MANKATO, Minn. - With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Minnesota State hosts Northern Michigan Friday and Saturday at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center at 7:07 p.m. and 6:07 p.m. respectively. Representing the only meeting between CCHA foes this year, the Mavericks and Wildcats last met in the CCHA Championship last spring, a game MSU won 3-2 in overtime in Mankato. Now, both teams are jockeying for position in a tight conference as only 14 points separate the league's top (St. Thomas) and its bottom (Ferris State). 

Last Weekend

• The Mavericks earned a road split at Bowling Green, falling 4-3 Friday and winning 4-1 Saturday. Five players recorded multi-point weekends, including Lucas Sowder (2-2--4), Adam Eisele (1-2--3), Sam Morton (2-0--0), Brian Carrabes (1-1--2) and Luc Wilson (0-2--2). 
• The Falcons scored with 1:03 left in regulation to take Friday night's game. BGSU outshot the Mavericks 32-25 and hte Mavericks finished 0-2 on the power play. Luc Wilson tallied a pair of assist for MSU.
• Using a pair of even-strength goals in the final two minutes of the second period, the Mavericks grounded the Falcons 4-1 Saturday night at Slater Family Ice Arena.
• For the second straight evening, fifth-year senior Lucas Sowder managed a goal and an assist as the Mavericks improved to 6-4-3 on the road in 2023-24.
• MSU also killed six of seven penalties and outshot BGSU 31-29.
• Alex Tracy made 28 stops for his eighth win of the year.

Sowder Named CCHA Forward of the Week

• Minnesota State senior Lucas Sowder (Tampa, Florida) was named CCHA Forward of the Week for his performance in last weekend's road series at Bowling Green State University. Sowder is the seventh Maverick to win a CCHA weekly award and the third forward (Josh Groll - Jan. 15, Adam Eisele - Jan. 3).
• Sowder has four goals and three assists for seven points over the past seven games for the Mavericks. He tallied one goal and one assist both Friday and Saturday night, helping the Mavericks to a 4-1 win Saturday night. For the week, he totaled five shots on goal and had one block at the defensive end of the ice.
• Sowder's 21 points in 21 games ranks second on the squad and ninth in the CCHA this season.
• He joined the program in 2019-20 and was named WCHA Rookie of the Year. Sowder has played a team-high 121 games in his career and has 27 goals, 62 assists and 89 points for the Mavericks, including an assist in the 2021-22 National Championship game against Denver. 

Morty By the Numbers

• The Maverick captain ranks tied for second in the nation with 16 goals, after he scored twice in last weekend's series at BGSU. Morton trails only Jack Devine (21, Denver). His seven power play goals are tied for seventh in the nation.
• Morton's 1.08 points per game are the best in the CCHA and his team-leading 26 points are second in the conference only to Jared Wescott (27, Lake Superior State). 
• His 4.17 shots per game are second highest in the CCHA.
• Morton leads the league in total faceoff wins (282-243) and ranks ninth in faceoff percentage (.537). 
• Also a strong defender, Morton leads the Mavericks and ranks second in the CCHA with a plus-12 ledger, after a plus-1 weekend.

A Check of the Polls

• Minnesota State received five national votes in Monday's USCHO.com Division I men's hockey Top-20 rankings poll. The Mavericks have received votes on 11 occasions and did so for the fourth straight week since the holiday break. The MSU has been ranked as high as No. 20/19 in the nation (week two).
• The Mavericks continued to lead the CCHA in the Pairwise Rankings at No. 28. Fellow CCHA foes St. Thomas and Michigan Tech also received votes this week.
• The Mavericks also received votes in this week's USA Hockey/The Rink Live Division I poll. No. 1 Boston University plays No. 2 Boston College in a home and home series this weekend.

Scouting the Wildcats

• Northern Michigan (8-12-2, 6-8-0 CCHA) enters the weekend having lost three of their last four. Last weekend, the Wildcats hosted St. Thomas, defeating the Tomies 3-2 Friday, then losing 3-1 Saturday.
• The Wildcats garnered three first-place votes in the CCHA preseason coaches' poll for second place. The team finished fourth in the regular season with a 13-13-0 conference record.
• Against conference opponents his season, the Wildcats are 5-2-0 at home and 1-6-0 on the road. At home, the 'Cats outscore their opponent 22-16, average 3.1 G/G to 2.3 GA/G, own a team .913 SV%, win 56.8% of faceoffs, have five PPGs for a 20.8 PP%, and are 77.8% on the PK and have only allowed one PPG in the last four home games.
• These numbers change drastically on the road, where the 'Cats are outscored 12-30, average 1.7 G/G to 4.3 GA/G, own a team .868 SV%, win 46.5% of faceoffs, have three PPGs for a 10.7% PP%, and have allowed eight PPGs for a 75.8% PK%. 
• Michael Colella (5-2--7) and Andre Ghantous (3-4--7) have been two of the hottest Wildcats the previous 10 games, as both of their seven points lead the team in that frame. Ghantous and Colella are also the top two point leaders in career points against the Mavericks, Ghantous with 11 (6-5--11) and Colella with five (2-3--5).

Last Year They Met

• The Mavericks won all three meetings with Northern Michigan last season, including a memorable CCHA Championship overtime game. 
• During the regular season, the Mavericks won 5-2 and 5-3 in Marquette Jan. 6-7. Current MSU players to score in the series include Connor Gregga and Adam Eisele.

All-Time Against Northern Michigan

• Minnesota State leads the all-time series 30-9-3 in games dating back to 2013-14. 
• The Mavericks have won 8 of the last 10 meetings, including each of their last four. 

MSU Team Summary

• Goals for: 3.17 (2nd)
• Goals against: 2.54 (1st)
• Shots on goal: 31.21 (1st)
• Power Play Percentage: .198 (4th)
• Penalties per Game: 4.04 (4th)
• Penalty Kill Percentage: .795 (3rd)
• Faceoff Win Percentage: .504 (3rd)
• Blocked Shots per Game: 11.38 (6th)

FloHockey.TV

• All Minnesota State home and CCHA games during the 2023-24 season will be live streamed on FloHockey.tv.
• Fans can purchase either annual ($150) or monthly ($30) subscriptions and will have access to all CCHA games along with the full USHL, Atlantic Hockey and ECHL schedule.
• Download the FloSports app today on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and the App Store.

Captains

• Fifth year senior forward Sam Morton (Lafayette, Colorado) was named team captain for the 2023-24 season.
• Alternate captains include sophomore Mason Wheeler (Rosemount, Minne sota), fifth year senior forward Jordan Steinmetz (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) and senior defenseman Tony Malinowski (Clarkston, Michigan).

CCHA Scores Last Friday:

• Lake Superior State -3, Ferris State -5
• Bemidji State -1, Michigan Tech -2
• St. Thomas -2, Northern Michigan -3
• Minnesota State -3, Bowling Green -4
• Augustana -5, Arizona State -4

CCHA Scores Last Saturday:

• Ferris State -3, Lake Superior State -2 OT
• Bemidji State -2, Michigan Tech -2 OT
• St. Thomas -3, Northern Michigan -1
• Minnesota State -4, Bowling Green -1
• Augustana -2, Arizona State -3

CCHA Matchups Friday:

• Michigan Tech at Lake Superior State 7:07 p.m. ET
• Northern Michigan at Minnesota State 7:07 p.m. CT
• Ferris State at Augustana 7:07 p.m. CT

CCHA Matchups Saturday:

• Michigan Tech at Lake Superior State 6:07 p.m. ET
• Northern Michigan at Minnesota State 6:07 p.m. CT
• Ferris State at Augustana 6:07 p.m. CT