Men’s hockey faces off against Boston University

John LaForest
Staff Writer

After opening the season with an exhibition win, the Mavs men’s hockey team will look to build on the exhibition win with a pair of season opening home games against Boston University.

The Mavericks first exhibition game of the season delivered great signs for the Mavs as they look to compete for a championship this season. The Mavs took out Mount Royal University with a convincing 7-3 victory. The team did an overall job sharing the ball with goals coming from seven different players, and 12 total team assists. 

The team had a great 2017-2018 campaign, winning the conference and earning an at-large at berth for the tournament. The Mavericks will look to bounce back from last year’s tragic first-round overtime loss to the eventual champions Minnesota-Duluth.

The Mavericks will have another pair of home games coming this weekend against Boston University. These two teams have only played twice in their program careers with MNSU winning both games 6-3, 3-0.

Minnesota State has high expectations for the season being ranked number one in the country. The team was ranked first in both the media and coaches preseason poll, earning 13 and seven first place votes respectively.

The talent on the Mavs hockey team is undeniable, with five players receiving votes for the all conference team and four who actually were selected for the first and second teams.  

This weekend marks the official start to the season for Boston as well. They won their previous game in exhibition action over Acadia Saturday. This matchup is sure to be a challenge for the Mavericks, as Boston went 22-14-4 last year while earning a NCAA postseason tournament berth and advancing to the NCAA Northeast regional championship game. 

Friday not only marks the start of the regular season for the Mavs, but this season marks the start of the 50th for the organization. The team will induct several players and past coaches into the Legends of Mavericks Hockey.

Players and coaches who are set to be inducted including: former head coach Don Brose, Karl Ulrich, a captain on MNSU’s first team in 1969-70, Steve Forliti, captain on Minnesota State’s NCAA DII championship team in 1979-80, Tim Jackman, the first player from Minnesota State to play in the National Hockey League, and current Boston Bruin and two-time Olympian David Backes.

The first game will take place this Friday at 7:07 p.m. at the Verizon Center, with the next game coming the following day against Boston at the same time.

Feature photo by Gage Cureton | MSU Reporter.