'It's the last hurrah' for Mavericks' seniors

Only 10 regular-season games remain

By Shane Frederick
Free Press

MANKATO — If last week's idle weekend did anything for the Minnesota State men's hockey team, it clearly separated the middle of the season from the stretch run.

And no one realizes that just 10 regular-season games remain as much as the Mavericks' senior class.

"It's the last hurrah," captain Brad Thompson said. "We gotta give it everything we have every night and hope we can make the best of it."

Thompson, Adam Gerlach, Jake Brenk and Steven Johns each have played in more than 100 games over their careers, and goaltender Jon Volp has played in 80 games as a Maverick.

"This is definitely the time to start tuning up and getting ready for the playoffs," Thomp-son said.

Going into this weekend's home series against No. 2 Colorado College, MSU sits in seventh place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

With eight WCHA games remaining, the Mavericks are seven points out of the coveted fifth-place position. A top-five finish comes with the reward of a home series for the conference playoffs.

The Mavericks are 6-4-2 at Midwest Wireless Civic Center this season and 3-9-2 away from Mankato.

Clinching home ice remains a goal for Minnesota State, Thompson said. But with the large gap between MSU and the two fifth-place teams, North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth, it's not as important to the team as getting its game on is.

"Home ice is very important," Thompson said. "Even if we don't make it, if we play well the rest of the year and don't get home ice, that just means the teams ahead of us are playing well."

Coach Troy Jutting agreed.

"I think our main goal right now is playing as well as we can possibly play at the end of the season," Jutting said.

By then, Jutting hopes to have junior forward Brock Becker, the team's fifth-leading scorer, back from a broken foot.

In the meantime, the difference between wins, losses and ties may hinge on what the senior class can do.

The forwards - Thompson, Gerlach and Brenk - have combined for 14 goals. But they, like many of their teammates, are haunted by the failure to cash in on some other great scoring chances - especially when six of the Mavericks' 12 league losses have been by one goal.

"They could easily have 10 or 12 goals (apiece)," Jutting said of the senior forwards. "I think a lot of our success down the stretch will be predicated on how they perform."

Volp, who is slated to start tonight's game, knows that well. He is 6-9-1 and has been the goalie of record in five of the one-goal losses, allowing just 2.8 goals per game in that group.

"(Goal scoring) is definitely the X factor," said Thompson, who has five goals and five assists. "It's been pretty frustrating all year. We've been getting 30-some shots every game. ... The time is now to start putting those in."

There are many incentives, Jutting said.

"It's going to be important for all of those kids," he said. "It is the end for them. Those last weeks are usually very important to the kids who are finishing up. I want them to enjoy their season."