MANKATO, Minn. - Minnesota State men's hockey will play in the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25 under second year head coach Luke Strand, but not before some unfinished business at home as third-seeded St. Thomas visits the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center Friday night for the CCHA Mason Cup Championship game.

The Mavericks seek their third Mason Cup title while St. Thomas plays in their first and final championship before making the move to the NCHC. Both teams are playing their best hockey at the end of the year, with the Mavericks 9-0-1 over their last 10 outings and St. Thomas winners of eight straight heading into Friday. The collision between geographic rivals takes place at 7:07 p.m. CT after the Mavericks went 2-1-1 against the Tommies during the regular season.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Minnesota State is 29-11-2 all-time against the Tommies in games dating back to 1975. The Mavericks are also 13-5-2 at home against UST. MSU won eight straight over the Tommies after UST made the jump to Division I in 2021-22. The Mavericks defeated UST 7-1 on Jan. 22, 2022 at Blakeslee Stadium for Hockey Day Minnesota in front of 10,022 fans.

HOW WE GOT HERE

• The Mavericks locked up the MacNaughton Cup at Lake Superior State on February 22, their seventh regular season title in the last eight years. The Mavericks tied and defeated Bemidji State 5-1 on home ice to close out the regular season before meeting the eight seeded Lakers again in the CCHA quarterfinals.
• There, MSU collected their ninth straight playoff quarterfinal sweep over an opponent with a 3-2 win in game one, followed by a 4-1 victory the following night. Junior Zach Krajnik broke out for a hat trick in game one. He now has five goals in three playoff games (after scoring one goal during the regular season).
• MSU's momentum carried into the semifinals, where they met seventh seed Bemidji State and won 4-0.
• Alex Tracy made 27 saves for his fifth shutout and Adam Eisele scored two goals MSU's top line re-energized after depth of scoring was a major factor vs. LSSU.
• MSU also outshot the Beavers 27-23 and added a late empty net marker.
• The Mavericks made it back to the title game in 2024-25, after Michigan Tech eliminated MSU in the semifinals last season.
• The Mavericks also locked up a spot in the NCAA Tournament vs. BSU, back in the big dance for the first time since 2022-23 (tenth appearance overall). 

TRACY TRACKER

• Wednesday was a big day for individual accolades in college hockey. Junior Alex Tracy was named one of four finalists for the Mike Richter Award (given to the top goaltender in college hockey). He also made the top ten list for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award (given to the top player in college men's hockey).

2024-25 Highlights 

• CCHA Goaltender of the Year
• CCHA Player of the Year
• CCHA Student-Athlete of the Year
• Five time CCHA Goaltender of the Week
• Two time CCHA Goaltender of the Month
• Two time HCA National Goaltender of the Month
• Leads nation with .942 save percentage (all games)
• Leads nation with a .141 goals against average (all games)
• Third in nation with five shutouts
• 25 total victories 

PITLICK IS CCHA FORWARD OF THE YEAR

Rhett Pitlick (Plymouth, Minnesota) produced a CCHA-best 30 points on 10 goals and 20 assists in 26 league contests, posting a +22 rating, with 68 shots and 12 blocks defensively. He collected two power-play markers and two game-winners in conference play. Overall, he has 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points, including five game-winning goals, which ranks 10th nationally. He earned CCHA Forward of the Month honors in October and  was named CCHA Forward of the Year (March 13).

MURR CONTINUES SECOND HALF SURGE

Evan Murr (Stillwater, Minnesota) paced CCHA blueliners with 22 points in 26 CCHA games, scoring five goals with 17 assists. Amassing a +11 rating, he recorded 53 shots and 23 blocks, with four power play tallies and one game-winner. He notched six multi-point games in conference play was assessed only three minor penalties. Overall, Murr has six goals and 19 assists for 25 points. He was named CCHA Defenseman of the Year (March 13) and First Team All-CCHA after collecting All-Rookie CCHA and Second Team All-CCHA as a freshman in 2023-24.

MR. MARCH

Zach Krajnik (Eagle River, Alaska) had one goal and six assists for seven points in his first 34 games for the Mavericks. He then exploded for a hat trick to open the CCHA quarterfinals and added two more goals in games two and three (Bemidji State). This is not the first time Krajnik has become a hero in the playoffs for MSU. Two years ago, Krajnik put away the game-winning goal in the CCHA Championship against Northern Michigan at home, solidifying his status in the Mankato area as a fan favorite. Known for playing a 200 foot game, he was named a finalist for CCHA Defensive Forward of the Year earlier this month.

SCOUTING ST. THOMAS

• The Tommies advanced past the Mason Cup semifinals for the first time in program history with a 3-1 victory over Bowling Green at home on Saturday.
• A formidable opponent in the second half, the Tommies are one of four teams in the country with 15 wins in 2025.
• Their eight straight regulation wins coming into the game Friday are a program record. 
• Cooper Gay and Liam Malmquist lead the CCHA with 19 goals and Malmquist leads the league with 44 points.
• Malmquist, along with fellow forward Lucas Wahlin appeared on the list for First Team All-CCHA. Wahlin played 34 games during the regular season and tallied 16 goals, 19 assists and 35 points (all career highs).
• Malmquist's four shorthanded goals rank first in Division I. Gay leads all UST players with 10 points against the Mavericks this season.
• In the crease, Jake Sibell has won each of his last 12 games in goal and enters the weekend with a 12-4-3 record, 2.43 goals against average and .924 save percentage. Over his last 12 games, Sibell holds an even better .936 save percentage and has now won more games in a single season than any other UST goaltender in program history. Both Malmquist and Sibell walked away with CCHA Player of the Week honors after their semifinal win over BGSU.
• Head coach Rico Blasi moved into 22nd on the all-time NCAA men's hockey head coaching wins list this year, seventh among active head coaches.
• Wahlin, a junior is the team captain for the second straight year, with alternate captains Ethan Gauer, Matthew Gleason and Cooper Gay. St. Thomas was predicted to finish first in the CCHA Preseason Coaches Poll on September 12 after the team finished fifth last season.
• The Mavericks prevailed 5-3 in Mendota Heights on Nov. 8 against UST, then won a shootout the next night in Mankato, following a 1-1 overtime tie. The teams saw one another again on Jan. 31, with the Tommies earning the 3-1 road win. MSU struck back on night two with a 3-2 victory in overtime on Feb. 1. Rhett Pitlick scored the game winner after Josh Groll wheeled around the net, then threw a pass against the grain back to Pitlick on the short side post 24 seconds into the extra session.

DEFENSE PREVAILS

• - The Mavericks allow the fewest goals per game to opponents (1.46) in Division I ahead of Boston College (1.74), Maine (1.86) and Michigan State (2.00).
• MSU has allowed four goals to an opponent only once in 2024-25, October 5 at No. 7 Michigan.

HEADED TO THE POLLS

• Minnesota State men's hockey was ranked No. 15 by USCHO.com and No. 15 by USA Hockey/The Rink Live in this week's national Division I polls. 
• The Mavericks (25-8-3) also checked in at No. 16 in the pairwise rankings after defeating Bemidji State in the CCHA Semifinals and Lake Superior State in the CCHA Quarterfinals.
• Michigan State moved up one position to the top slot in both rankings polls, followed by Boston College, Western Michigan and Maine.

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. 

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

• The Mavericks are 20-98 (.204) on the power play this season and scored two power play goals in the final two games of the regular season vs. Bemidji State. MSU did not score a power play goal against Lake Superior State in the CCHA quarterfinal series and did not go on the power play in the CCHA semifinals on Saturday.
• 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 87-102 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.