MANKATO, Minn. - In pursuit of the Mason Cup, No. 16 Minnesota State men's hockey hosts No. 19 Michigan Tech in a CCHA semifinal on Saturday, March 14 at 7:07 p.m. CT. The Mavericks, winners of the MacNaughton Cup regular season title, defeated Ferris State in three games on Sunday. The Huskies polished off wins on Friday and Saturday over Bowling Green at home to advance.

• The Mavericks are led by senior goaltender Alex Tracy (1.81 goals against), named All-CCHA Second Team on Tuesday, along with First Team All-CCHA junior defenseman Evan Murr (9-16--25) and Second Team senior forward Tristan Lemyre (13-15--28). Three Huskies were also named All-CCHA, including Stiven Sardarian (unanimous First Team, 12-32--44), Jack Anderson (First Team, 11-13--24) and Max Koskipirtti (Second Team, 13-22--35).
• Fans can watch the game on Saturday on midcosportsplus.com or listen for free to AM 1420 KTOE.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Minnesota State is 57-32-11 all-time against Michigan Tech in matchups dating back to 1996-97. In four games this season, the Mavericks are 2-2 against MTU. MSU won 3-0 and 3-2 on Nov. 21-22 at home. Then MTU won 3-1 and 4-1 in Houghton  on Jan. 16-17. The last time the teams met in the playoffs was the CCHA Mason Cup semifinals in 2023-24, coach Strand's first season as head coach. Michigan Tech won 4-3 in at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. MTU scored three goals in the third period, including one with nine seconds remaining. 

LAST TIME OUT

• Luigi Benincasa put away his ninth goal of the year and Mason Wheeler tallied his first as No. 16 Minnesota State defeated Ferris State 2-0 Sunday night in the CCHA Quarterfinals to advance in the conference tournament. Both Maverick goals came at even strength in the second period.
• Goaltender Alex Tracy made 17 saves for his 13th career shutout. After a scoreless first period, Tristan Lemyre deflected the puck to Benincasa in front of the Ferris State crease. He deposited his team-leading ninth goal of the season 1:32 into the second period.
• Wheeler made it 2-0 at 15:57 when he skated into the circle from the left point and found room for a wrist shot above goaltender Martin Lundberg's glove. Campbell Cichosz and Ean Somoza assisted on Wheeler's first goal of the season as the Mavericks outshot the Bulldogs 21-5 in the middle period.
• Jakob Stender helped the Mavericks in the faceoff circle, winning 15 of 19 draws and MSU won 59.7-percent of faceoffs overall. The Mavericks finished 0-5 on the power play but successfully killed three minor penalties.

TEAM LEADERS

• The Mavericks are averaging 2.7 goals per game and 31.5 shots per game.
• Senior Tristan Lemyre (Edmonton, Alberta) leads the forward group with 27 points (13 goals, 15 assists).
• Evan Murr (Stillwater, Minn.) leads MSU defensemen with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists).

TRUST IN TRACY

• Minnesota State senior goaltender Alex Tracy (Chicago, Illinois) has been named CCHA Goaltender of the Week six times this season.
• He was also named CCHA Goaltender of the Month for February and is a Mike Richter Award semifinalist for the second straight season.
• Tracy totaled 40 saves and three goals against in three CCHA quarterfinal games, including his 13th career shutout in a 2-0 win on Sunday vs. Ferris State.
• He leads the NCAA Division I in goals against average (1.811), ranks third in the CCHA and eighth in the nation for save percentage (.926) and tied for first in CCHA shutouts (five). His 2,186 minutes played is first in Division I.
• Tracy was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week five times last season, twice in 2023-24 and once in 2022-23.

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

• The Mavericks went 0-13 on the power play in the series against Ferris State.
• The Mavericks' last power play goal came at Bowling Green on Feb. 20 (Evan Murr).
• MSU's penalty kill was perfect vs. FSU (7-for-7). The Mavericks have not allowed a power play goal against since Jan. 31 vs. Ferris State.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES

• It's the fourth time in the last five seasons that Tech is in the semifinal.
• The CCHA Mason Cup Championship Game is on Friday, March 20.
• No. 19 Michigan Tech swept Bowling Green in the CCHA Quarterfinals.
• The Huskies won 5-3 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. Eight different Huskies scored the goals, and Owen Bartoszkiewicz had a .937 save percentage in the series.
• Jack Anderson was named CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year on Wednesday. Anderson was the CCHA Defenseman of February for the second straight month. He was also HCA National Defenseman of the Month in January.
• Tech has been ranked in the top 20 since Jan.19.
• Tyler Miller is the CCHA Defenseman of the Week for the first time in his career.
• He led conference blueliners with three points last week, dishing out three assists in Tech's playoff series victory over Bowling Green.
• Miller has skated in all 38 games this season for the Huskies and has three goals and 10 assists.
• Michigan Tech is tied for the largest freshman class in the nation (12).
• 24 percent of Finlanders in college hockey are on Michigan Tech's roster (5-of-25).
• Bill Muckalt was named the 23rd head coach of the Huskies on May 22, 2025 after one season as head coach at Lindenwood. He led the Lions to the most wins in their three-year NCAA Division I history, including wins over Notre Dame, Omaha and Wisconsin. Muckalt also served as Associate Head Coach at University of Michigan from 2017-23.
• Tech assistant coach Benton Maass played collegiately for Minnesota State, then appeared in 122 professional games in the AHL and ECHL. He is an Elk River, Minnesota native, initially selected by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He helped the Mavericks win the MacNaughton Cup and Mason Cup and advance to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2021-22.

HEADED TO THE POLLS

• Minnesota State men's hockey was ranked No. 16 by USCHO.com and No. 18 by USA Hockey in NCAA Division I National polls on Monday. The Mavericks ranked No. 16/16 last week. Michigan kept the top  spot in the rankings, followed by  North Dakota, Michigan State, Western Michigan and Providence.
• Other ranked teams in the CCHA included No. 13 Augustana and No. 18 St. Thomas and No. 19 Michigan Tech.

EH, LUIGI

• Luigi Benincasa led the Mavericks with three goals in three games in the Mason Cup quarterfinals. The Edmonton, Alberta native has five points over his past six starts on MSU's top line.
• Ean Somoza also notched three assists in the series, along with four shots on goal.
• Alex Zetterberg had a strong weekend, with one goal, one assist and six shots for the Mavericks.

FOR CONTEXT

• Last season, MSU defeated Bemidji State 4-0 in the CCHA Mason Cup semifinals at home. The Mavericks seized the league championship at home against St. Thomas the following week with a 4-2 victory.
• MSU's last loss in the semifinal round of the CCHA playoffs was a 4-3 decision at Michigan Tech in 2023-24.

MASON CUP HISTORY

• The Mason Cup is the trophy awarded to the champion of the CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, the postseason championship event of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, an NCAA Division I college ice hockey league. The Cup was awarded from 2001 until the original CCHA folded at the end of the 2012–13 season.
• The CCHA was revived in 2020 by seven schools that had previously announced plans to leave the Western Collegiate Hockey Association at the end of the 2020–21 season, with an eighth school being invited shortly thereafter. On May 19, 2021, the new CCHA announced that the Mason Cup would return for the 2021–22 season as the championship trophy for the revived CCHA tournament.

MASON CUP WINNERS

2001 - Michigan State

2002 - Michigan

2003 - Michigan

2004 - Ohio State

2005 - Michigan

2006 - Michigan State

2007 - Notre Dame

2008 - Michigan

2009 - Notre Dame

2010 - Michigan

2011 - Miami

2012 - Western Michigan

2013 - Notre Dame

2022 - Minnesota State

2023 - Minnesota State

2024 - Michigan Tech

2025 - Minnesota State