MANKATO, Minn. - Minnesota State continues its six-game non-conference homestand this week against No. 5 North Dakota at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. 

• North Dakota and Minnesota State played last season. UND took game one at Ralph Engelstad Arena 6-2 on Friday Oct. 27. The teams skated to a 2-2 overtime tie the following night.
• The last time both the Mavericks and their opponent were ranked inside the USCHO top-20 heading into a weekend series in Mankato was Feb. 24-25, 2023 against then-No. 11 Michigan Tech.
• After splitting with Merrimack College last weekend, the Mavericks close out non-conference play with No. 5 North Dakota and No. 12 Nebraska Omaha.

TURN THE DIAL

• AM 1420 KTOE (Matt Dean play-by-play)
• Stream/TV: Midco Sports Plus/The 365
• Charter Spectrum 193 or 3271, Mediacom Channel 140, Comcast 228, Midco cable channel 595
• Live Stats: msumavericks.com

PROMOTIONS

• Socktober to benefit CADA, Connections Shelter & Partners for Affordable Housing

ALL-TIME SERIES

• UND leads the all-time series 40-13-9 in games dating back to 1997-98.
• The Mavericks are 6-15-5 at home and 7-25-4 on the road against the Fighting Hawks.
• MSU won the last matchup in Mankato on Oct. 19, 2019 (2-1).
• The last time UND won in Mankato was Mar. 8, 2013 (4-3). 

SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA

• The Fighting Hawks dropped a 4-1 exhibition to Augustana (their first exhibition loss since 1996-97), but opened the regular season with a 5-2 victory over Providence in Grand Forks on Saturday. UND struck three times in the second period to break a 1-1 tie and give the squad its eighth win in 11 attempts in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. Dylan James potted a pair of goals for the third time in his career in the victory, while Cameron Berg, Sacha Boisvert and Abram Wiebe all notched a goal and an assist to tally multiple points in the win. T.J. Semptimphelter stopped 22 shots in his UND debut to improve to 1-0-0 on the season.
• North Dakota won the Penrose Cup last season, the school's 21st conference crown. 
• The Fighting Hawks skated in the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24, their 35th all-time appearance. UND fell, 4-3 to Michigan in the region semifinal round.
• UND lost its top two scorers from a year ago. Jackson Blake and Riese Gaber both signed professional contracts. Blake accounted for 22 goals and 60 points and was a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist and ACHA All-America First Team selection. Gaber scored 18 goals in 2023-24, including at least 10 in four straight seasons.
• Despite the losses, North Dakota returns 84 total goals, which ranks eighth nationally.
• UND is tied for eighth in the nation for tallest team, with an average height of 6-feet-0.8-inches and is also fourth nationally in average weight at 193.5 pounds.
• The Fighting Hawks roster includes 13 NHL draft picks. Sacha Boisvert (18th overall, Chicago) and EJ Emery (30th overall, New York Rangers) were 2024 first round selections. 
• UND has had at least one player taken in each year of the NHL Entry Draft since 1999.
• Senior center Cameron Berg was named Preseason All-NCHC in September. He finished 2023-24 third on the team in points (37) and second in goals (20). His 394 faceoff wins helped him earn a finalist nod for NCHC Forward of hte Year.
• Sophomore defenseman Jake Livanavage led all UND defensemen and sat fifth overall on the team with 29 points in 40 games as a rookie. He was also named Preseason All-NCHC.
• Head coach Brad Berry is in his 10th season. He enters the year with a 206-104-33 (.649) record at the helm. Over his tenure, the Fighting Hawks have nine winning seasons, five NCAA tournament appearances and one national championship (2016).
• The Fighting Hawks led the NCHC with 552 blocked shots in 2023-24.
• UND went 21 straight games without a regulation loss last season, matching a program record from 2006-07. 
• The Fighting Hawks power play scored at a rate of 25.6 percent last season, ninth most efficient nationally. The team also killed penalties at an 81.7-percent clip, 22nd best in the nation.
• For the 10th straight year, UND and Ralph Engelstad Arena led the nation in average attendance with a total of 11,612 per game while also sitting atop the total attendance number for the 13th straight year with 278,677 total fans.
• Current Maverick players to score at UND last season include forwards Luc Wilson and Will Hillman.

LAST TIME OUT

• After a 1-0 loss on Friday night, the Mavericks rebounded for a 4-1 win Saturday over Merrimack College on home ice.
• Rhett Pitlick scored the game-winning goal and Will Hillman posted a multi-point night with a pair of assists. In total, 10 MSU players found the scoresheet on Saturday.
• Junior goaltender Alex Tracy made 18 saves for the Mavericks.
• Luigi Benincasa won nine of 13 faceoffs. 
• MSU scored on the power play for the first time this fall.
• The Mavericks honored former staff members Paul Allan and Mike Sullivan during the first intermission with the naming of the Paul Allan Press Box and Mike Sullivan Radio Booth respectively.

THIS WEEK IN THE CCHA

Friday, October 18, 2024

• Ferris State at St. Lawrence 7 p.m. ET
• Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan 7:07 p.m. ET
• Stonehill at Lake Superior State 7:07 p.m. ET
• Augustana at Omaha 7 p.m. CT
• North Dakota at Minnesota State 7:07 p.m. CT

Saturday, October 19, 2024

• Stonehill at Lake Superior State 6:07 p.m. ET
• Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan 6:07 p.m. ET
• Ferris State at St. Lawrence 7 p.m. ET
• North Dakota at Minnesota State 6:07 p.m. CT
• Bowling Green at RIT 7:07 p.m. ET
• Augustana at Omaha 7 p.m. CT

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

• The Mavericks went 0-7 on the power play at Michigan and 0-2 Friday night against Merrimack. Rhett Pitlick posted MSU's first power play goal of the season in the first period Saturday, assisted by Josh Groll and Evan Murr.
• The Mavericks have killed 9-10 minor penalties so far. 
• MSU was the 30th best team in Division I (fourth in CCHA) last year on the power play (.200) and the 21st best team on the penalty kill (.817), second in the CCHA.
• The Mavericks ranked second in the CCHA for fewest penalties per game (3.59). 
• MSU scored three short-handed goals on the year.

MIDCO SPORTS PLUS

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• If you have additional questions or want to see more information about coverage or subscriptions, go to MidcoSportsPlus.com.

TRACY BACK IN THE CAGE AS A JUNIOR

• Entering his third year, Tracy ranked seventh in career goals-against average among returning Division I goalies (2.43).
• 2023-24 AHCA Krampade All-American Scholar.
• CCHA Goaltender of the Week (Mar. 11, Oct. 16)
• Played in 30 games, started 28 as sophomore.
• Held 13-10-4 record with a 2.50 goals against and .910 save percentage last year with two shutouts.
• Totaled 12 games as a freshman, splitting with Keenan Rancier. Held 2.24 goals against and .879 save percentage with one shutout. 
• With starts in all four games so far, Tracy holds a 1.52 goals against average and .933 save percentage in 2024-25.

MAVERICKS ROLL WITH GROLL AS CAPTAIN

• Minnesota State men's hockey named graduate student Josh Groll (San Diego, California) its team captain for the 2024-25 season in an announcement to the locker room on Tuesday (Sept. 10). Alternate captains included senior defenseman Jordan Power (Ottawa, Ontario), graduate forward Zack Krajnik (Eagle River, Alaska) and junior defenseman Mason Wheeler (Rosemount, Minnesota).
• Groll is in his fourth season with the Mavericks. In 2021-22, he led the team with 25 blocked shots and posted 12 points. Groll registered 11 points the following year and was a Krampade All-American Scholar. Last season, he was again a Krampade All-American Scholar and was honored with the Vets Club Hardest Worker Team Award. He also posted his best offensive season, with seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points. 
• Spent 2020-21 with Michigan (Big 10) where he saw action in two games with the Wolverines.

OTHER TEAM NOTABLES

• MSU is the seventh oldest team in Division I at an average age of 22.7 years.
• The Mavericks have the second largest senior class in Division I (nine players). MSU also has the second fewest freshmen (four).