Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey
College ice hockey team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Mavericks compete in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).[2] Their home arena is the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center located in downtown Mankato, Minnesota.[3]
| Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
 | |
| University | Minnesota State University |
| Conference | CCHA |
| First season | 1969–70 |
| Head coach | Luke Strand 2nd season, 45–24–7 (.638) |
| Assistant coaches |
|
| Arena | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center Mankato, Minnesota |
| Colors | Purple and gold[1] |
| NCAA Tournament championships | |
| DII: 1980 | |
| NCAA Tournament Runner-up | |
| DI: 2022 DII: 1979 DIII: 1991 | |
| NCAA Tournament Frozen Four | |
| DI: 2021, 2022 DII: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 DIII: 1986, 1990, 1991 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| DI: 2003, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 DII: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 DIII: 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| WT:[a] 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980 WCHA: 2014, 2015, 2019 CCHA: 2022, 2023, 2025 | |
| Conference regular season championships | |
| NCHA: 1981, 1986, 1987, 1991 WCHA: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 CCHA: 2022, 2023, 2025 | |
| Current uniform | |
| |
History
Summarize
Perspective
Early beginnings: 1930s–1940s
In the early 1930s, students at Minnesota State, then Mankato State Teachers College (MSTC), first expressed interest in forming a hockey team to represent the university. The first hockey team at MSTC was formed in 1935, sponsored by faculty member Al Theide, who also coached the team.[4] The 1935 squad played a few games against local community teams and other colleges before disbanding at the end of the school year.
Interest in forming a new team remained throughout the mid-to-late 1930s. In 1939, MSTC student Nic Schultz put out an ad in the MSTC school newspaper calling students interested in hockey to meet with him to create a team.[5] After this, Schultz contacted MSTC Athletic Coordinator C. P. Blakeslee and convinced him to allow the newly formed team to borrow some of the MSTC football team’s equipment to play in.[6] The team did not have many resources, relying on donated sticks and skates and using old magazines as shin guards.[6][7] They did not have any practices, with all their ice time coming in the team’s five games played against local community teams, mostly in the Mankato area.[8] Their first game came against the North Mankato Juniors in a 3-7 loss.[9] The 1939 team had no home ice rink, nor did they even have a head coach. The team ended their first season with a record of 1-4, with their lone win coming against Madison Lake.[8]
At the beginning of the 1940 season, the team was approached by MSTC Health Education Professor W. E. Cushman who offered to coach the team.[6] The team gained more legitimacy and donated money to purchase lumber for the construction of a practice rink formed by flooding the MSTC football field.[6] Cushman would coach the team as a player-coach for the next two seasons as the Indians played more local teams and finished around .500. After the 1941 season, the team disbanded. Throughout the 1940s, interest remained in re-forming a team, though nothing materialized.
Increasing interest in hockey: 1950s–1960s
Interest remained high for the formation of a MSTC Indians hockey team in the early-to-mid 1950s. Creating a team became an annual conversation within the university with the occasional game scheduled against local community teams, though nothing substantial formed due to a lack of personnel.[10] In late 1956, a group of MSTC students met with the athletics board to discuss the addition of intercollegiate hockey. While the request was once again denied, the school agreed to the formation of an intramural hockey organization within the school. Several students from the intramural teams competed in extramural events against local community teams and Gustavus Adolphus College.[11] Throughout the late 1950s, multiple petitions were submitted to the school regarding the creation of an intercollegiate hockey team, though all were rejected, chiefly due to a lack of funding and equipment.
In 1959, MSTC, now Mankato State College (MSC), saw their best opportunity for the creation of a hockey team since the 1940s. As part of an annual “Snow Day Celebration”, the school formed an official hockey team and played one officially sanctioned intercollegiate game against Gustavus Adolphus College as part of the Snow Day events. The school advertised that if interest in the event was high, there would be a possibility of a permanent intercollegiate hockey team for the school.[12] A few hundred spectators attended the Snow Day game as the Indians lost to the Gusties 0-4.[13] This event marked MSC’s first official intercollegiate game since the 1940s.[12] Afterwards, the university newspaper reported that the interest in hockey indicated the possibility of a team within a few seasons or less.[13] This ended up not being the case as the school once again declined to create a team due to a lack of funding and soon removed the intramural team as well. That did not last long though, as by 1963, the school once again permitted intramural teams after petitioning by students.
In late 1965, the school selected the best players from each intramural team to form an extramural team. This team was coached by Physical Education Instructor Don Brose and played local community teams and other colleges, compiling a 1-5 record in their first season, with several closely contested losses.[14] Throughout the late 1960s, the extramural team gained popularity and saw more success on the ice. The extramural Indians continued playing many different colleges from Minnesota as a large part of their schedule, often playing games against those schools' varsity teams. Finally, in early 1968, MSC approved a re-allocation of funds which allowed the school to form an official NCAA intercollegiate hockey team.[15] The 1968-69 season was the last season for the extramural hockey team at MSC before they elevated the team at the start of the 1969-70 season.
Beginning the Don Brose Era in Division II: 1969–1984
The Mankato State College Indians men's ice hockey team commenced play as a varsity sport in 1969-70.[16] For monetary reasons, the school was not able to play home games in an indoor ice rink, instead opting to build an outdoor rink. At the time, schools with outdoor ice rinks were viewed to be at a competitive disadvantage. For this reason, head coach Don Brose decided the team would compete independent of conference affiliation, as most of the teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference had indoor rinks, thus putting MSC at a distinct disadvantage in conference play.[15] The team competed in the NCAA College Division and played their first varsity games against the St. Cloud State Huskies. The Indians' first goal was scored by Jim Lang, though the team lost in a two game sweep.[17] The team rebounded soon after, earning their first win against the Stout State Blue Devils, a game in which MSC's Dave Kramer scored the team's first ever hat trick.[17] The Indians first season was relatively uneventful, as the team finished with a 5-8-1 record. The Indians saw a great improvement in their second season as they only lost two games, en route to a 15-2-1 record, though they did not qualify for the NCAA playoffs.[17] The next several years of Indian hockey were relatively uneventful, though the team did transition into Division II after the 1973 split of the NCAA College Division was split into Division II and Division III.
In 1974, the Indians finally got their long-awaited indoor rink, with the construction of All Seasons Arena a few blocks away from campus.[17] During various seasons in the 1970s and early 1980s, NCAA Division II decided to hold a Western Tournament for the independent hockey teams to assist in the NCAA's selection of teams for the Division II men's ice hockey tournament. Though the winner of this tournament was not guaranteed to be selected to the national tournament, the NCAA did give extra consideration to the winner of the tournament.[18] The 1974-75 Indians won the tournament with a two-game sweep of Chicago Circle, though they were not selected for the national tournament. The next season, the 1975-76 Indians once again found themselves the champions of the Western Tournament with a 5-2 victory over Hamline, though the NCAA once again decided not to choose the Indians for the national tournament.[17] In 1977, Mankato State College, now Mankato State University (MSU), changed the name of all its sports teams from the Indians to the Mavericks.[19] The 1977 Western Tournament saw the Mavericks finish as runners-up, though the NCAA finally selected the team to compete in their first national tournament after several snubs in previous seasons. The Mavericks finished third place in their first national tournament.[17] The 1979 Western Tournament proved to be a strange one. After the first sudden-death overtime, the Mavericks were tied with the Chicago Circle Flames at 4-4. Given the opportunity to continue playing, the head coaches of both teams came together and jointly decided to end the game at a 4-4 tie with the thought that the NCAA would need to choose both teams for the national tournament if neither team won.[20] Thus, both teams claimed joint shares of the Western Tournament Championship.[17] This strategy proved to be successful, as both the Mavericks and Flames were chosen to the national tournament. The Mavericks would go on to improve their previous season's finish as they ended as runners-up in the 1979 tournament after falling to UMass Lowell 4-6 in the final.[17] The 1979-80 season proved to be one of the Mavericks' most successful to date. The team finished the season 26-9-1 after the regular season and easily coasted to a Western Tournament championship with a 14 goal victory over St. Scholastica. The Mavs were selected to the 1980 national tournament as the third seeded team and played their first game against UMass Lowell, avenging last season's loss with a 8-1 victory. The championship game was against Elmira, in which the Mavs quickly gained a 3-0 lead, then finished off the game to win 5-2 and claim their first national championship. Following the 1979-80 season, several schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota met to create the NCHA, thus ending the Mavericks 11 season streak as an Independent.[21] The 1980-81 proved to be another successful season, with the Mavericks finishing first in the NCHA and finishing third in the national tournament.[17] The Mavericks would qualify for the national tournament in the next two seasons, falling in the quarterfinal round both times. At the end of the 1982-83 season, Don Brose left the team on a sabbatical to study new hockey techniques in Sweden. Brad Reeves took over for the 1983-84 season, in which the Mavericks finished 11-7 and failed to qualify for the national tournament for the first time since 1977.[22]
Division III, II, and efforts for Division I: 1984–1996
Following the 1983-84 season, the NCHA re-classified as a Division III conference, thus moving the Mavericks to Division III. The Mavericks would see some success at the Division III level, winning the NCHA conference three times and qualifying for the national tournament in five of eight seasons. The Mavs would reach the Division III Frozen Four three times, ending as national runners-up in 1991 following a 2-6 loss to UW – Stevens Point.[17]
In the fall of 1991, funding was approved for a new civic center and arena in downtown Mankato. This arena had a much higher capacity than All Seasons Arena and would be above the capacity requirements for a Division I team.[23] In January 1992, MSU announced its intention to move to Division I in hockey. The move was praised by students and the move seemed to be imminent after reporting from The MSU Reporter and statements from MSU President Margaret Preska, with approval a mere formality.[23] Despite this, on September 30, 1992, the Minnesota State University Board denied Mankato State's request and unanimously voted that the school had violated the State Board as they did not look for the board's input on the move. The decision was very demoralizing for the school's leadership and its students and was widely panned, with some MSU leaders calling the decision a power move to exert control over the school, as they said the State Board was biased and did not legitimately consider the request.[24] Not only did the decision end MSU's Division I hopes, but it also put the entire hockey program into jeopardy. By NCAA rules, Division III schools are not allowed to give out scholarships, yet, anticipating the approval to move to Division I, MSU had given out three scholarships to its hockey players for the 1992-1993 season. This meant that MSU could not compete in Division III. Without a division, MSU was forced to consider moving to Division II, which did allow scholarships, in order to keep the program going. A move to Division II was seen as a big blow to the program because, despite being a division higher, Division II was viewed as lesser than Division III in hockey due to Division II's issues with scheduling and lack of a Division II national tournament.[24] To make matters worse, a few days later, MSU's new planned hockey arena was put into jeopardy as well, as the Mankato City Council started exploring budget cuts to the new civic center's funding which involved removing the hockey arena from the plans.[25] Regardless, MSU had no choice other than to make the move to Division II for the upcoming season.
Without a conference in Division II, MSU opened the season as an Independent once again on October 20, 1992. The Mavs first season in Division II was disappointing, as the team played an exceptionally tough schedule, facing many Division I teams due to scheduling issues caused by a lack of Division II teams to play. The 1992-93 season would be their first losing season since 1973-74, and just their third losing season in school history.[17] One bright spot did come after the 1992 elections when the Mankato City Council approved the addition of a hockey arena in the new civic center.
On July 17, 1995, MSU was approached by a local business group with a plan to go to move to Division I. The plan involved new details on funding and financials related to the viability of a Division I hockey team in Mankato and provided new methods for the Mavericks to generate revenue, including new hockey memberships, season ticket packages, and advertisement deals in the new Mankato Civic Center they were set to move into at the start of the 1995-1996 season.[26] As the Minnesota State University Board had since been dissolved, the proposal was to be presented to the newly formed Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system for approval. On December 20, 1995, the proposal was approved and the Mavericks were set to join Division I starting in the 1996-97 season.[27] The decision saw widespread praise and an outpouring of support from the community as the Mavericks saw an immediate increase in ticket sales and revenue following the announcement.[28]
Ending the Don Brose Era in Division I: 1996–2000
The Mavericks would open their first Division I series against Ferris State, splitting the series to earn their first Division I win with a 5-4 victory in overtime.[17] Part of the original 1995 business plan involved a requirement for the Mavericks to join the WCHA within 1-2 years of joining Division I.[26] After several meetings with the WCHA in 1996, the Mavericks saw interest from the WCHA, though little assurances about whether or not they would be permitted to join.[29][30] The Mavericks' first season in Division I was successful, as they finished with a winning record of 17-14-3.[17] On June 10, 1997, the Mavericks would take their first step toward joining the WCHA. Due to Northern Michigan's departure from the WCHA, the conference was left with one empty spot for their 1998 Conference Tournament. Due to this opening, the WCHA would offer MSU the opportunity to participate as the lowest seed in the tournament.[31] The Mavs would end up losing the series 0-2 to North Dakota,[17] however, they wouldn't have to wait much longer to join the conference. Following an April 1998 presentation to the WCHA by the MSU Athletics Department, the WCHA extended an offer to Mankato State, now Minnesota State University, Mankato, to join the conference beginning in the 1999-2000 season.[32] The 1999 WCHA Tournament would be the Mavs' last game as a Independent Division I team. They would finish with a record of 50-47-14 in their three seasons as an Independent.[17]
Their first season in the WCHA was relatively successful as they would finish with a winning record of 21-14-4. On February 14, 2000, Don Brose announced his retirement, stating that he would be ending his long tenure after the current season.[33] The 2000 WCHA Tournament would be his final games coaching in Mankato, with Brose winning WCHA Coach of the Year in his final season. Brose ended with a record of 540-363-79 in official NCAA play, good for the 7th most coaching wins of all time at his retirement, leading the Mavericks to a winning record in 24 of his 29 full seasons as the Mavs' head coach. Brose coached the Mavs to 11 national tournaments, two second place finishes, and the 1980 Division II National Championship.[33]
The Troy Jutting Era: 2000–2012
Following Don Brose's retirement, he immediately endorsed assistant coach Troy Jutting as his replacement.[33] Just a few weeks later on March 27, 2000, MSU announced that they had officially hired Troy Jutting as the third head coach of the Minnesota State Mavericks hockey team.[17]
Jutting's first two seasons as head coach were mixed, finishing with a combined 35-38-3 record and two losing records in conference play. The next season would prove to be the Mavs' most successful season in Division I up to that point. Led by Second Team All-Americans Shane Joseph and Grant Stevenson, the Mavericks finished with an overall record of 20-11-10 and a 15-6-7 record in WCHA play, with Jutting winning WCHA Coach of the Year.[17] The Mavs beat Wisconsin in the first round of the WCHA playoffs to capture their first WCHA playoff series win and advanced to the WCHA Final Five the next week. Despite getting swept in the WCHA Final Five, the Mavericks were selected to their first Division I national tournament in program history, losing to Cornell 2-5.[17]
Following their successful 2002-03 season, the Mavericks saw a sharp decrease in play. The 2003-04 season saw the Mavericks lose 24 games, the most losses in a season by the Mavericks to date. In the nine seasons following the 2002-03 season, the Mavericks finished with a losing record in eight of them. The 2007-08 season saw the Mavericks finish with a modest success as they ended the season fourth in the WCHA. The Mavericks would fail to win another WCHA playoff series in any of these seasons. In 2005, Grant Stevenson made his debut with the San Jose Sharks, making him the first former Maverick to play in the NHL, and the 2008 NHL Playoffs saw Ryan Carter become the first former Maverick to win a Stanley Cup. In 2010, former Maverick David Backes became the first Minnesota State player to play at the Olympics, winning a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
After another 24 loss campaign in the 2011-12 season, the Mavericks announced their decision to remove Troy Jutting as head coach. Jutting would be re-assigned as an administrative assistant to Minnesota State University, Mankato president Richard Davenport.[34] The university cited declining attendance as one factor for Jutting's oust, with attendance down about 1,300 spectators per game over the last three seasons and the Mavericks being the lowest attended WCHA team in the 2011-12 season. Additionally, the school stated a desire to re-invent their team with the impending conference realignment.[35] Jutting would finish his tenure as Mavericks head coach with a record of 184-225-55 in twelve seasons. Of those twelve seasons, three of the would be winning seasons, with Jutting getting WCHA Coach of the Year honors in two of them.
The Mike Hastings Era: 2012–2023
On April 14, 2012, the Mavericks announced that they had hired Omaha assistant coach Mike Hastings as the fourth head coach in program history.[36] Following the announcement, the team saw a renewed interest from the public, with an increase in the number of tickets sold.[37] As part of Hastings's hire, the school made commitments to upgrade the facilities at the Civic Center which would allow the team to house all their practices and operations at the Civic Center, rather than the outdated All-Seasons Arena.[38] The Hastings hire would immediately prove to be a successful one, with the Mavericks finishing 24-14-3 in their first season under his direction. The team would win their First Round WCHA Tournament series, their first WCHA Tournament series win since 2003. Following this, the Mavericks qualified for their second Division I National Tournament, losing to Miami 0-4.
Following the 2012-13 season, Division I college hockey saw a large conference realignment, which left the Mavericks in the WCHA with an almost completely new slate of conference opponents. The Mavericks capitalized on this, finishing second in the WCHA and winning the WCHA Conference Tournament over Ferris State 4-1. This marked their first conference tournament championship since the 1980 Western Regional Tournament championship, and their first true conference tournament championship in team history. The Mavericks would play in the national tournament the next week, losing to UMass Lowell 1-2. The Mavericks would follow this season up with a very successful 2014-15 campaign which saw them finish 29-8-3. On January 12, 2015, the Mavericks were ranked #1 in the USCHO poll for the first time in school history.[39] The Mavericks would claim both the WCHA regular season championship and conference tournament championship, their first time winning both in the same season. Following this, the Mavericks played in their third consecutive national tournament, this time as the overall #1 seed. Shockingly, the Mavericks would lose to RIT 1-2 in the first round, marking one of the largest upsets in Division I National Tournament history. After the 2015 season, the Mavericks gave Hastings a four-year contract extension. Hastings's first three seasons in Mankato culminated in a 79-36-7 record and a Spencer Penrose Award for him in the 2015 season.[40]
To begin the 2015-16 season, the Mavericks unveiled their new improvements to the Mayo Clinic HSEC, including new video boards and a new hockey center and training facility attached to the building. These improvements to their facilities allowed the team to move their operations into the Mayo Clinic HSEC full-time and gave the Mavericks some of the best hockey facilities in the WCHA.[41] Despite winning the WCHA regular season championship again in 2016, the Mavericks would fail to qualify for the national tournament in both 2016 and 2017, though in 2016, forward Matt Leitner became the first Maverick to be named a First-Team All-American. Following the 2016-17 season, the university announced that it was in negotiations to extend the contract of head coach Mike Hastings by 10 years, providing its coach with the longest contract term in all of Division I men's hockey at that point. In addition to the contract extension, the university said it would invest further resources into the program's recruiting and equipment budgets and work to increase scholarship amounts for players.[40] The Mavericks would head back to the national tournament in 2018 following their third MacNaughton Cup win. They would fall to the Minnesota Duluth by a score of 2-3 in overtime. Following the season, Minnesota State's C. J. Suess was named as a First Team All-American.
Minnesota State took another step forward in the 2018-19 season, culminating in one of the most thrilling games in team history. Following their fourth WCHA regular season championship, the Mavericks would find themselves in the WCHA Tournament championship game against Bowling Green. With three minutes left, the Mavericks trailed 0-2 and pulled goalie Dryden McKay in a last effort to tie things up. With 1:44 left in the game, sophomore Jake Jaremko scored to cut the Falcons' lead to one. Then, one minute later with just 44 seconds left, sophomore Connor Mackey would score again to tie the game up and send the game into overtime. After less than two minutes of overtime, senior Nick Rivera buried a puck in the net to end the game and pull off one of the most improbable comebacks for MSU. The game was dubbed "The Mankato Miracle" by various local sports announcers and writers.[42] Following this spectacular victory, the Mavericks would head to Providence to play in the national tournament as a #1 seed. Despite leading 3-0 during the game, the Mavericks would fall to #4-seeded host Providence by a score of 3-6, ending their season. This would mark the second time the #1-seeded Mavericks would lose to a #4 seed in the national tournament, thus continuing the chase for their elusive first Division I Tournament victory. The 2019-20 season would mark one of the Mavericks strongest seasons yet as they finished the season with a record of 31-5-2 and won their third consecutive MacNaughton Cup. The Mavericks were ranked as one of the top teams in the nation for most of the season and two of their players, Marc Michaelis and Dryden McKay, would be named as First Team All-Americans. Unfortunately, their campaign would be cut short after the NCAA cancelled the rest of the hockey season in early March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mavericks came back strong for the 2020-21 season. They cruised to their fourth consecutive MacNaughton Cup, though they would fall in the WCHA Conference semifinals to Lake Superior State. Despite this, the Mavericks qualified for the national tournament as a #2 seed in the Loveland Regional, where they would play Quinnipiac. With about 12 minutes left to play, the Mavericks found themselves down 1-3, and it seemed as though they would go yet another year upset by a lower seed in the tournament. Then, with a few minutes left, sophomore Nathan Smith cut the deficit to one, and with 1:02 remaining in the game and star goalie Dryden McKay on the bench, sophomore Cade Borchardt sent the game into overtime. In overtime, sophomore Ryan Sandelin slid a goal into the net to win the game for the Mavericks, finally earning them their first Division I Tournament victory.[43] Two days later, the Mavericks would find themselves facing in-state rival #1-seeded Minnesota for a trip to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh. The Mavericks shut out the Golden Gophers 4-0 in a game they lead nearly the entire time, thus earning themselves a trip to their first Frozen Four in school history.[44] The Mavericks' season would come to an end the next week. Despite leading 4-3 in the 3rd period of the Frozen Four semifinals against St. Cloud, the Mavericks were unable to close out the win, letting the Huskies take the lead with 55 seconds remaining. Head coach Mike Hastings won his second Spencer Penrose Award for the Mavericks' performance. Following this season, the Mavericks, and six other teams formerly in the WCHA, began play in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, restarting the conference after an eight-year hiatus. This move effectively marked the end for men's ice hockey in the WCHA.
The 2021-22 season would mark the Mavericks' most successful campaign to date in Division I. The Mavericks would claim their fifth consecutive conference regular season title and soon found themselves in overtime of the CCHA Tournament championship against Bemidji State. What ensued over the next 90 minutes would be dubbed as one of the most bizarre events in college hockey history. Three minutes into overtime, freshman Josh Groll scored what was believed to be the game-winning goal. Celebrations ensued as the Mavericks held a trophy presentation and skated around the ice with the Mason Cup. Meanwhile, a Bemidji State student watching the game at home noticed on a replay that the puck appeared to go into the net not through the front of the net, but rather underneath the net. If true, this would mean that the goal would not count and the game should have continued. The student sent a video of this to a friend on the team, who then showed it to Bemidji State's coach Tom Serratore in the visiting locker room. Upon seeing the video, Serratore would go back out onto the ice where the Mavericks were still celebrating to show to video to Mike Hastings and CCHA commissioner Don Lucia. The Maverick players would head back to the locker room, though shortly after Lucia called a meeting with Hastings and Serratore to inform them they would review the goal. After it was confirmed as a no-goal, the teams were informed they would need to continue playing. After 79 minutes and a trophy presentation, the CCHA Tournament championship resumed. Just over three minutes later, Minnesota State would score the true game-winning goal, ending the game for real. This series of events sent reverberations throughout the college hockey world and even led the NCAA to clarify that the game must officially end after the referrees leave the ice.[45] Following the wild Mason Cup playoffs, the Mavericks would be given a #1 seed at the Albany regional where they beat Harvard and Notre Dame 4-3 and 1-0 respectively to head to Boston to play in their second Division I Frozen Four against Minnesota. Despite trailing to the Gophers 0-1 after the first period, the Mavericks stormed back to win the game convincingly by a score of 5-1.[46] The Mavericks would face Denver in the championship game. Despite leading 1-0 in the third period, the Mavericks would fall to the Pioneers by a score of 1-5, ending their dream season. Numerous Mavericks took home prestigious awards this season, including goaltender Dryden McKay who won the Hobey Baker and was named a First Team All-American, forward Nathan Smith who was also named a First Team All-American, and head coach Mike Hastings who won his third Spencer Penrose Award.
In the final game of the 2022-23 season, the Mavericks faced off with Michigan Tech to determine who would claim the MacNaughton Cup. With the Huskies trailing by one goal late in the game, Michigan Tech's Kyle Kukonnen scored with 1:06 remaining to tie the game and presumably send it to overtime. Should the game go into overtime, the Huskies would gain one point in the standings and automatically claim the MacNaughton Cup and the top seed in the CCHA. With 45 seconds left, Minnesota State's Andy Carroll scored the game-winner for the Mavericks to take the lead and claim their sixth consecutive MacNaughton Cup.[47] In the CCHA Tournament championship game, the Mavericks found themselves trailing by two goals late in the game to Northern Michigan. Minnesota State pulled their goaltender in hopes of a late comeback. With 2:19 remaining, junior Ondrej Pavel tipped the puck in to cut the deficit to one. Then, with 56 seconds left, freshman Christian Fitzgerald scored again to tie the game up. The game headed into overtime where the Mavericks won in just over a minute on a goal from sophomore Zach Krajnik, claiming their second consecutive Mason Cup.[48] The game immediately drew parallels to "The Miracle in Mankato" just four years prior which also saw the Mavericks overcome a late two goal deficit to win the conference tournament championship at home. The Mavericks would head to Fargo to play in the National Tournament where they would fall to St. Cloud by a score of 0-4. Following the season, head coach Mike Hastings announced he would be leaving Mankato to coach the Wisconsin Badgers. Following this announcement, Minnesota State's top assistant coach Todd Knott, and several Maverick players transferred to Wisconsin to follow Hastings. In all, the Mavericks saw 10 of their 26 players and all of their coaching staff leave the team following the season, throwing the future of Minnesota State hockey into question.[49]
The Luke Strand Era: 2023–present
On April 10, 2023, the Mavericks hired Luke Strand, former Ohio State assistant coach and Sioux City Musketeers head coach, to lead the team.[50] In his first season in Mankato, MSU finished with a record of 18-15-4. The Mavericks took a large leap forward in Strand's second season behind strong performances from junior goaltender Alex Tracy and new transfer Rhett Pitlick. The Mavericks finished as the top team in the CCHA, winning their ninth MacNaughton Cup and third Mason Cup over in-state foe St. Thomas. After a one-year hiatus, the Mavericks qualified for the Division I National Tournament once again where they fell to Western Michigan by a score of 1-2 in overtime.
Season-by-season results
Source:[51]
Coaches
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Perspective
As of April 15, 2024[16]
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–1983, 1984–2000 | Don Brose | 30 | 535–334–78 | .606 |
| 1983–1984 | Brad Reeves | 1 | 16–14–0 | .533 |
| 2000–2012 | Troy Jutting | 12 | 184–224–55 | .457 |
| 2012–2023 | Mike Hastings | 11 | 299–109–25 | .719 |
| 2023–present | Luke Strand | 1 | 18–15–4 | .541 |
| Totals | 5 coaches | 55 seasons | 1052–696–162 | .593 |
Awards and Honors
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NCAA Awards and Honors
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Conference Awards and Honors
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Statistical leaders
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Perspective
Source:[51]
Career points leaders
| Player | Years | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Kern | 1979–1983 | 144 | 129 | 110 | 239 | 90 |
| Pat Carroll | 1981–1985 | 132 | 123 | 101 | 224 | 175 |
| Steve Forliti | 1977–1981 | 136 | 83 | 113 | 196 | 83 |
| John Passolt | 1979–1982 | 106 | 68 | 105 | 173 | 94 |
| Ryan Rintoul | 1994–1998 | 128 | 55 | 114 | 169 | 202 |
| Jon Hill | 1981–1985 | 133 | 63 | 105 | 168 | 178 |
| Greg Larson | 1977–1981 | 147 | 76 | 92 | 168 | 142 |
| Tyler Deis | 1995–1999 | 130 | 90 | 74 | 164 | 309 |
| Aaron Fox | 1996–2000 | 147 | 61 | 103 | 164 | 68 |
| Matt Leitner | 2011–2015 | 158 | 49 | 113 | 162 | 114 |
| Marc Michaelis | 2016–2020 | 148 | 71 | 91 | 162 | 65 |
Career goaltending leaders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Minimum 30 games
| Player | Years | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dryden McKay | 2018–2022 | 140 | 8250 | 113 | 20 | 4 | 201 | 34 | .932 | 1.46 |
| Connor LaCouvee | 2017–2018 | 31 | 1800 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 54 | 3 | .914 | 1.86 |
| Cole Huggins | 2013–2017 | 88 | 4730 | 46 | 27 | 4 | 158 | 11 | .914 | 2.00 |
| Stephon Williams | 2012–2015 | 82 | 4636 | 51 | 24 | 5 | 155 | 10 | .917 | 2.01 |
| Jason Pawloski | 2015–2018 | 45 | 2468 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 87 | 5 | .907 | 2.12 |
Statistics current through the start of the 2021-22 season.
Players
Summarize
Perspective
Current roster
As of August 24, 2024.[52]
| No. | Nat. | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Brett Moravec | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2003-02-26 | Airdrie, Alberta | Penticton Vees (BCHL) | — | |
| 5 | Mason Wheeler | Junior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 2001-09-29 | Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota | Tri-City Storm (USHL) | — | |
| 7 | Luc Wilson | Junior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2001-11-22 | Duncan, British Columbia | Penticton Vees (BCHL) | — | |
| 8 | Campbell Cichosz | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 2001-08-23 | Albert Lea, Minnesota | Anchorage Wolverines (NAHL) | — | |
| 9 | Luigi Benincasa | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 159 lb (72 kg) | 2002-10-07 | Edmonton, Alberta | Ferris State (CCHA) | — | |
| 10 | Evan Murr | Sophomore | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 2003-02-27 | Stillwater, Minnesota | Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) | — | |
| 11 | Tyler Haskins | Junior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2003-07-07 | Rochester, Minnesota | Denver (NCHC) | — | |
| 12 | Josh Groll | Graduate | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 2001-08-09 | San Diego, California | Michigan (Big Ten) | — | |
| 13 | Jordan Power | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2001-07-31 | Ottawa, Ontario | Lincoln Stars (USHL) | — | |
| 14 | Kade Nielsen | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2002-08-06 | Burnsville, Minnesota | Chippewa Steel (NAHL) | — | |
| 15 | Adam Eisele | Junior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2001-07-11 | Lake Elmo, Minnesota | Penticton Vees (BCHL) | — | |
| 16 | Jacob Bonkowski | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2003-08-25 | Richmond, British Columbia | Coquitlam Express (BCHL) | — | |
| 17 | Luke Ashton | Freshman | D | 6' 7" (2.01 m) | 231 lb (105 kg) | 2005-01-21 | North Vancouver, British Columbia | Langley Rivermen (BCHL) | CBJ, 165th overall 2024 | |
| 18 | Jakob Stender | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2002-08-07 | Alexandria, Minnesota | Fargo Force (USHL) | — | |
| 19 | Will Hillman | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 2000-11-22 | Blaine, Minnesota | Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) | — | |
| 21 | Fin Williams | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 2003-04-21 | North Vancouver, British Columbia | Notre Dame (Big Ten) | — | |
| 22 | Steven Bellini | Senior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 171 lb (78 kg) | 2000-05-23 | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario | Tri-City Storm (USHL) | — | |
| 23 | Cade Alami | Senior | F | 6' 7" (2.01 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 2001-03-13 | Bedford, New York | Arizona State (NCAA) | — | |
| 24 | Zach Krajnik | Graduate | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 1999-05-13 | Eagle River, Alaska | Kenai River Brown Bears (NAHL) | — | |
| 25 | Brenden Olson | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2000-10-18 | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) | — | |
| 26 | Kaden Bohlsen | Senior (RS) | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2001-01-10 | Willmar, Minnesota | Fargo Force (USHL) | — | |
| 27 | Sam Rice | Freshman | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 163 lb (74 kg) | 2003-12-31 | Prior Lake, Minnesota | Madison Capitols (USHL) | — | |
| 28 | Brian Carrabes | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2001-08-01 | North Andover, Massachusetts | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) | — | |
| 30 | Eli Pulver | Freshman | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 2003-03-02 | Vancouver, British Columbia | Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) | — | |
| 31 | Matthew Syverson | Sophomore | G | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2003-04-22 | Apple Valley, Minnesota | Lindenwood (NCAA) | — | |
| 32 | Andrew Miller | Senior | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 2000-02-10 | Boulder, Colorado | Fargo Force (USHL) | — | |
| 33 | Alex Tracy | Junior | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2001-05-04 | Chicago, Illinois | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) | — | |
| 39 | Ralfs Bergmanis | Junior | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2002-03-13 | Liepāja, Latvia | Vermont (HEA) | — |
Olympians
This is a list of Minnesota State alumni were a part of an Olympic team.
| Name | Position | Minnesota State Tenure | Team | Year | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Backes | Center/Right Wing | 2003–2006 |  USA | 2010, 2014 |  Silver, 4th |
| Nathan Smith | Center | 2019–2022 | USA | 2022 | 5th |
Mavericks in the NHL
Summarize
Perspective
As of July 1, 2024
| = NHL All-Star team | = NHL All-Star[53] | = NHL All-Star[53] and NHL All-Star team | = Hall of Famers |
|
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_(cropped).jpg)
Source:[54]
See also
References
External links
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