Men’s hockey skating to the finish

Aaron Young

Staff Writer

This Friday, Minnesota State men’s hockey kicks off their two-game series against Ferris State.

The players will take the ice on Friday and Saturday, hoping to find a way to keep their momentum alive heading towards playoff season.

Ranked 5th in the WCHA, the Minnesota State Mavericks (23-7-0 overall, 19-5-0 WCHA) team is expecting to be the favorite, heading into this matchup against Ferris State (12-19-1, 9-14-1 WCHA). With a seven-game winning streak still intact and four games remaining on the year, they will definitely be ready to carry the momentum to close out the year.

Freshman forward Jared Spooner will be looking forward to ending his season on a high note. With 3 goals, 9 assists, and 12 points overall, Spooner hopes to shine once again against the Bulldogs.

Freshman forward, Jake Jaremko, has had a great year for the Mavericks, finding the back of the net 10 times and assisting on 21 goals. Despite his percentage being low, Jaremko still keeps shooting the puck and keeping the goalie on his feet. It could very well be their time come next year as three senior forwards will be graduating in the Spring.

For senior forward, Brad McClure, he hasn’t had his best season as a starter this year. He hasn’t scored a goal in the last 6 games, and has only had two goals in the past 14 games. He hopes to end his drought this weekend against Ferris State and find his stride again. Although he hasn’t found the net in a while, McClure has assisted in 4 goals, one of them coming in the last game against Alabama Huntsville. Against an opponent like Ferris State, the forward could find his mojo before the arrival of primetime playoffs.

On the other side of the ice, Daniel Brickley looks to continue to help out the team by doing what he does best, blocking the shots and setting up the forwards for goals. With 20 assists on the year and a team-leading 43 blocks, Brickley has been making the forwards and goalie’s job a little bit easier this season.

With senior goalie, Connor LaCouvee, at net for the Mavericks, the team shouldn’t experience too much trouble facing the Ferris State Bulldogs. LaCouvee leads the WCHA men’s division in GAA (Goals Against Average) of 1.72 and is in the top 5 in Save Percentage with .914 percent. The former Boston University goalie has been in the zone and most likely will stay there come Friday night.

The Minnesota State Mavericks should be in great shape heading into the weekend. Come and support the hockey team this Friday and Saturday in a back-to-back series against the Ferris State Bulldogs.