MANKATO, Minn. - The top teams in the CCHA clash this weekend as Lake Superior State visits the Key City. The No. 12 Mavericks are coming off a sweep of Bowling Green and are unbeaten in nine outings. The Lakers split a weekend series against Bemidji State at home, including a 4-3 win Saturday night at Taffy Abel Arena. Game times are 7:07 p.m. CT Friday and 6:07 p.m. CT Saturday.

Saturday will be the last time MSU sees the ice until December 30, when it hosts Manitoba in an exhibition contest. Both the Lakers and Mavericks made the Mason Cup semifinals a year ago and are looking to take the next step in 2024-25. Minnesota State boasts Division I's best defense so far and have allowed opponents to score at a rate of 1.50 goals per game. The Lakers have the CCHA's best offense, including a pair of elite goals scorers in league leader Sasha Teleguine (eight) and Connor Milburn (seven). 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Last season, Minnesota State played LSSU in a pair of regular season games in Mankato.
• The Mavericks fell 4-3 on Feb. 23, then won 4-3 on Feb. 24.
• In games dating back to 2014, MSU is 32-5-2 all-time against the Lakers and are 8-1-1 over the last ten meetings.

SCOUTING LAKE SUPERIOR STATE

• The Lakers earned a 4-3 win over Bemidji State on Saturday, behind a hat trick from Sasha Teleguine (North Attleboroug, Mass.). Teleguine was selected as the CCHA Forward of the Week after scoring four goals on the weekend. Two came on the power play and another was shorthanded.
• The Lakers score at a rate of 3.13 goals per game, first in the CCHA and 19th in Division I.
• LSSU is efficient, scoring on 0.12 of all shots on goal (first).
• The Laker power play ranks first in the conference (25-percent) and its penalty kill checks in second (86.2-percent). 
• Freshman goaltender Rorke Applebee (Chateauguey, Quebec) holds a 2.84 goals against average (seventh) and .911 save percentage (seventh). - Applebee has a pair of shutouts for the Lakers in 16 games in his first season.
• Junior forward Connor Milburn (Kamloops, B.C.) leads the team with seven goals, 10 assists and 17 points. Milburn appeared in 34 games last season and posted 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points. He enters the weekend on an eight game point-streak, which includes six goals and seven assists. He notched two assists in two games against Bemidji State last weekend.
• Defenseman Nate Schweitzer (Champlin, Minn.) ranks first on the team and second in the CCHA in assists (12). Schweitzer transferred from Colorado College last season and posted three goals and 10 assists in his first year with the Lakers. Schweitzer posted three assists against Bemidji State. 
• LSSU started the season with a pair of losses against then-No. 4 Michigan State but the Lakers later collected weekend sweeps over Northern Michigan and St. Thomas.
• Head coach Damon Whitten is in his 11th season at the helm, the longest single stretch by a head coach in program history.
• He has led LSSU to six WCHA playoff appearances, including the team's first WCHA Championship in 2021.
• The Lakers also qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years during the 2020-21 season.
• Whitten agreed to a six-year contract extension following the 2020-21 season.

DEFENSE PREVAILS

• The Mavericks allow 1.50 goals per game to opponents, first in Division I ahead of Maine and Michigan State. Defenseman Mason Wheeler ranks seventh in the CCHA with 31 blocked shots. 
• Defenseman Campbell Cichosz and forward Josh Groll lead the conference in plus/minus at +11.
• Freshman Luke Ashton leads team defensemen with eight points (3-5--8). 

TRACKING TRACY

• Junior Alex Tracy (Chicago, Ill.) leads the nation in goals against average (1.383) and save percentage (.945) among goalies who have played 12 or more games.
• He has started all 18 games and made 430 saves (fifth in nation). 
• In 1084:56 time on ice, Tracy has surrendered 25 goals (16 at even strength) in 18 games.
• He leads the CCHA with three shutouts and averages 23.89 saves per game.
• Tracy has allowed three goals just three times. 
• Tracy is tied for ninth among active goaltenders in Division I with six career shutouts, 18th in career goals against average and 12th in career save percentage.
• Tracy earned his third CCHA Goaltender of the Week honor on November 25.

SCHEDULE AMENDMENTS

• MSU added a pair of exhibitions to the calendar, including December 30 vs. Manitoba at home and January 7 vs. St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. The latter will be broadcast on AM1420  KTOE in the local area.
• Fans can purchase tickets for the December 30 exhibition for $5 general admission.

HEADED TO THE POLLS

• Minnesota State men's hockey improved to No. 12 in this week's USCHO.com Division I national rankings poll (Dec. 9). The Mavericks also slotted in at No. 13 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll on Monday. It is the highest the Mavericks have been ranked this season and since Apr. 10, 2023.
• Michigan State (12-2-0) fell out of the top position in both rankings but stayed inside the top five.
• Fellow CCHA schools Bemidji State and Michigan Tech also received national votes. Minnesota State was ranked No. 15 last week in both polls.

LAST TIME OUT

• Forward Rhett Pitlick buried a one-timer in overtime to lift Minnesota State to a 3-2 victory and series sweep over Bowling Green Saturday night at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
• Josh Groll assisted on the game-winner 1:34 into the extra session as Pitlick finished with three points and his first multi-goal game as a Maverick.
• The Mavericks (12-4-2, 7-1-2 CCHA) extended their win streak to four games and are unbeaten in their last nine. Groll tallied a pair of assists and Cichosz blocked nine shots while Mason Wheeler stood in front of three.
• Moore made saves for Bowling Green (5-7-2, 2-4-2 CCHA). Alex Tracy stopped 16 for MSU. Both teams totaled six penalty minutes and MSU led 36-18 in shots on goal.

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

• The Mavericks are 8-43 (.186) on the power play this season.
• Rhett Pitlick posted MSU's first power play goal of the season in the first period against Merrimack College (Oct. 11), assisted by Josh Groll and Evan Murr.
• The Mavericks have killed 41-50 penalties so far and improved from 44th to 26th in Division I PK percentage over the past three weeks.
• 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 third in the CCHA for fewest penalties per game (3.59) last year. They are currently taking 3.2 penalties per game, third fewest behind Bemidji State (2.59) and Michigan Tech (3.21).

MIDCO SPORTS PLUS

• Fans can stream all CCHA games live and on-demand, on their home televisions, computers, tablets, and mobile devices via Midco Sports Plus.
• The app is available on mobile/tablet apps (iOS and Android), connected TV device apps (AppleTV, FireTV and Roku) and a web-based browser interface.
• If you have additional questions or want to see more information about coverage or subscriptions, go to MidcoSportsPlus.com.

THIS WEEK IN THE CCHA

Thursday, December 12, 2024

• Augustana at Alaska Anchorage 10:07 p.m. CT

Friday, December 13, 2024

• Northern Michigan at Bowling Green 7:07 p.m. ET
• Michigan Tech at Bemidji State 7:07 p.m. CT
• Lake Superior State at Minnesota State 7:07 p.m. CT
• Augustana at Alaska Anchorage 10:07 p.m. CT

Saturday, December 14, 2024

• Lake Superior State at Minnesota State 6:07 p.m. CT
• Michigan Tech at Bemidji State 7:07 p.m. CT
• Northern Michigan at Bowling Green 7:07 p.m. ET