MANKATO, Minn. - After hoisting the MacNaughton Cup for the 10th time in program history on Saturday, Minnesota State earned the top seed as it begins the Mason Cup quarterfinals at home against Ferris State on Friday and Saturday. Game times are 7:07 p.m. CT, 6:07 p.m. and 5:07 p.m. (Sunday if necessary) for the best two-of -three game series.

The Mavericks are 6-0 in the opening round of the CCHA playoffs in program history and 35-37 in the playoffs overall. Minnesota State is also 12-0 at home in the first round of a playoff series.

Last year, MSU defeated Lake Superior State in the opening round, then downed Bemidji State in the semifinals and St. Thomas in the Championship game at home. The Mavericks are 8-4-3 at home this year and won the season series against the Bulldogs 3-1.

CCHA Mason Cup quarterfinal games can be heard on KTOE AM1420 and watched on midcosportsplus.com.

TICKET BOX OFFICE HOURS - This Week
Mon-Thursday 10 am-3 pm
Friday 10 am-Game Time
Saturday 2 pm-Game Time

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Minnesota State is 43-13-2 all-time against Ferris State. MSU swept the Bulldogs in Big Rapids on Jan. 30-31 with a 6-1 win Friday and a 4-3 win Saturday.
• On Dec. 5-6 in Mankato, Ferris State won the Friday matchup 4-1. The Mavericks bounced back for a 5-1 win Saturday. The last playoff matchup was a 7-2 win for MSU in the semifinals in 2022-23.
• MSU also won a quarterfinal series in 2020-21 and WCHA Final Five in the 2014 Championship game 4-1.

MACNAUGHTON CUP DEFENDED

- The Mavericks captured the MacNaughton Cup for the 10th time in program history on Saturday. The team locked up first place last season with a win at Lake Superior State on Feb. 22, 2025. Bemidji State won the MacNaughton Cup a year prior on the final weekend of the regular season. Awarded annually to the regular season CCHA champion, the MacNaughton Cup was established in 1913 and weighs nearly 40 pounds.

RECENT MACNAUGHTON CUP CHAMPIONS

• 14-15: Minnesota State
• 15-16: Minnesota State/Michigan Tech
• 16-17: Bemidji State
• 17-18: Minnesota State
• 18-19: Minnesota State
• 19-20: Minnesota State
• 20-21: Minnesota State
• 21-22: Minnesota State
• 22-23: Minnesota State
• 23-24: Bemidji State
• 24-25: Minnesota State
• 25-26: Minnesota State

LAST TIME OUT

• The Mavericks defended their 2024-25 title and celebrated a 3-0 victory over Northern Michigan in front of 4,872 fans at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. 
• Senior goaltender Alex Tracy, along with defensemen Campbell Cichosz and Mason Wheeler lifted the MacNaughton Cup for the third time in their MSU careers and Tracy made 20 saves Saturday night for his 12th career shutout (second all-time in program history).
• The Mavericks (18-9-7, 14-7-5 CCHA) finished the regular season with 51 points for the top seed in the CCHA quarterfinals, ahead of St. Thomas (50 pts), Augustana (50 pts), Michigan Tech (49 pts) and Bowling Green (49 pts).
• Evan Murr tucked in his eighth goal of the season for a 1-0 lead, the eventual game-winner. Luigi Benincasa and Liam Watkins added assists to the 4-on-4 goal 6:16 into the opening period for the Mavericks.
• The Mavericks cemented the game with a pair of third period markers. Ean Somoza scored unassisted at 18:11. Goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton made a dash for the NMU bench, then attempted to return to the crease before Somoza's shot. Tristan Lemyre added an empty net tally 44 seconds later with assists by Liam Watkins and Jakob Stender. Both teams were scoreless on the power play and the Mavericks outshot the Wildcats 35-20.

TEAM LEADERS

• The Mavericks are averaging 2.7 goals per game and 31.0 shots per game. Senior Tristan Lemyre (Edmonton, Alberta) leads the forward group with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists). Evan Murr (Stillwater, Minn.) leads MSU defensemen with 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists).

TRUST IN TRACY

• Minnesota State senior goaltender Alex Tracy (Chicago, Illinois) was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week for the sixth time this season (14th career) on Monday (Mar. 2). He was also named CCHA Goaltender of the Month for February.
• He helped the Mavericks secure five points by stopping 20 shots on Saturday for his 12th career shutout.
• Tracy was named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, given to the top goaltender in men's college hockey. He leads the CCHA and ranks third in Division I goals against average (1.886), ranks third in the CCHA and 9th in the nation for save percentage (.926) and second in CCHA shutouts (four). His 2,004 minutes played is third 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 converted 0-2 power plays on Friday and 0-5 on Saturday. Tristan Lemyre leads the team with four power play goals. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Finishing eight in the CCHA in the regular season, the Bulldogs defeated Lake Superior State 5-2 on Friday. Valtteri Piironen set a career-high with four assists in the win, becoming the first Bulldog skater to record four assists in a single game since Nov. 22, 2014 when Matt Robertson did it against Alabama Huntsville. Tyler Schleppe extended his point streak to six games with a two-point effort (1-1-2), and both Carter Rapalje (1-1-2) and Gavin Best (0-2-2) recorded multi-point performances. Martin Lundberg earned his fifth win of the season with a 20-save outing. Holden Doell, John Lundy and Max Dukovac each scored in the victory.
• Senior forward Josh Zary scored two powerplay goals Friday (Feb. 27) in the Ferris State University men's ice hockey team's regular season finale against Lake Superior State University. The Bulldogs closed the regular season with a 2-2 tie, and the Lakers earned the shootout win. Zary scored both of FSU's goals for his nation-leading 32nd and 33rd career powerplay goals and reached the 20-point mark for the season. Carter Rapalje had an assist and also hit 20 points, while Caden Brown dished two helpers. Martin Lundberg made a career-high 46 saves and started all six games for the Bulldogs in Feb. He went 3-1-2 in that stretch with one shutout. 
• Head Coach Brett Riley previously served as the head coach at NCAA Division I Long Island University since 2020. He followed legendary coach Bob Daniels, who retired last year after 33 years behind the Bulldogs' bench and more than 500 wins.

HEADED TO THE POLLS

• Minnesota State men's hockey was ranked No. 16 by USCHO.com and USA Hockey in NCAA Division I National polls on Monday. The Mavericks ranked No. 18 last week. Michigan returned to the top spot in the rankings, with Michigan State falling to No. 2 in the USCHO rankings and No. 3 by USA Hockey. Other ranked teams in the CCHA included No. 14 Augustana and No. 19 St. Thomas. Bowling Green and Michigan Tech are receiving national votes.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Friday, March 6, 2026

• Lake Superior State at St. Thomas 7:07 p.m. CT
• Bemidji State at Augustana 7:07 p.m. CT
• Ferris State at Minnesota State 7:07 p.m. CT
• Bowling Green at Michigan Tech 7:07 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 7, 2026

• Bemidji at Augustana 6:07 p.m. CT
• Ferris State at Minnesota State 6:07 p.m. CT
• Bowling Green at Michigan Tech 6:07 p.m. ET
• Lake Superior State at St. Thomas 7:07 p.m. CT

MURR STILL SCORING

• Evan Murr led the Mavericks with five blocked shots at Bowling Green and scored one goal in the series.
• He scored again on Saturday against Northern Michigan, bringing his season total to eight, a new career high.

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