DEEPHAVEN, Minn. - Minnesota State men's hockey head coach Luke Strand was announced as the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's Coach of the Year on Wednesday (March 25) by the conference office. Strand was a finalist for CCHA Coach of the Year, along with St. Thomas head coach Rico Blasi and Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels.

This season, Strand guided the Mavericks to the MacNaughton Cup and Mason Cup titles as well as the program's 10^th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Under Strand's leadership, MSU leads the nation in scoring defense, surrendering just 1.47 goals per game. The Mavericks are also ninth in the nation in penalty kill percentage (.845), fifth in scoring margin (+1.47) and fourth in winning percentage (.750).
 
Minnesota State (27-8-3, 18-5-3 CCHA) swept Lake Superior State in the Mason Cup quarterfinals with 4-1 and 3-2 victories at home. MSU then shut out Bemidji State 4-0 in the semifinals and collected a 4-2 victory over St. Thomas in the championship on March 21.
 
The Mavericks accumulated several conference individual awards, including junior Alex Tracy, who won CCHA Player of the Year. Tracy is a Mike Richter Finalist and Hobey Baker Top-10 Finalist. He leads the country in both goals against average and save percentage. Strand also recruited senior forward Rhett Pitlick, who won CCHA Forward of the Year and currently has 13 goals, 27 assists and 40 points. Sophomore defenseman Evan Murr was named CCHA Defenseman of the Year, adding seven goals (four on power play) and 19 assists for the Mavericks.
 
Off the ice, Strand's Mavericks held a 3.47 fall grade point average, extending the team's streak to 15 straight semesters having a 3.10 or higher GPA. Twelve student-athletes were named to the Dean's List.
 
In two seasons at the helm, Strand holds a 45-23-7 overall record. In his first season with a brand new staff, Strand helped the Mavericks make the CCHA Semifinals and finish 18-15-4 overall.
 
The Mavericks play No. 4 Western Michigan in the NCAA Fargo Region Semifinals on Thursday, March 27 at 4 p.m. CT at Scheels Arena. The game can be watched on ESPNU and listened to on AM 1230 The Fan Mankato.