MANKATO, Minn. -– Last time Josh Groll scored a goal in a Mason Cup final, it didn’t count. Groll’s overtime goal in the Mason Cup final against Bemidji State in 2022 was infamously overturned, despite the fact that the trophy had already been presented to his Minnesota State team and both teams were in their … Read more
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced the final four candidates for this year’s Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014. A watch list of 32 was reduced to 10 semifinalists and now, with playoffs underway, the final four have been chosen: Michigan State sophomore Trey … Read more
The unique nature of this season’s CCHA Mason Cup playoffs are not lost on Luke Strand. The Minnesota State boss finds himself in a somewhat strange position for a college hockey head coach: Being out of an at-large position in the Pairwise rankings but still knowing with 100% certainty that his team is still going … Read more
The Mavericks will host St. Thomas in the CCHA championship game but the league’s automatic qualifier is already decided.
The CCHA has announced that Minnesota State junior goaltender Alex Tracy is the conference’s 2024-25 player of the year. A Mike Richter Award semifinalist, he has been one of the top netminders in college hockey this season. Tracy played in 25 of Minnesota State’s 26 conference games, going 17-5-3 with a 1.43 goals-against average and … Read more
Three Minnesota State players have earned year-end CCHA awards for the 2024-25 season. Evan Murr is defenseman of the year, Alex Tracy is the goaltender of the year and Rhett Pitlick is the forward of the year. Murr paced CCHA blueliners with 22 points in 26 CCHA games, scoring five goals with 17 assists. Amassing … Read more
The CCHA has announced three year-end award winners for the 2024-25 season. Bemidji State’s Jackson Jutting has been named defensive forward of the year, Michigan Tech’s Chase Pietila was voted defensive defenseman of the year and Michigan Tech’s Elias Jansson has claimed rookie of the year honors. Jutting was co-defensive forward of the year last … Read more
Once you get to the semifinal round of college hockey’s conference tournament season, it’s a pretty decent guess that most of the teams left are playing their best hockey of the season. After all, teams that win best-two-of-three series generally don’t luck into winning those playoff series. It takes hard work to beat a team … Read more
The CCHA has announced its all-rookie team and all-CCHA first and second teams for the 2024-25 season. CCHA All-Rookie Team F: Jakub Altrichter, Northern Michigan F: Elias Jansson, Michigan Tech F: Logan Morrell, Michigan Tech D: Rylan Brown, Michigan Tech D: Isa Parekh, Bemidji State G: Rorke Applebee, Lake Superior State All-CCHA First Team F: Liam Malmquist, … Read more
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced its men’s players of the month for February. Clarkson senior forward Ayrton Martino is player of the month, while co-rookies of the month are Harvard forward Mick Thompson and Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson and Minnesota State junior goalie Alex Tracy is goaltender of the month. Martino averaged 2.25 … Read more
Michigan Tech sophomore defenseman Chase Pietila has signed a three-year, entry-level NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pietila was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft and appeared in 76 games for the Huskies over the past two seasons, tallying 44 points on 10 goals and 34 assists. … Read more
Minnesota State’s first goal is complete. The Mavericks clinched the CCHA’s regular-season title two weeks ago with a sweep of Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. They celebrated with the MacNaughton Cup in the visitors’ locker room at Taffy Abel Arena, then brought the cup back with them to Mankato, Minn., where they … Read more
The CCHA has announced that Minnesota State junior goaltender Alex Tracy as the conference’s 2024-25 student-athlete of the year, as voted on by the faculty athletics representatives from each member school. A native of Chicago, Tracy is a finance major with a 3.93 cumulative grade point average. Named to the Dean’s List and CCHA scholar-athlete … Read more
Bob Daniels knows his Ferris State team will be opening the 2025 Mason Cup playoffs on the road. Considering how well the Bulldogs seem to have played away from Big Rapids, Mich. — they’re 6-8-0 on the road compared to 5-8-2 at home — that’s just fine with Daniels. “We could finish as high as … Read more
Augustana’s first full season as CCHA members is turning out better than most outsiders could have expected. It’s been pretty clear since they started conference play that they were going to be one of the teams to beat in the conference, and have spent much of the season’s second half fighting a handful of teams … Read more
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced the semifinalists for this year’s Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014. Ten goaltenders have been chosen by a panel of voters from across the hockey community. The panel includes coaches from each conference as well as members of … Read more
College hockey is, almost more than anything, a game of momentum. The best teams have the ability to string together wins–even ones in which maybe they aren’t the better team on the night. For Minnesota State, finding ways to win a couple in a row had been eluding the Mavericks in the second half of … Read more
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced its men’s hockey monthly award winners for Jan. 2025. The three co-players of the month are Army West Point sophomore defenseman Mac Gadowsky, Arizona State senior forward Ryan Kirwan and Minnesota junior forward Jimmy Snuggerud, rookie of the month is Michigan Tech goaltender Ryan Manzella, and co-goaltenders of the … Read more
Bowling Green picked the best time to be playing its best hockey. Since being swept in their road series against Minnesota State on Dec. 6-7 in Mankato, Minn., the Falcons have turned the corner. They’ve lost just once in regulation since then (a 4-3 decision against Ferris State in Big Rapids in January) and have … Read more
Last weekend’s series at Slater Family Ice Arena in Bowling Green was a feast for goaltending fans. Occupying the nets across from one another were the No. 1 and No. 2 goalies in the nation in save percentage in Augustana’s Josh Kotai (.950) and Bowling Green’s Christian Stoever (.948). Fittingly, only three goals were scored … Read more