College hockey review

Mavericks hope to hold eighth seed for playoffs

By Shane Frederick
Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — The Minnesota State men's hockey team will be doing a little scoreboard watching when they wrap up the regular season with a nonconference series against Nebraska-Omaha.

The Mavericks finished the Western Collegiate Hockey Association schedule Saturday with a 5-2 loss to No. 1-ranked Denver after upsetting the Pioneers 8-5 Friday at Midwest Wireless Civic Center.

MSU's 8-16-4 WCHA record - a two-win improvement from last season - puts the team in eighth place in the conference standings. While the Mavericks' spot in the standings is firm, they could drop down to the ninth or 10th seed for the WCHA playoffs, depending on what happens in St. Cloud and Houghton, Mich., next weekend.

St. Cloud State and Michigan Tech each sit four points behind Minnesota State but play home conference series against North Dakota and Minnesota, respectively.

If both Husky teams sweep, there will be a three-way tie for eighth place. However, both teams hold tiebreakers over the Mavericks. St. Cloud State and MSU split the four-game season series 2-2-0, but the Huskies would have more league wins than the Mavericks. Michigan Tech has the head-to-head tiebreaker, beating and tying MSU in a two-game series. As it currently stands, MSU will travel to Wisconsin for the first-round tournament series. But Minnesota, Denver and Colorado College also remain possible opponents.

If the Mavericks go to Madison, Wis., it will be the third time in four years that they'll play the Badgers in the tournament.

Minnesota State got bumped out of seventh place this weekend when Alaska-Anchorage took three points from Michigan Tech, tying 2-2 Friday and winning 1-0 Saturday. The Mavericks went 3-0-1 against the Seawolves this year.

Rookie sensation

MSU freshman forward Ryan Carter's hat trick Friday gives him 15 goals for the season with at least four games remaining.

David Backes scored 16 goals during his rookie season; that was the most by a freshman in the Mavericks' Division I era. Two seasons ago, Brock Becker scored 14 in his first year.

Carter's hat trick was the second by an MSU player this year. Travis Morin scored three goals on Nov. 12 against Alaska-Anchorage.

Mr. Assist

Sophomore defenseman Kyle Peto had three assists on the weekend to give him 23 helpers for the season. Peto, who has scored in four consecutive games, also has three goals for 26 points on the year.

Plus-minor

MSU senior Brad Thompson scored his 10th goal of the season Saturday. . . . Denver's win Saturday was its first in Mankato since the 2001-02 season. . . . MSU and DU have combined for 67 goals in their last six meetings. . . . Saturday's crowd of 4,091 marked the third time this season MSU hit the 4,000 mark. . . . Compared to last season, the Mavericks allowed 30 fewer goals in WCHA play (139 to 109) and scored one fewer (83 to 82) this year. . . . Denver will face rival Colorado College Thursday and Friday for the McNaughton Cup. The teams are tied atop the WCHA standings with 38 points apiece.