Minnesota State University Reporter

Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Sports Commentary

Media Credit: Raymond Starin Minnesota State's Trevor Bruess fights with North Dakota's Rylan Kaip Friday at the Alltel Center. The Fighting Sioux swept the Mavericks.

When people see the WCHA standings, they see the Minnesota State men's hockey team (9-10-4, 3-9-4 WCHA) is in second to last place. While to the average fan that may seem like an insurmountable feet, the Mavericks are still very much alive in the WCHA standings, and yes, may even be able to sneak into possible home ice advantage in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. A second to last place team still alive, sounds impossible, right?

MSU suffered a sweep at the hands of No. 4 North Dakota last weekend, losing 2-1 and 5-3. On paper, it might have looked like just another sweep for the Sioux, but it was the things not on the stat sheet that also played a major role.

Sure, UND scored five power-play goals on the weekend in a series where special teams were the main factor. On Friday, MSU had two goals disallowed that would have surely changed the momentum of the game. Who's to say that wouldn't have changed the momentum of the entire series?

The Mavericks have fallen just short in several games this year, and have seemingly been just one break away each game from finding themselves right in the mix in the WCHA standings. A bounce here or a goal there can go a long way in determining the momentum of a particular game, let alone the series.

That said, and given their record, there are only seven points (each team earns two points for a win, one point for a tie) separating six teams in the WCHA. If MSU can put a mini-streak together and collect some points here and there along the way, then it may soon find itself back in the mix and, while an outside chance, maybe even contending for one of the final sports for home ice advantage in the first round of playoffs.

Since the top five teams in the league at the end of the year get home ice advantage for the first round of the WCHA playoffs, and there are only seven points separating six teams in the league, this race is far from over. The league is much more balanced this year than it has been in the past.

Sure, Denver and Colorado College are at the top of the standings by themselves, but it is the rest of the league that will be beating each other up for the rest of the season.

With six weekends left in the regular season for MSU, there is plenty of time when they can still control their own destiny. If a few of those pucks hitting the post start going in, and disallowed goals start going in MSU's favor to go along with some other breaks, the Mavericks could find themselves in a good position heading into playoffs.


Pat Ottum is a Reporter staff writer

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