As the only ranked team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, Minnesota State came into the weekend looking to continue moving in a positive direction.
Mike Hastings’ team did just that.
After a convincing 5-1 win the previous night, Minnesota State kept its collective foot on the gas pedal as they ran roughshod over the Lake Superior State Lakers in a 7-0 win on Saturday at the Taffy Abel Arena.
“It was a big weekend for us,” said Hastings. “We’ve had some struggles on Saturday nights after playing well on a Friday, so it was good to see us get off to a good start tonight and to see [Dallas] Gerads give us an early lead.”
Coming into the weekend ranked eighth in the nation, the Mavericks (11-5-0, 9-3-0 WCHA) showed why they were ranked as such, dominating every facet of the game.
A frustrated Lakers squad found itself in penalty trouble throughout the game. Minnesota State took advantage by converting on four of seven power-play opportunities.
“Discipline hurt us; you’ve got to be more disciplined against a team like that,” said Lakers coach Damon Whitten. “They’re a really good team; give them a lot of credit. There’s a reason they’re ranked where they’re at. They are skilled, deep, and fast. Obviously, they were the better team tonight. Special teams killed us again tonight, which were a big difference on the weekend.”
Lake Superior (4-11-3, 3-7-2 WCHA) was unable to generate any offensive pressure, as Mavericks netminder Connor LaCouvee saw few shots and was never really challenged.
Ian Scheid had two goals only 1:32 apart in the second period. Scheid was one of six skaters for Minnesota State to have multiple points, with Reggie Lutz leading the way by collecting three assists.
Zeb Knutson and C.J. Suess, both among the scoring leaders in the WCHA, each picked up a point on the night.
“It feels like we’ve been doing pretty well,” said Suess, one of the captains of the Mavericks. “We kind of went on a skid over the last two weekends, but we came out here thinking we needed to get back on track, and I feel like we did that.”
“They’re leaders, and they’re part of our leadership group,” said Hastings on Suess and Knutson. “They’re doing their part, not just at the rink, but away too. Suess has become good at all aspects — faceoffs, killing penalties, and he’s on our top power-play unit. Zeb Knutson’s really taken a step in the past six months or so. I think he’s got aspirations to try and play beyond college hockey. He’s found a way to manage his daily schedule so he’s being more successful as an everyday player.”
After yielding five goals in two periods, Nick Kossoff was relieved by Mareks Mitens. Kossoff made 27 stops on 32 attempts. In goal, LaCouvee needed to make only 13 saves to earn the win and shutout. Mitens made 10 saves on 12 shots in the third period.
One of the few bright spots for Lake Superior was sophomore defenseman Collin Saccoman, who registered 4 blocked shots — as many as the entire Minnesota State team.
Looking at how his team has fared so far this season, Whitten remarked that there was much to be done, saying the season was “probably the opposite of a year ago, where we started out as one of the best teams in the country. We’ve been struggling. The past few weekends, we’ve been .500, winning one night and losing the next. Injuries have been a part of that; our depth has really been challenged, in addition to off-season losses. We’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s how you finish, not how you start.”
WCHA roundup
Michigan Tech 5, Ferris State 1
After falling to the Bulldogs 4-3 on Friday, Michigan Tech scored five unanswered goals to split the weekend. Jasen Fernsler’s short-handed goal in the first period gave Ferris State a 1-0 lead. Goals by Alex Gillies, Jake Lucchini, Alex Smith, Dylan Steman, and Jake Jackson helped the Huskies prevail in front of their home crowd. A night after he made stop after stop, Justin Kapelmaster was pulled after allowing four goals on 25 shots. The Huskies’ Robbie Beydoun stopped 31 of 32 to pick up the win.
Bowling Green 3, Alabama-Huntsville 1
The Falcons retained their lead in the conference standings over Minnesota State with a 3-1 win over the Chargers, enabling them to pick up four of six weekend points. Alec Rauhauser, Connor McDonald, and Stephen Baylis scored for Bowling Green, which took a 3-0 lead into the third period. Tyler Poulsen scored for the Chargers, who mustered just 12 shots against Ryan Bednard. Despite the loss, Alabama-Huntsville went 39-21 in the faceoff circle. Jordan Uhelski came up with 39 saves on 42 shots.
Northern Michigan 4, at Bemidji State 4 (Northern Michigan wins shootout)
Robbie Payne was the difference-maker for the Wildcats, as his shootout goal earned Northern Michigan two of three points on the night. Coupled with a 3-on-3 overtime win the night before, Northern Michigan took home four of six conference points. Darien Craighead had two goals for the Wildcats, while Adam Rockwood and Zach Diamantoni also scored. Bemidji got goals from Carter Struthers, Charlie Combs, Hampus Sjödahl, and Myles Fitzgerald, whose power-play goal in the third period sent the game to overtime. Bemidji State outshot the ‘Cats, 39-28. Both Michael Bitzer and Mathias Israelsson were tagged for four goals.
Alaska at Alaska-Anchorage
(Late game)
