MANKATO, Minn. - No. 18 Minnesota State men's hockey heads to Big Rapids for a CCHA series at Ferris State. Game times are 6:07 p.m. CT Friday and 5:07 p.m. CT Saturday. Fans can listen on AM 1420 KTOE and watch via midcosportsplus.com.

• The Mavericks are currently fifth in the CCHA standings with eight regular season contests to play. The Mavericks took three points on Saturday with a home win over Augustana 4-1 but are still 11 points away from first place St. Thomas.
• Tristan Lemyre leads the team with 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) through 26 games and Evan Murr all defensemen with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists). Murr, along with senior goaltender Alex Tracy were nominated last week for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, given to the top men's player in college hockey at the conclusion of the season.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Minnesota State leads the all-time series against Ferris State 41-13-2. The Mavericks are 17-8-1 vs. the Bulldogs on the road. MSU has won eight of the previous ten matchups. In December, the Mavericks defeated FSU 5-1 on Friday, then fell 4-1 on Saturday at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.

LAST TIME OUT

• Ean Somoza put away a pair of goals and No. 20 Minnesota State men's hockey snapped its skid with a 4-1 home victory over No. 14 Augustana Saturday night at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
• The Mavericks broke open the game in the third period with three goals and Alex Tracy made 16 saves in the effort.
• Luigi Benincasa leveled the game 1-1 when he tipped in Tristan Lemyre's point-shot at 5:27 of the second period, his sixth of the season. Evan Murr collected his team-leading 15th assist.
• Ean Somoza found the puck in the crease for the lead 5:27 into the final stanza. Alex Zetterberg and Jack Smith added assists. Then Lemyre found space with a high, sharp-angle wrist shot to open the third period for the Mavericks, assisted by Liam Watkins and Bryce Strand. Lemyre leads the team with 11 goals.
• Somoza cleaned up another rebound in the crease for his second of the game at the mid-point of the third period, from Smith and Ralfs Bergmanis.
• Augustana killed a major penalty in the waning minutes of regulation and the Mavericks skated away with a win.
• Neither team scored on the power play in three opportunities and the Mavericks outshot Augustana 32-17, including a 13-8 edge in the third period. Josh Kotai made 28 saves in goal for the Vikings.

TEAM LEADERS

• The Mavericks are averaging 2.7 goals per game and 30.2 shots per game. Senior Tristan Lemyre (Edmonton, Alberta) leads the forward group with 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists). Evan Murr (Stillwater, Minn.) leads MSU defensemen with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists).

TRUST IN TRACY

• Tracy leads the CCHA in goals against average (2.02) and ranks fourth in save percentage (.924). 
• Tracy made his 100th game appearance at Minnesota State last Saturday at Michigan Tech.
• Tracy was also named CCHA Goaltender of the Month for November. Starting all nine games in November, he totaled 246 saves for a .939 save percentage. His shutout at Northern Michigan (Nov. 28) moved him into a tie for third place on the MSU men's hockey all-time career shutouts chart with 10 (Stephon Williams).

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

• The Mavericks did not allow a power play goal against Augustana, nor Michigan Tech the week prior.
• The Maverick power play is executing at a 21.7-percent rate this season (20-92). The team went 0-3 on Saturday. MSU's last power play goal came against Augustana (Reid Morich) on Dec. 13.
• All three of Charlie Lurie's goals have come on the power play. Last season, Lurie skated in 20 games for Omaha and scored three of his four goals on power play. Tristan Lemyre leads the team with four power play goals.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Tristan Lemyre scored twice and the Mavericks defeated the Bulldogs at home 5-1 on Friday, December 5. Senior goaltender Alex Tracy (Chicago, Ill.) also notched 22 saves as the Mavericks won their seventh straight game, their longest win streak since January of 2023.
• The following night, the Bulldogs defeated MSU 4-1. Martin Lundberg turned aside 19 shots in the win for the Bulldogs. Alex Tracy marked 19 saves for Minnesota State. Ferris State finished 2-4 on the power play. The Mavericks went 0-4.
• Brett Riley was hired as head coach, following the retirement of Bob Daniels, who stood behind the bench at FSU for 33 years and accumulated more than 500 wins. Riley came to Big Rapids from Long Island University, where he coached from 2020-25. The Sharks finished 14-1-0 at home last season, the best home record in Division I. Riley's father, grandfather and uncle have all coached hockey.
• The Bulldogs enter the weekend on a 10 game losing streak. FSU's last win came on Dec. 6 vs. Minnesota State. Since then, the Bulldogs have been swept by Michigan Tech, lost in the Great Lakes Invitational to Michigan State and Miami (Ohio), then swept by St. Thomas, Bowling Green, and Augustana.
• Last weekend the Bulldogs went on the road and fell to the No. 15 Vikings 4-0 and 4-3. Saturday, FSU rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to force overtime. Ferris State got multi-point performances from Josh Zary and Gavin Best in the game while Christopher Lie scored his first goal of the season as the Bulldogs collected one point in Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) play with the overtime loss. Hobie Hedquist made 28 saves in 62:54 minutes between the pipes for FSU.

HEADED TO THE POLLS

• Minnesota State men's hockey was ranked No. 18 by USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live in NCAA Division I National polls on Monday. The Mavericks ranked No. 20/20 last week. Michigan kept the top spot in both rankings polls for a fifth straight week.
• Fellow CCHA institutions, St. Thomas (No. 15), Augustana (No. 16) and Michigan Tech (No. 19) also appeared in the top-20 rankings.
• Bowling Green and Bemidji State received national votes.
• It was the second time this season that four CCHA teams appeared in the national rankings.

FORMER MAVERICKS NAMED TO OLYMPIC ROSTERS

• Former Maverick men's hockey forwards Marc Michaelis ('20) and Parker Tuomie ('20) were named to Team Germany for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina Feb. 6-22 on Wednesday. Michaelis was a prolific scorer for the Mavericks from 2016-20. He finished his collegiate career with 71 goals and 91 assists for 162 points in 148 games, tied for second on MSU's all-time scoring list (Division I era). He was named WCHA Player of the Year as a senior and a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
• Michaelis made his National Hockey League debut on March 4, 2021, playing for the Vancouver Canucks. He has 15 games of NHL experience and has also had professional stints in the AHL (Toronto Marlies) and Swiss-A (Langnau Tigers, Zug EV). He currently plays for his hometown team, the Mannheim Eagles, in Germany and has 30 points in 37 games this season.
• Tuomie also played for the Mavericks from 2016-20 and finished his collegiate career with 45 goals, 87 assists and 132 points in 152 games. Upon graduation, Tuomie ranked sixth on MSU's all-time scoring list (Division I era).
• Currently in his 12th season of professional hockey, Minnesota State alumnus Teddy Blueger was named to team Latvia's 2026 Winter Olympic roster. From Riga, Latvia, Blueger was named to the opening night roster for the Vancouver Canucks in October and has played in two games this season. He made his NHL debut as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 30, 2019 and was selected by Pittsburgh in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft ...(129th overall). Blueger joined former Maverick Ryan Carter (2004-06) as the second former Maverick to win the Stanley Cup, when he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23. Blueger has played 420 regular season games in the NHL with 50 goals, 103 assists and 153 points. He also has appeared in 37 playoff games with two goals and four assists.