Men and women’s hockey set to play home games
Men’s hockey faces Seawolves, women’s takes on the Beavers
Andrew Neururer
Sports Editor
The Minnesota State Mavericks men’s hockey team will face-off against the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves this weekend.
The Mavericks still hold the No. 1 rank in Division I after having last weekend off.
The Seawolves currently hold a 2-6-2 record and are coming off two losses against Bowling Green. Over time, the Mavericks are 53-23-10 and are riding a seven-game win streak.
When the two teams played last season, the Mavericks won both games with an overall margin of 10-1.
Since the winning streak started, most of the games have been dominating victories, and the 4-3 win on Feb. 3, 2018 marked the closest game.
The Mavericks are averaging 3.6 goals per game while giving up just 1.3, whereas the Seawolves are scoring 2.1 goals per game and giving up 2.9.
Senior Marc Michaelis is the leading offensive player with five goals and six assists.
Freshman Lucas Sowder is two points behind him, scoring two goals and leading the team with seven assists.
Behind those two in points are senior Charlie Gerard and freshman Nathan Smith. Both players are sitting at eight points, with Smith gaining six assists and Gerard with six goals.
Sophomore goalie Dryden McKay will look to pick up his eighth win of the season, boasting a win-loss record of 7-1-1. He is stopping 94.6% of the shots that have come his way.
These games will take place at the Mankato Civic Center on Friday and Saturday.
On the other side of things, the women’s hockey team will look to get back on track against the Bemidji State Beavers.
The Mavericks are 6-6-2 and have had a tough schedule to this point. They’ve faced the No. 2 and No. 9 ranked teams. MSU took on the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers last weekend and were unable to pick up a win.
The Beavers are 3-8-1 and have lost their previous six games. Much like the Mavericks, BSU has had to play top-ranked opponents during this losing skid. The Beavers are coming off a one-sided victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, losing by a combined 10-1 margin.
MSU is 30-41-12 against the Beavers and went 0-1-1 against Bemidji State last season.
They will need big games from junior Mariah Gardner and freshman Kelsey King. Gardner has five goals and six assists on the season. King has gained most of her points from assists (nine) and has two goals to go along with that.
The Beavers and Mavericks will square off at the Mankato Civic Center on Friday and Saturday.
Header photo: Minnesota State defenseman Tristen Truax (26) fires a shot against Merrimack at the Mankato Civic Center Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Kjerstin Hall/MSU Reporter)