2008 Woodie Awards
MSU Men's Hockey Gameday
by Pat Ottum
Issue date: 2/14/08
Section: Mens Sports
WHO:No. 13 Minnesota State Mavericks (15-10-4, 9-9-4 WCHA) at No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers (13-11-6, 9-9-4 WCHA)
WHEN:Friday - 7:07 p.m., Saturday - 8:07 p.m.
WHERE:Kohl Center - Madison, Wis.
PREVIEW: No. 13 Minnesota State is currently on a six-game winning streak after completing their third consecutive WCHA sweep over Alaska-Anchorage last weekend. The Mavericks are tied for fourth in the WCHA standings with Wisconsin, and they travel to Madison for a showdown with the Badgers this weekend.
FORWARDS: Kael Mouillierat had two goals in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Seawolves, he also added an assist in Friday's game. The Mavericks have a tremendous amount of depth at forward and they are getting contributions from what seems to be every player on their top three lines. Joel Hanson has a seven- game point-scoring streak and has recorded 3-4-7 in that time. Trevor Bruess has a six-game scoring streak of his own (2-7-9).
DEFENSE: The MSU defense was solid again last weekend against UAA, surrendering only three goals. They are a big part of the success of goaltender Mike Zacharias because they don't let the opposition see many good scoring chances. After sitting out three games, Blake Friesen returned to the lineup Saturday and contributed an assist. Ben Youds had two assists on the weekend, and the Maverick defensive core will have to be good again in a tough road series to prevent any home-ice momentum for the Badgers.
IN NET: It seems to be a broken record, but goaltender Mike Zacharias had another good weekend between the pipes for MSU. He didn't see as many shots last weekend against the Seawolves, but he made the saves when he needed to, as he seems to always do. Zacharias has a 2.10 goals against average and a save percentage of .921. He has been the backbone of this team, and will likely start both games in net for the Mavericks.
SCOUTING THE BADGERS: No. 10 Wisconsin is coming off a weekend where it took three of four points on the road against Michigan Tech. The Badgers are lead by forwards Kyle Turris (11-18-29), Ben Street (12-14-26), and Blake Geoffrion (8-16-24) to head an offense that ranks in the middle of the pack in the WCHA in scoring. Wisconsin is the second-most penalized team in the WCHA, so the Mavericks should have some golden opportunities to score goals on the power play.
LAST MEETING: The last meeting between these two teams came on Dec. 7-8 earlier this season in Mankato, and saw MSU win 3-1 and tie 1-1 giving them three of four points for the weekend.
UP NEXT FOR MSU: The Mavericks are off next weekend before hosting Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 26.
Pat Ottum is a Reporter staff writer
WHEN:Friday - 7:07 p.m., Saturday - 8:07 p.m.
WHERE:Kohl Center - Madison, Wis.
PREVIEW: No. 13 Minnesota State is currently on a six-game winning streak after completing their third consecutive WCHA sweep over Alaska-Anchorage last weekend. The Mavericks are tied for fourth in the WCHA standings with Wisconsin, and they travel to Madison for a showdown with the Badgers this weekend.
FORWARDS: Kael Mouillierat had two goals in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Seawolves, he also added an assist in Friday's game. The Mavericks have a tremendous amount of depth at forward and they are getting contributions from what seems to be every player on their top three lines. Joel Hanson has a seven- game point-scoring streak and has recorded 3-4-7 in that time. Trevor Bruess has a six-game scoring streak of his own (2-7-9).
DEFENSE: The MSU defense was solid again last weekend against UAA, surrendering only three goals. They are a big part of the success of goaltender Mike Zacharias because they don't let the opposition see many good scoring chances. After sitting out three games, Blake Friesen returned to the lineup Saturday and contributed an assist. Ben Youds had two assists on the weekend, and the Maverick defensive core will have to be good again in a tough road series to prevent any home-ice momentum for the Badgers.
IN NET: It seems to be a broken record, but goaltender Mike Zacharias had another good weekend between the pipes for MSU. He didn't see as many shots last weekend against the Seawolves, but he made the saves when he needed to, as he seems to always do. Zacharias has a 2.10 goals against average and a save percentage of .921. He has been the backbone of this team, and will likely start both games in net for the Mavericks.
SCOUTING THE BADGERS: No. 10 Wisconsin is coming off a weekend where it took three of four points on the road against Michigan Tech. The Badgers are lead by forwards Kyle Turris (11-18-29), Ben Street (12-14-26), and Blake Geoffrion (8-16-24) to head an offense that ranks in the middle of the pack in the WCHA in scoring. Wisconsin is the second-most penalized team in the WCHA, so the Mavericks should have some golden opportunities to score goals on the power play.
LAST MEETING: The last meeting between these two teams came on Dec. 7-8 earlier this season in Mankato, and saw MSU win 3-1 and tie 1-1 giving them three of four points for the weekend.
UP NEXT FOR MSU: The Mavericks are off next weekend before hosting Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 26.
Pat Ottum is a Reporter staff writer
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