Men’s D-I: Minnesota State

Previewing the 2023 NCAA hockey tournament, Fargo Regional: Minnesota, St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Canisius

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FARGO REGIONAL When: Thursday, March 23 & Saturday, March 25 Where: Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D. Matchups (all times Eastern): St. Cloud State vs. Minnesota State, March 23, 5 p.m., ESPNU; Minnesota vs. Canisius, March 23, 9 p.m., ESPN2; championship, March 25, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU 1. MINNESOTA How they got here: At-large bid Overall season record: … Read more

Minnesota State engineers late comeback to win second consecutive CCHA playoff championship

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MANKATO, Minn. – It wouldn’t be a conference title game in Mankato without some drama. At the end of the regular season, Minnesota State and Michigan Tech played an eventful final five minutes for the MacNaughton Cup that featured a penalty shot and a controversial goal review. Minnesota State won that game 3-2 and took … Read more

CCHA names Michigan Tech’s Pietila top goalie, Minnesota State’s Silye best forward, Minnesota State’s Livingstone top ‘D,’ Michigan Tech’s Kukkonen rookie of year

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The CCHA continued naming 2022-23 award winners Wednesday. Michigan Tech senior Blake Pietila has been unanimously selected as the CCHA goaltender of the year, while Minnesota State junior David Silye has been named the CCHA forward of the year, Minnesota State junior Jake Livingstone is CCHA defenseman of the year for the second consecutive season, … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Northern Michigan, Minnesota State up for challenge Saturday with winner getting conference title, NCAA tournament autobid

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Since Grant Potulny’s first season in Marquette in 2017-18, Northern Michigan has twice played in a conference championship game. In 2018, the second-place Wildcats hosted Upper Peninsula archrivals Michigan Tech in the WCHA championship game. A sold-out crowd at the Berry Events Center saw the Huskies shut out the Wildcats 2-0. NMU returned to the … Read more

CCHA announces all-conference first, second teams for 2022-23 campaign with Michigan Tech, Minnesota State each boasting three players each

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The CCHA has announced the 2022-23 all-CCHA first and second teams. Six players from four different programs have been recognized on the first team, while six players from six different programs have been recognized in the second team. Forwards Ryland Mosley (Michigan Tech), David Silye (Minnesota State) and Austen Swankler (Bowling Green) are joined by … Read more

Six players from four different schools named to 2022-23 CCHA all-rookie team

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The CCHA has announced the 2022-23 all-rookie team with six players from four different programs recognized. Forwards Kyle Kukkonen (Michigan Tech), Joey Larson (Northern Michigan) and Lleyton Roed (Bemidji State) were joined by defensemen Dalton Norris (Bowling Green) and Josh Zinger (Northern Michigan), as well as goaltender Beni Halasz (Northern Michigan). All year-end awards were … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: With Mason Cup playoffs on tap, teams want conference postseason win to get NCAA tournament bid

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After a CCHA campaign unlike any other came down to, quite literally, the final minute and a half of the regular season, it’s almost hard to believe the playoffs are starting this weekend. Minnesota State ended up winning the MacNaughton Cup – their sixth in a row – with just a tiny bit of drama … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: MacNaughton Cup winner coming down to weekend series between Minnesota State, Michigan Tech

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Head-to-head, winner-takes-all matchups between the top two teams in the conference in the regular season’s final weekend don’t happen all the time. But when they do, they should be savored. In the past decade, we’ve seen this happen once before in the race for the MacNaughton Cup. The last time it happened – the 2019-20 … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: With most playoff spots still up for grabs, ‘there’s just so much on the line right now’

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It always feels like this. In the 10 years I’ve spent covering the old WCHA, then the new WCHA, and now finally the new CCHA, it can often feel like I’m writing the same story every year at the season’s end: Nothing is decided, and everyone is pretty close. Michigan Tech leads Minnesota State by … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Dissecting conference’s contenders, pretenders with ’22-23 second half approaching

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It’s that time of year again. I’m not talking about the holidays. I’m talking about the end of the first half of the college hockey season, when my editors generously let me write a thousand or so words where I get to pretend like I’m Nostradamus. And, if you’ve been following the CCHA at all … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Minnesota State, Bemidji State weekend rivalry games have implications on conference standings

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It’s a holiday tradition unlike any other: Minnesota State versus Bemidji State in mid-December for a chance at first place in the conference at the break. If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s because it’s happened before. It’s unclear if it’s some kind of grand design or just how the schedule has happened to play out, … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Staying in Minnesota for first few series means Minnesota State enjoying a ‘great challenge’

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Minnesota State did the CCHA double a year ago, winning both the regular season and tournament title. The Mavericks were also 20 minutes away from their first NCAA Division I title. While all three of those are certainly in MSU’s sights this season, there’s another, more unofficial title the Mavericks can win this season: Minnesota … Read more

CCHA Hockey 2022-23 Season Preview: After successful return in 2021-22, conference teams ready to take next step

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The first season of the CCHA’s return to competition was nearly perfect. We’ll stress the word “nearly” there. Minnesota State came within a period of winning its first-ever national title, leading Denver 1-0 going into the third period of the NCAA championship game before ultimately losing 5-1. That, of course, wasn’t the way the Mavericks … Read more

Minnesota State first in 2022-23 CCHA coaches poll; Mavericks’ Furry preseason player of year, NMU’s Larson preseason top rookie

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Minnesota State has been selected by the CCHA head coaches to win the MacNaughton Cup, which is awarded to the regular-season champion, in the 2022-23 preseason coaches poll. The defending champions and Frozen Four finalists also won the 2022 Mason Cup as the league’s tournament winners. The Mavericks collected six first-place votes and totaled 69 … Read more

Former NAHL, USHL coach Lonke joins Minnesota State men’s hockey staff as Mavericks’ goaltending coach

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Minnesota State has announced that Cory Lonke is joining the men’s hockey staff as goaltending coach. Lonke spent the 2021-22 season in the same role with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. In addition, Lonke was the goaltending coach for the NAHL’s Austin Bruins in 2020-21 and served as an assistant coach with the NAHL’s Minot … Read more

Minnesota State’s McKay adds more honors, named USA Hockey Jim Johannson College Player of the Year for ’21-22

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Minnesota State goalie Dryden McKay closed out his senior season in dominant fashion, becoming the first Maverick in program history and the first goaltender since 2001 to win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Last week, he was also named the USA Hockey Jim Johannson College Player of the Year. The Downers Grove, Ill., native capped … Read more

Hobey Baker foundation stands by choice of McKay as 2022 award winner, even after doping violation brought to light

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Earlier this week, Minnesota State senior goalie and 2022 Hobey Baker Award winner Dryden McKay received a six-month anti-doping suspension for a banned substance found in a contaminated vitamin supplement. In a statement, the USADA said that McKay tested positive for ostarine as the result of a sample collected on January 23, 2022, at McKay’s … Read more

Hobey Baker winner, Minnesota State record-holder McKay selected 2021-22 USCHO.com player of the year

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Already the 2022 Hobey Baker Award winner as the top college hockey player in 2021-22, Minnesota State senior goaltender Dryden McKay has been named the USCHO.com player of the year. McKay, a three-time All-American went 38-5-0 record this season with a 1.31 GAA, .931 save percentage and 10 shutouts. McKay’s 38 wins this year led … Read more