Mavericks to make their last home stand in the regular season
After a series split against Michigan Tech, the Minnesota State men’s hockey team is back at home to face the Lake Superior State Lakers this weekend.
The Mavericks are looking for a crucial win as the MacNaughton Cup is up for grabs next weekend. The Mavs are trying to win their seventh consecutive title (Mavericks hold record with six).
After their series split, the Mavericks have a 15-11-4 overall record, and a 11-7-2 conference record. This places them second in the CCHA with 35 points, two behind conference leaders Bemidji State.
The Lakers have a 13-17-1 overall record, and a 9-11-1 conference record, which places them sixth in the CCHA with 28 points.
The last time these two teams faced off, the Mavs swept the Lakers in two close games. First by winning 2-0 in the overtime shootout , and beating them 4-3 the next day.
The Mavs have been on a good run of form lately, winning seven of their last 12 games. They are peaking at the right time looking to make a push for the number one spot in the CCHA.
The Lakers haven’t been in the best form. They have managed only four wins in their last 12 games, but managed to end their three-game losing streak by splitting their series against Augustanna last weekend.
Hobey Baker Nominee Sam Morton will be the forward to watch for the Mavs as he still leads the CCHA in goals (20), shots (127) and total faceoff wins (635).
Morton was named CCHA forward of the month in January and slipped to ninth in Division I with 20 goals. Morton has accumulated 30 points thus far, only trailing behind Lake Superior State’s Jared Wescott (31) in the CCHA.
Five Maverick players have accumulated 20 plus points so far this season- Morton (30), Lucas Sowder (23), Evan Murr (22), Kaden Bohlsen (21) and Adam Eisele (20).
“I think our depth scoring has grown a little, we’re getting some balance.” Stated head coach Luke Strand during a press conference on the Mavericks YouTube channel.
Goaltender Alex Tracy continues an impressive second year with the Mavs, averaging 2.34 goals against (second) and a 0.912 save percentage (fifth).
Tracy made 48 saves against 52 shots in his last outing against Michigan Tech.
The Lakers haven’t been impressive on the road season. They have a losing 5-10 record so far, averaging 3.00 goals and 29.2 shots per game.
The Lakers will look to senior Wescott and sophomore Connor Milburn as both players have combined for 58 points so far this season.
Wescott has had a great year, leading the CCHA with 31 points and leading the Lakers in goals (16) and assists (15).
Milburn has 12 goals and dished out 15 assists for 27 points (second on squad). Milburn’s plus-10 rating is the best on the squad, and ties him for third best in the CCHA.
First-year defensemen Jack Blanchett was named as CCHA Defensemen of the week Monday. Blanchett scored the game winning goal against Augustana Friday.
Goaltender Ethan Langenegger averages 2.94 goals against and holds a 0.905 save percentage so far this season.
“They’ve got a well balanced team, and play a good brand of hockey together,” said Strand. “They’re opportunistic and we want to make sure that we do our job so that they’re not able to get loose, and we have to take advantage of those opportunities that way.”
With four games remaining and the postseason coming, the Mavs will look to close their season on a high and set up a dominant run.
This weekend’s games will be held at the Mayo Health Civic Center at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 6:07 p.m. Saturday.
“We’ve got to take care of Friday, ” said Strand. “We’ve got to attack Friday like it’s do or die time.”
Header Photo: The Minnesota State men’s hockey team will host Lake Superior State Friday and Saturday in what will be their final home series of the season. (Dylan Long/The Reporter)
Write to Ahmed Hassan at ahmed.hassan.4@mnsu.edu