Well-traveled Ward, who has junior, NCAA, NHL background, named associate head coach at Minnesota State

Minnesota State has announced the hiring of Troy G. Ward as associate head coach with the Mavericks. Ward comes to Minnesota State after spending the 2022-23 season with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers as general manager. “Troy brings an element to our staff that is one of high-end experience,” said Minnesota State head coach Luke … Read more

Longtime Minnesota State assistant Knott passes on Mavericks’ head coach opening

Minnesota State associate head coach Todd Knott has declined an opportunity to become Minnesota State’s next head men’s hockey coach, according to Mavericks director of athletics Kevin Buisman. Knott, who just finished his 15th season on the Mavericks staff, was elevated to associate head coach in 2018. Earlier this season he was named the Terry … Read more

Minnesota State’s Pavel leaves Mavericks after junior season, signs NHL deal with Avalanche

Minnesota State junior forward Ondrej Pavel has signed with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. In signing the contract, Pavel foregoes his senior season with Minnesota State. Pavel, a Prague, Czech Republic native who appeared in 94 games as a Maverick, recording 18 goals, 23 assists and 41 career points, played on three MacNaughton Cup championship teams, … Read more

Hirose leaves Minnesota State back end after three seasons, inks NHL contract with Canucks

Minnesota State junior defenseman Akito Hirose has signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. In signing the NHL deal, Hirose foregoes his senior year in Mankato, Minn. This past season, Hirose finished the season with four goals and 23 assists for 27 points. Additionally, he was a second team all-CCHA member. Hirose, who appeared in 104 … Read more

Minnesota State’s Livingstone signs NHL deal with Predators, foregoes senior year with Mavericks

Minnesota State junior defenseman Jake Livingstone has signed with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Livingstone gives up his senior season with the Mavericks. This past year, Livingstone, who was a first team all-CCHA member and the league’s defenseman of the year (an award he also won in 2022), tallied eight goals and 27 assists for 35 … Read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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’

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