Men’s hockey hosts Chargers, women battle Gophers

Andrew Neururer
Sports Editor

The Minnesota State Mavericks men’s hockey team will be battling the Alabama Hunstville Chargers this weekend in the team’s final home series of the regular season.

Minnesota State enters play as the No. 3-ranked team in the nation and has a record of 26-4-2 and a conference record of 20-3-1. MSU has done well at home, standing in with a 13-2-1 home record.

The Mavericks won their previous two games against the Northern Michigan Wildcats and proved to be two big wins, as NMU was the then No. 15-ranked team.

The chargers have not had the season they were hoping for, coming in with a record of 2-22-6 and a conference record of 2-16-6. They have not had success on the road this season and are still looking for their first win.

Minnesota State has won their last 10 meetings between these two teams and have a 36-14-7 all-time record against them. The teams met earlier in October, where they won 5-1 and 4-1.

The Chargers have five players in double figures in points, with their leader being Josh Latta, who has seven goals and 10 assists. Christian Rajic is right behind him with six goals and eight assists.

The Mavericks have done well offensively this season and are seeing 15 players in double figures for points. The leading point leader is senior Marc Michaelis, who has 16 goals and 17 assists. Right behind him is senior Parker Toumie who has 30 points.

Sophomore goaltender, Dryden McKay, has had a big season in net for MSU. He’s played in 31 games thus far and holds a record of 24-3-1 and is stopping 93.9% of his shots.

The Mavericks will play the Chargers on Friday and Saturday at home.

The women’s team will conclude its season on the road this upcoming weekend against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Mavericks are entering play with a record of 11-16-6 and have a conference record of 4-14-4.

For the Gophers, they are having a big season and are holding an impressive record of 25-5-3. Minnesota has done well when they play at home, going 12-2-1 in those games. The Gophers currently are tied for third in the rankings for women’s hockey.

Historically, the Gophers have gotten the better end of the Mavericks. All-time, the Mavericks hold a 3-91-3 record and have lost their previous 46 games against the Gophers. 

In two home games this season, MSU lost by a combined score of 13-1. In the last meeting in December, the Mavericks lost 4-0 in a neutral site battle.

There are many players on the Gophers roster who can put up goals in a hurry for the team. There are three players who have over 30 points, those being Grace Zumwinkle (38), Sarah Potomak (37) and Taylor Heise (35). Zumwinkle is the leading goal scorer for the team with 20.

With the many options on Minnesota’s roster, they are averaging 3.8 goals per season and are allowing just 1.6.

As for Minnesota State, they are scoring 2.1 goals per game and giving up 2.9. Sophomore Anna Wilgren is the team’s leading point leader with 23, gaining most of them from her team-high 18 assists. Freshman Kelsey King follows her with 21 points and senior Emily Antony is the newest Maverick to reach the 20-point club.

This will conclude the Mavericks regular season ahead of the WCHA Quarterfinals.

Header photo: Minnesota State forward Brooke Bryant (17) scores a goal during a game against University of Minnesota Duluth at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)