Men’s hockey prepares to fight against UND

Aaron Young
Staff Writer

Two games into the season and the Minnesota State men’s hockey team looks to continue their success when they hit the ice to take on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks Friday and Saturday.

In their previous meetings, MSU and UND split a two-game series. In the first game, MSU won 7-4, to which the Hawks responded with a 4-3 victory.

Both teams will have eagle eyes when they hit the rink this weekend, looking to get the upper hand in a heated rivalry.

Minnesota State is coming off two wins against Arizona State where the end result through two games was 9-1 in favor of the Mavericks.

North Dakota is also on fire, scoring an astonishing 13 goals in two games against Canisius.

The men’s hockey team has been playing lights early on, but the Fighting Hawks might flip the switch on them and be the team to take down the Mavericks first this year.

On the Maverick side, senior Marc Michaelis is the player fans should keep an eye on. He leads the team in goals with three.

Ian Schied has been setting his teammates up for success with four assists.

Goaltender Dryden McCay is no doubt an x-factor for the team, deflecting 38 saves so far this year.

For the Fighting Hawks, Gabe Bast, Dixon Bowen and Cole Smith have two goals on the year.

Jacob Bernard-Docker leads the team in assists with four and goaltender Adam Scheel has recorded 22 saves.

On the women’s side, they tackle another tough challenge in No. 8 Ohio State. Coming off a two-game series against the Bulldogs where they lost both, MSU will be looking to bounce back. Last year, Minnesota State got the upper hand in the first match, winning 3-0.

Ohio State evened the series with a 2-0 victory of their own the next day.

For the Mavericks, junior Mariah Gardner is leading the team in goals with three.

Freshman Kelsey King leads the team in assists with five and is doing well in her first year.

For the Buckeyes the spotlight is on Emma Maltais, who scored five goals so far this year. She will be a key player on the ice.

Both the men’s and women’s hockey games will take place this Friday and Saturday at home at the Mankato Civic Center.

Header photo: Minnesota State forward Parker Toumie (6) attempts a shot at the goal during the first period of the hockey game against Arizona State at the Mankato Civic Center Friday, Oct. 11, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Kjerstin Hall/MSU Reporter)