MANKATO, Minn. - Each with sweeps in the quarterfinals last weekend, No. 4 seed Minnesota State and No. 3 seed Michigan Tech face off in the CCHA Semifinals Saturday in Houghton, Michigan at 4:07 p.m. at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

The game will be streamed exclusively on FloHockey.tv and broadcast on Mankato area local radio airwaves via AM 1420 KTOE. The Mavericks won the most recent matchup with the Huskies 4-2 on Feb. 10, but Tech owns the season series 3-1.

Minnesota State, defenders of the Mason Cup, hope to punch a ticket to the title game for the fourth straight season, having defeated Northern Michigan in the Championship a year ago 3-2 in overtime. 

Michigan Tech was projected to finish atop the CCHA standings in the preseason. The Huskies fell to Northern Michigan in the CCHA Semifinals a year ago but qualified for the NCAA Regional Tournament in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Scouting the Huskies

• The veteran-laden Huskies present a formidable challenge, having hosted the semifinals each of the past two years.
• Following an underwhelming 0-4-2 start to the year, the Huskies jumped to third in the CCHA standings with a sweep at Bowling Green on the final weekend of the regular season. They have won five of their last six outings.
• Fifth-year goaltender and Mike Richter Award candidate Blake Pietila anchors the group. The Howell, Michigan continues to be one of the top-flight netminders in Division I. In 34 games, Pietila ranks first in the CCHA in shutouts (four), first in saves per game (25.82), second in save percentage (.918) and second in goals against average (2.30). He made 21 saves in game one at Bowling Green for his third clean sheet in his last five starts. Pietila has 73 career wins and 24 career shutouts.
• The CCHA crowned freshman Isaac Gordon as its Rookie of the Year on Wednesday after MTU's Kyle Kukkonen received the award in 2022-23. In 37 games, Gordon (Landmark, Manitoba) leads the Huskies with 18 goals and 36 points. He currently leads the CCHA in points and is second in goals and posted a hat trick on November 3 against Augustana in a four-point evening.
• Senior forward Ryland Mosley (Arnprior, Ontario) has contributed 17 goals (second), 13 assists (fourth) and 30 points (second).
• Freshman defenseman Chase Pietila (Howell, Mich.) leads MTU with 19 assists (21 points) and 44 penalty minutes.
• Head coach Joe Shawhan is in his seventh season after taking over the program on May 30, 2017. He was named 2022-23 CCHA Coach of the Year and served three years as assistant coach at Tech before being promoted to head coach.
• The Huskies rank fourth in goals per game (2.76), first in goals against (2.51), first in shots on goal (32.46), second in power play percentage (.224), fifth in penalty kill percentage (.779), fifth in penalties per game (3.68) and sixth in faceoff win percentage (.496).

For the Mavericks

• The Mavericks handled No. 5 seed Northern Michigan 2-1 Friday night, then 6-1 Saturday night at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center after the team hosted the conference quarterfinals for the 10th straight season.
• Jordan Power notched his first career goal in Friday's victory and Lucas Sowder returned to the lineup to contribute the eventual game-winner. Alex Tracy made 32 saves in goal and MSU blocked an additional 18 shots. 
• Senior captain and Hobey Baker nominee Sam Morton came alive Saturday with a pair of goals as the Mavericks bested NMU in the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Brian Carrabes also added two goals. Defensemen Brandon Koch and Evan Murr added two assists apiece and Tracy added 26 saves.
• Tracy (Chicago, Ill.) earned his second CCHA Goaltender of the Week nod after totaling 58 stops in the quarterfinals. He currently ranks third in the CCHA in goal against average (2.44), fifth in saves per game (21.97) and fourth in save percentage (.911). 
• Morton (Lafayette, Colo.) leads the CCHA in goals (24), which also ranks seventh in Division I. The fifth-year senior also leads the league in shots (149), shots per game (4.14), faceoff wins (415, sixth in NCAA), and power play goals (nine). Morton played just 10 games last season before an injury forced him out of the lineup. He leads the team with 34 points and holds a plus-9 rating.

Murr Wins Conference Recognition

• Freshman defenseman Evan Murr (Stillwater, Minn.) was named to the All-CCHA Second Team and the All-CCHA Rookie Team in an announcement Monday.
• Murr led all CCHA defensemen with 18 points during conference play this season, finishing fifth among all skaters with 13 assists and five multi-point games. Adding five goals, including one winner, he totaled eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) while the Mavericks were on the power play and blocked 16 shots on the defensive end. His 50 shots on goal were good for fifth on Minnesota State and he ended conference play with an even plus-minus. 
• He began his CCHA career with points in four consecutive league games. Murr came to MSU from the Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL). He also played two seasons for the St. Cloud Norsemen (NAHL) and attended Stillwater Area High School, where he was all-conference. Murr was named to the Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year watch list in February. He was named CCHA Defenseman of the Month for January and CCHA Defenseman of the Week Jan. 29 and Jan. 8 as well as CCHA Rookie of the Week Nov. 13.

A Check of the Polls

• Minnesota State received national votes in Monday's USCHO.com Division I men's hockey Top-20 rankings poll. The Mavericks have received votes on 17 occasions. MSU has been ranked as high as No. 20/19 in the nation (week two). 
• Fellow CCHA foe Bemidji State was ranked No. 20. Michigan Tech also received votes. No. 1 Boston College (28-5-1) garnered all 50 first place votes to top the USCHO.com poll.

Special Teams Report

• Minnesota State ranks fourth in the CCHA on the power play (.203) and second on the penalty kill (.823).
• The Mavericks went 1-1 with an extra attacker Friday and 0-4 Saturday while killing all four of its own minor penalties.

MTU's Gordon CCHA Rookie of the Week

• Gordon led third-seeded Michigan Tech to a sweep of sixth-seeded Bowling Green last weekend, scoring two goals with two assists for six points.
• Posting a +2 with one power play tally, he had a goal and two assists in each game of the series, as the Huskies won 5-0 and 6-5.
• He totaled 11 shots on goal, picking up six on Friday and five on Saturday. 

The All-Time Series

• MSU is 53-28-10 all-time against Michigan Tech in games dating back to 1996.
• The Mavericks are 21-19-7 against the Huskies in Houghton.
• MTU has won or tied seven of the last eight meetings.
• The Mavericks went 1-2-1 against the Huskies last season and 1-3-0 during the regular season.

FloHockey.TV

• All Minnesota State CCHA Mason Cup playoff games during the 2023-24 season will be live streamed exclusively on FloHockey.tv. 
• Note: Games will not be available to watch on local over-air television networks.

History of the Mason Cup

• The Mason Cup is awarded to the champion of the CCHA Tournament and was awarded until 2001 until the original CCHA folded at the end of the 2012-13 season. 
• The CCHA was revived in 2020 by seven schools which left the WCHA.
• The cup was created in honor of Ron Mason, who coached three different CCHA teams but is most remembered for his time at Michigan State. Mason ended his coaching career in 2002 and, at the time of his retirement, was the winningest coach in NCAA history with 924 victories.
• The Mavericks have won the Mason Cup twice.

CCHA Scores Friday

• Michigan Tech -5, Bowling Green -0
• Bemidji State -5, Ferris State -4 OT
• Minnesota State -2, Northern Michigan -1
• Lake Superior State -4, St. Thomas -1
• USNTDP -8, Augustana -3 (Exh*)

CCHA Scores Saturday

• Michigan Tech -6, Bowling Green -5
• Bemidji State -4, Ferris State -0
• Minnesota State -6, Northern Michigan -1
• St. Thomas -4, Lake Superior State -2
• Augustana -0, USNTDP -3 (Exh*)

CCHA Matchups Saturday

• Minnesota State at Michigan Tech 5:07 p.m. ET
• Lake Superior State at Bemidji State 7:07 p.m. CT