits 50-Point Plateau for Season

Minnesota State Men's Hockey Quick Hits
• Minnesota State has been ranked #1 in the country the last eight weeks heading into the NCAA postseason.
• Mavericks enter Frozen Four riding school-record 17-game winning streak.
• Dating back to last year, Minnesota State has won four of last five NCAA tournament games.
• Minnesota State leads the country in goals scored, scoring margin and face-off winning percentage, rank second in GAA.
• 4 players on roster with 40+ points. (Denver is only other team with this).
• Two Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalists in G Dryden McKay and C Nathan Smith.
• Second straight Hobey Hat Trick Finalist for Dryden McKay
• Third straight season Dryden McKay has been a finalist for the Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender in the nation.
• Nathan Smith and head coach Mike Hastings were with Team USA at Beijing Olympics in Feb.
• Mavericks have won 273 games in 10 seasons under Mike Hastings. More wins than any other program in the country during that time.

Off the Hop
Minnesota State (37-5-0 overall) faces Minnesota (26-12-0) Thursday, April 7 at TD Garden (17,565), in 2022 NCAA Division I Frozen Four semifinal action in Boston, Mass.

Face-off between the Mavericks and the Golden Gophers is slated for 7:30 p.m. CST

The other two teams in the regional include Michigan (31-9-1) vs. Denver (29-9-1). Thursday's winners will meet in the NCAA Division I men's hockey championship Saturday, April 9 with a 7:00 p.m. CST face-off scheduled.

Mavericks vs. Gophers
In a series that dates back to 1998, Minnesota State has won seven of its last nine games vs. the University of Minnesota. The Gophers hold a 37-17-6 edge in the overall series.  The last meeting between the two schools was at last year's NCAA Western regional championship game where the Mavericks claimed a 4-0 win en route to its first NCAA Frozen Four appearance.

The Last Time Out
Minnesota State, which has won its last 17 games and 26 of its last 27 outings, stands 37-5-0 overall after wins over Harvard (4-3) and Notre Dame (1-0) at the Albany regional last weekend.

The Mavericks got goals from forwards Connor Gregga, Reggie Lutz, Brendan Furry and Ondrej Pavel and three assists from sophomore defenseman Akito Hirose in the regional opening game.  Minnesota State scored the first three goals of the game vs. the Crimson and held on to claim the regional semifinal win.

Junior forward Nathan Smith's goal, which came late in the first period, was the only scoring in the 1-0 win over Notre Dame in Saturday's regional final. Senior netminder Dryden Mckay stopped all 23 shots the Fighting Irish could muster in the contest in picking up his 10th shutout of the season and the 34th of his career.

All-Tournament:  Nathan Smith, Brendan Furry, Akito Hirose and Dryden McKay were named the Regional All-Tournament Team.  McKay was named the tournament MVP.

Behind the Bench
Minnesota State has gone 273-95-24 under the tutelage of head coach Mike Hastings (St. Cloud State '93), who is in his 10th season in charge of the Mavericks. Including a trip to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2020-21, Hastings has led the Mavericks to seven NCAA tournament appearances and no program in the nation has won more games (273) during the time Hastings has been behind the MSU bench.

The Mavericks and the NCAA Tournament
Minnesota State, the recipient of the 2022 MacNaughton Cup as the Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season champion and the Mason Cup as the CCHA tournament champion, is making its eighth NCAA tournament appearance this year.  

The Mavericks are making their second consecutive appearance at the Frozen Four.  Minnesota State, which has won four of its last five NCAA tournament games, defeated Quinnipiac and Minnesota to win last year's West Regional in Loveland, Colo., before capturing the Albany regional last weekend with wins over Harvard and Notre Dame.  The Mavericks dropped a 5-4 decision to St. Cloud State at last year's Frozen Four in Harvard.
 
Polling
Minnesota State has been rated in the top five in all 24 polls issued by USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine this year.  The Mavericks, who have been rated #1 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey polls 16 times this year, have been rated #1 nine consecutive weeks heading into the NCAA postseason.


You Don't have to Put on the Red Light
Senior netminder Dryden McKay, a Hobey Baker  Top 10 finalist and a finalist for the Mike Richter Award this year, is two-time All-American and stands 37-4-0 for the season with a .934 save percentage and a 1.28 goals against average.

McKay's 37 wins this year lead the nation and have established a NCAA DI men's hockey record for single-season victories. Minnesota's Robb Stauber (1987-88) and Michigan's Marty Turco (1995-96), with 34 wins, are the previous record-holders.
Already this year McKay established a NCAA standard for career shutouts (he has 34) and a Minnesota State record for career wins (112, which stands second all-time in NCAA history).
 
For his four-year college career, the Downers Grove, Ill., native stands 112-19-4 with a 1.45 GAA, and .932 Sv% in 138 games played.

McKay has been named CCHA Player of the Year, CCHA Goaltender of the Year and First Team All-CCHA in his senior season with Minnesota State.

Hey Jules
Senior forward Julian Napravnik, who has tallied at least one point in 17 of the last 21 contests, is tied for third in the nation in scoring with 18-31--49 for the season. His career totals of 45-78-123 have him ninth on Minnesota State's all-time scoring list. Napravnik was named First Team All-CCHA.

Great Neight
Junior center Nathan Smith, who spent three weeks in China at the 2022 Winter Olympics with the U.S. men's national team and is this year's CCHA Forward of the Year,  heads into the Frozen Four having tallied at least one point in 15 of his last 17 games played (8-17--25),  is  second in the nation and first on the Mavericks in scoring with 19-31--50 on the season.

Elk Hound
With 51-64--115 in 173 games played for his Minnesota State playing career, senior forward Reggie Lutz  (Elk River, Minn.) is 11th on the school's career scoring list.

You Don't Know Jack
Senior defenseman Jack McNeely has 2-14--16 on the year and has registered 8-43--51 and is +104 with 188 blocked shots in 172 career games. His goal in overtime vs. Bemidji State in the CCHA championship game was his first career game-winning goal.

Game On
Senior forward Reggie Lutz ranks first (173) and senior defenseman Jack McNeely (172) second on Minnesota State's career games played list.

Cade-Ence
Junior forward Cade Borchardt has racked up 8-15--23 in the last 22 games. The Burnsville, Minn., native  has 15-25--40 in 42 games on the season and owns 24-40--64 in 81 career games played.

Get to the Point
Forwards Nathan Smith and Julian Napravnik top the Minnesota State scoring charts with 50 and 49 points, respectively. Smith's 50 points trail only Shane Joseph (65 in 2002-03), Grant Stevenson (63 in 2002-03) and Aaron Fox (50 points in 1999-00 on the school's single-season list.

Brendan Furry (43 points) and Cade Borchardt (40 points) have also reached the 40-point threshold this season.

This year marks the seventh season for the school's DI-era that the Mavericks have had at least two players with 40 or more points. This year marks the first year that the program (DI-era) has produced at least four players that have reached the 40-point plateau.

Minnesota State DI Teams With Multiple 40-Point Players

Nathan Smith (50)    2021-22
Julian Napravnik (49)    2021-22
Brendan Furry (43)    2021-22
Cade Borchardt (40)    2021-22

Marc Michaelis (42)    2018-19
Parker Tuomie (40)    2018-19

C.J. Suess (43)    2017-18
Zeb Knutson (43)    2017-18
Marc Michaelis (40)    2017-18

Matt Leitner (45)    2013-14
J.P. Lafontaine (40)    2013-14

Travis Morin (42)    2005-06
David Backes (42)    2005-06

Shane Joseph (65)    2002-03
Grant Stevenson (63)    2002-03

Tyler Deis (46)    1996-97
Ryan Rintoul (40)    1996-97

Furr Trade
Junior center Brendan Furry stands third in scoring on the Mavericks with 12-31--43 and has played in all 42 games this  year. The Toledo, Ohio native, who has 6-13--19 in the last 17 games, has posted 17-39--56 in 70 career games.

Mavericks Statistically Nationally
Minnesota State ranks first in the nation with 37 wins, winning percentage (.881), goals scored (172), scoring margin (2.81), and face-off percentage (57.9%).

The Mavericks are second in goals against average (1.29) and scoring offense (4.10), rank third on the power play (27.0) and are eighth in penalty killing (86.6).

Nathan Smith (19-31--50) ranks second and Julian Napravnik (18-31--49) is tied for third in the nation in scoring. Smith, Napravnik and Brendan Furry are tied for third in assists (31). Ryan Sandelin's 21 goals are tied for sixth in the nation.

Dryden McKay's 37 wins lead the country and his 10 shutouts stand tied for second. His 1.28  GAA is second and his .934 Sv% is tied for third.

Didja Know
Minnesota State's current 17-game winning streak has established a school record for consecutive wins.  

It also ties the school record for longest unbeaten streak.  The Mavericks had a 17-game unbeaten streak in which they went 12-5-0 over a 17-game span during the 2002-03 season.