MANKATO, Minn. - No. 14 Minnesota State men's hockey enters the final week of the regular season with the MacNaughton Cup in tow, but still has plenty to play for as it tunes up to host the CCHA quarterfinals March 7-9. In town are the Bemidji State Beavers, MacNaughton Cup champions a year ago, and a motivated group looking to improve their sixth place standing.

The Mavericks bring a five-game win streak to the table, including recent sweeps over Lake Superior State and Augustana. The Beavers also found their stride as head coach Tom Serratore celebrated his 400th career win. BSU brings a four-game win streak to Mankato with recent sweeps over Bowling Green and Michigan Tech. Fans can expect to see junior goaltender Alex Tracy, whose 1.463 goals against average leads the nation and .944 save percentage ranks second in the nation.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Minnesota State is 68-64-16 all-time vs. Bemidji State in games dating back to 1976.
• The Mavericks defeated BSU 2-1 on Nov. 2, snapping a streak of three straight shutout wins for the Beavers in the rivalry.
• MSU is 3-7 against BSU over the previous ten meetings. MSU is also 40-23-11 at home.

TRACKING TRACY

• Alex Tracy's outstanding season has landed him as a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award given to the top goaltender in college hockey as well as a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the top player in collegiate hockey.
• The Chicago, Illinois native stopped 63 of 64 shots over the weekend for .984 save percentage in a sweep of Lake Superior State. Tracy was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week for the sixth time this year on Monday. He made 32 saves on Friday in a 4-0 shutout. His four shutouts this season leads the CCHA and is tied for third in the nation. With starts in all 32 games, Tracy has 1,926:32 time on ice (third) and 796 total saves, ninth most in Division I.
• Over MSU's five-game win streak, Tracy has allowed only five goals to opponents and made 144 saves for a .966 save percentage.
• Of his 47 goals allowed this season, only 34 have come at even strength. 
• Tracy was named both CCHA and National Goaltender of the Month for November.
• Tracy was named the CCHA Student-Athlete of the Year by the league office on Wednesday (Feb. 26). Named to the Dean's List and CCHA Scholar Athlete in each semester eligible, he is a two-time AHCA Krampade All-American Scholar, along with Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

RHETT CHASES CCHA SCORING LEAD

• Senior Rhett Pitlick extended his point streak to a season-long seven games with one goal and one assist on Saturday. The senior has four goals and eight assists since Jan. 25. 
• He leads the Mavericks and ranks second in the CCHA with 35 points in 32 games. 
• Pitlick's 13 goals are tied with Josh Groll for the team lead and tied for fifth in the CCHA. He and Groll are tied for the CCHA lead with a plus-26 player rating as well. Both are also tied for fifth in the category in Division I.
• Pitlick has a pair of three-point games, including Jan. 25 at Ferris State and Dec. 7 vs. Bowling Green.

GROLL ON A ROLL

• The aforementioned Maverick captain is playing arguably his best hockey of the season down the stretch.
• From San Diego, California, Groll led the Mavericks with three goals and two assists in Sault Ste. Marie against the Lakers.
• Groll was recognized as CCHA Forward of the Week for the first time this season as a result, and he was the first player on the ice to lift the MacNaughton Cup in celebration Saturday.
• Playing right wing on MSU's top line with Pitlick and Eisele has been a nightmare for opposing teams.
• The trio have combined for 37 goals, 50 assists and 87 points, or 37.1 percent of team scoring.
• Groll has three multi-goal games and posted a season high four points (1-3--4) at Ferris State in a 7-2 win on Jan. 25.

MURMURS ABOUT MURR

• Sophomore blueliner Evan Murr made a name for himself as a CCHA Rookie of the Year finalist last season. He was also All-CCHA Second Team and third in the CCHA in assists (20) as a freshman.
• Murr's point totals have spiked in the second half of this season, including a pair of assists in Saturday's win over Lake Superior State.
• In his first 16 games, Murr totaled four assists for four points. In his last 16, he has four goals and 13 assists for 17 points.

THE MACNAUGHTON CUP RETURNS

• The Mavericks secured at least a share of the MacNaughton Cup on Friday night at Lake Superior State, then put an exclamation on sole possession Saturday with a 4-1 win.
• Players and staff celebrated on the ice at Taffy Abel Arena, then strapped the trophy into its own seat on the airplane back to Mankato. The team plans to celebrate again with an on ice presentation at home either Friday or Saturday night at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. It was the ninth time the Mavericks have won the MacNaughton Cup overall, and seventh time in the last eight seasons.

SCOUTING BEMIDJI STATE

• Freshman defenseman Isa Parekh was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week for the second time this season on Monday, helping the Beavers to a five-point weekend at home against Bowling Green. Parekh (Nobleton, Ontario) helped BSU with two assists and a plus-3 rating, including an assist on the game-winning goal Friday night.
• Junior Adam Flammang scored 1:59 into overtime to send the Beavers to victory on Saturday. The game reached overtime after fifth-year senior captain Jackson Jutting scored the game-tying goal with just 10.7 seconds left in the third period to send the game into the extra frame.
• Senior goaltender Mattias Sholl (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) backstopped the Beavers to victory earning his 50th career win after stopping 22-of-23 shots. He is now 12-14-4 on the season. He holds a 2.83 goals against average and an .894 save percentage with a pair of shutouts.
• Junior forward Kirklan Irey (Bismarck, N.D.) leads the Beavers in scoring with 10 goals, 13 assists for 23 points. Irey is in his second season after playing in 23 games as a freshman with one goal and three assists.
• Graduate student and forward Jackson Jutting (Savage, Minn.) started his career at Colorado College. His uncle is former Maverick men's hockey head coach Troy Jutting (1987-12). Jutting leads the team with 11 goals. 
• Head coach Tom Serratore is an eight-time conference Coach of the Year and the winningest coach in Beaver Hockey history.
• Surpassing 400 career wins, Serratore stands 12th in career victories among active head coaches in Division I. He has guided the Beavers to five NCAA Tournament appearances and one NCAA Frozen Four (2009).

DEFENSE PREVAILS

• The Mavericks allow the fewest goals per game to opponents (1.53) in Division I ahead of Maine (1.77), Boston College (1.81) and Western Michigan (1.93).
• MSU has allowed four goals to an opponent once in 2024-25, October 5 at No. 7 Michigan.

LAST WEEKEND

• Following a week off, Brian Carrabes and Josh Groll each scored twice as Alex Tracy secured his fourth shutout of the season 4-0 at LSSU.
• The Mavericks outshot the Lakers 41-32 and scored at least once in all three periods. 
• Saturday was one-way traffice again in a 4-1 victory, winning the MacNaughton Cup for the first time in the Strand era.
• At LSSU, Josh Groll and Adam Eisele posted three points apiece and Alex Tracy made 31 saves in the Mavericks' fifth straight victory. The Mavericks killed all four minor penalties. Campbell Cichosz led the squad with five shots on goal.

HEADED TO THE POLLS

• Minnesota State men's hockey was ranked No. 14 by USCHO.com and No. 17 by USA Hockey/The Rink Live on Monday.
• MSU was the highest ranked team in the CCHA with Michigan Tech and Augustana also receiving national votes.
• Boston College reclaimed the top position in both polls, followed by Minnesota, Michigan State, Western Michigan and Maine.

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

• The Mavericks are 18-85 (.212) on the power play this season and scored one power play goal in two games vs. Lake Superior State.
• 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.
• MSU scored four power play goals at Northern Michigan in a series (most against any opponent this season).
• The Mavericks have killed 75-88 penalties. 
• 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 3.4 penalties per game, with eight major penalties.

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.

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). 

MAVERICK HOCKEY HISTORY

• In its 56th year of existence, Minnesota State owns an all-time record of 1052-697-163 (.602).
• The Mavericks are in their 26th year as members of NCAA Division I and their fourth season as members of the CCHA.