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2020–21 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season

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2020–21 Minnesota State Mavericks
men's ice hockey season
WCHA, Champion
NCAA Tournament, Frozen Four
Conference1st WCHA
Home iceMayo Clinic Health System Event Center
Rankings
USCHO4
USA Today3
Record
Overall22–5–1
Conference13–1–0–1–1–0
Home10–1–1
Road10–3–0
Neutral2–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachMike Hastings
Assistant coachesTodd Knott
Darren Blue
Brennan Poderzay
Captain(s)Riese Zmolek
Alternate captain(s)Dallas Gerads
Jack McNeely
Jared Spooner
Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

The 2020–21 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 52nd season of play for the program, the 25th at the Division I level and the 22nd in the WCHA conference. The Mavericks represented Minnesota State University, Mankato and were coached by Mike Hastings, in his 9th season.

Season

[edit]

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Minnesota State's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]

After missing out on a chance at postseason glory last year, Minnesota State didn't miss a beat and came into this year a house afire. The Mavericks won 9 of their first 11 games with Dryden McKay earning 6 shutouts. The second half of the regular season was nearly as outstanding as the first; MSU went 9–2 down the stretch and finished miles ahead of the second place team in the WCHA. With their record, the Mavericks were guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament but could improve their ranking with a good performance in the conference tournament.

As the top seed, MSU played woeful Ferris State in the quarterfinals. The Mavericks' offense was quiet for much of the series but the defense was stout. Minnesota State surrendered one goal in two games and swept the Bulldogs. They faced an upstart Northern Michigan team in the semifinals and laid a complete egg. Northern Michigan scored the first five goals of the game, chasing McKay from the cage, and then played a defensive shell over the final 20 minutes to upset the Mavericks.

Losing in the semifinal cost MSU the chance to earn a #1 seed and they dropped all the way to 6th in the rankings. The team had to face Quinnipiac in the opening game and got off to a bad start. The Bobcats scored twice in the first while MSU could only muster 6 shots. The Mavericks woke up in the second and cut the lead in half near the end of the period. The third saw the team having to kill off a lengthy 2-man advantage only to surrender a goal a couple of minutes later. MSU bore down and scored with more than 5 minutes to play but, as time ticked away, the team was forced to pull McKay for an extra attacker and Cade Borchardt tied the game with 62 seconds remaining. The game went into overtime and, just like they had been in the third, Minnesota State was the aggressor. The Mavericks continued to put pressure on the Quinnipiac net until Ryan Sandelin banged in a loose puck and won the game for the Mavericks.

The win was the first tournament victory for Minnesota State at the Division I level, snapping a 6-game losing streak. The last NCAA Tournament win for the program had come 30 years earlier when the school was still called 'Mankato State University'

After the win, the team appeared to relax and played their next opponent, Minnesota, like the juggernaut they had been during the regular season. MSU held the Gophers, which had the #2 offense in the nation, to just 9 shots in the first two periods. The Mavericks scored twice in the opening frame and twice more in the third. McKay held the fort during Minnesota's attempted comeback in the final period but he surrendered nothing. The shutout was the 10th of the season for McKay, placing him just 2 behind Ryan Miller for the most in a career.

Minnesota State advanced to its first Frozen Four as the highest remaining seed and faced former WCHA rival St. Cloud State in the semifinal. McKay wasn't sharp in the game, allowing 3 goals in the first 23 minutes, but MSU fought back and took a 4–3 lead early in the third. The Huskies tied the game for the fourth time mid-way through the period but neither team seemed able to finish the scoring in regulation. With less than a minute to play St. Cloud deflected a puck into the net and MSU was unable to earn a tying goal, ending their season.

Tanner Edwards and Evan Foss sat out the season.

Departures

[edit]
Player Position Nationality Cause
Jake Berger Goaltender  United States Transferred to St. Thomas
Josh French Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Knoxville Ice Bears)
Charlie Gerard Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Colorado Eagles)
Edwin Hookenson Defenseman  Canada Graduation (signed with Utah Grizzlies)
Connor Mackey Defenseman  United States Signed professional contract (Calgary Flames)
Marc Michaelis Forward  Germany Graduation (signed with Vancouver Canucks)
Nick Rivera Defenseman  United States Graduation (signed with Wheeling Nailers)
Ian Scheid Defenseman  United States Graduation (signed with Colorado Eagles)
Jaxson Stauber Goaltender  United States Transferred to Providence
Parker Tuomie Forward  Germany Graduation (signed with Eisbären Berlin)

Recruiting

[edit]
Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Todd Burgess Forward  United States 24 Phoenix, AZ; graduate transfer from Rensselaer; Selected 103rd overall in 2016
Ryan Edquist Goaltender  United States 22 Lakeville, MN; graduate transfer from Boston College
Tanner Edwards Forward  United States 20 Anchorage, AK
Brendan Furry Forward  United States 22 Toledo, OH
Connor Gregga Forward  Canada 20 Markham, ON
Akito Hirose Defenseman  Canada 21 Calgary, AB
Jake Livingstone Defenseman  Canada 21 Creston, BC
Sam Morton Forward  United States 21 Lafayette, CO; transfer from Union
Ondřej Pavel Forward  Czech Republic 20 Prague, CZE

Roster

[edit]

As of December 17, 2020.[3]

,
No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 Alberta Akito Hirose Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-04-09 Calgary, Alberta Salmon Arm (BCHL)
3 Minnesota Jack McNeely (A) Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-12-16 Lakeville, Minnesota Muskegon (USHL)
4 Minnesota Andy Carroll Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1997-02-17 Northfield, Minnesota Green Bay (USHL)
5 Minnesota Jake Jaremko Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1996-08-24 Nowthen, Minnesota Chicago (USHL)
6 Colorado Sam Morton Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1999-07-28 Lafayette, Colorado Wenatchee (BCHL)
7 Minnesota Wyatt Aamodt Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1997-11-22 Hermantown, Minnesota Lincoln (USHL)
8 Florida Nathan Smith Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-10-18 Hudson, Florida Cedar Rapids (USHL) WPG, 91st overall 2018
9 Alaska Tanner Edwards Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-03-11 Anchorage, Alaska Muskegon (USHL)
10 Colorado Shane McMahan Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1996-07-30 Lakewood, Colorado Fargo (USHL)
11 North Dakota Jared Spooner (A) Senior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1996-03-22 Bismarck, North Dakota Green Bay (USHL)
12 Colorado Colby Bukes Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1999-02-01 Littleton, Colorado Muskegon (USHL)
13 Ohio Brendan Furry Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-07-08 Toledo, Ohio Tri-City (USHL)
14 Minnesota Ryan Sandelin Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1999-01-03 Hermantown, Minnesota Penticton (BCHL)
15 Germany Julian Napravnik Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 167 lb (76 kg) 1997-05-06 Bad Nauheim, Germany Des Moines (USHL)
16 Minnesota Reggie Lutz Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1996-10-18 Elk River, Minnesota Chicago (USHL)
17 South Dakota Walker Duehr Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 211 lb (96 kg) 1997-11-23 Sioux Falls, South Dakota Bloomington (USHL)
18 Czech Republic Ondřej Pavel Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-08-29 Prague, Czech Republic Fargo (USHL)
19 Saskatchewan Chris Van Os-Shaw Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-05-20 Regina, Saskatchewan Spruce Grove (AJHL)
20 Ontario Connor Gregga Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-07-24 Markham, Ontario Coquitlam (BCHL)
21 Florida Lucas Sowder Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-11-15 Trinity, Florida Wenatchee (BCHL)
22 Minnesota Dallas Gerads (A) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-06-01 Blaine, Minnesota Dubuque (USHL)
23 British Columbia Jake Livingstone Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-04-16 Creston, British Columbia Langley (BCHL)
24 Arizona Todd Burgess Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 1996-04-03 Phoenix, Arizona RPI (ECAC) OTT, 103rd overall 2016
25 Minnesota Riese Zmolek (C) Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1996-09-12 Rochester, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL)
27 Michigan Tony Malinowski Sophomore D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-10-15 Clarkston, Michigan Des Moines (USHL)
28 Minnesota Cade Borchardt Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-07-06 Burnsville, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL)
29 Illinois Dryden McKay Junior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-11-25 Downers Grove, Illinois Madison (USHL)
33 Minnesota Evan Foss Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-02-17 White Bear Lake, Minnesota White Bear Lake (USHS–MN)
35 Minnesota Ryan Edquist Senior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 1998-01-28 Lakeville, Minnesota Boston College (HEA)

Standings

[edit]
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#4 Minnesota State 14 13 1 0 1 1 0 39 56 15 27 22 5 1 100 46
#14 Lake Superior State * 14 9 5 0 2 2 0 27 39 34 29 19 7 3 86 63
#18 Bowling Green 14 8 5 1 0 2 0 27 46 34 31 20 10 1 108 67
#10 Bemidji State 14 8 5 1 3 2 0 24 42 34 29 16 10 3 82 70
Michigan Tech 14 7 7 0 1 0 0 20 38 35 30 17 12 1 78 63
Northern Michigan 14 6 7 1 2 2 1 20 40 47 29 11 17 1 79 103
Alabama–Huntsville 14 3 11 0 1 0 0 8 18 49 22 3 18 1 31 80
Ferris State 14 0 13 1 0 1 1 3 28 59 25 1 23 1 55 103
Alaska 0 - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Alaska Anchorage 0 - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Championship: March 20, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and Results

[edit]
Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular season
November 22 5:07 PM at #16 Bemidji State* #5 Sanford CenterBemidji, Minnesota   McKay W 5–0  105 1–0–0
December 6 5:07 PM at Michigan Tech* #6 MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan   McKay L 1–3  0 1–1–0
December 7 4:07 PM at Michigan Tech* #6 MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan   McKay W 2–0  0 2–1–0
December 18 7:37 PM vs. Bemidji State* #5 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota   McKay W 5–4  0 3–1–0
December 19 5:07 PM vs. Bemidji State* #5 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota   Edquist T 1–1 SOW 0 3–1–1
January 2 5:07 PM at Northern Michigan #5 Berry Events CenterMarquette, Michigan FloHockey.tv McKay W 5–0  0 4–1–1 (1–0–0)
January 3 3:07 PM at Northern Michigan #5 Berry Events CenterMarquette, Michigan FloHockey.tv McKay W 4–0  0 5–1–1 (2–0–0)
January 15 6:07 PM at #19 Lake Superior State #5 Taffy Abel ArenaSault Ste. Marie, Michigan FloHockey.tv McKay W 3–0  0 6–1–1 (3–0–0)
January 16 4:07 PM at #19 Lake Superior State #5 Taffy Abel ArenaSault Ste. Marie, Michigan FloHockey.tv McKay W 6–2  0 7–1–1 (4–0–0)
January 23 5:07 PM vs. Ferris State #2 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota FloHockey.tv McKay W 4–0  0 8–1–1 (5–0–0)
January 24 3:07 PM vs. Ferris State #2 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota FloHockey.tv McKay W 4–1  0 9–1–1 (6–0–0)
January 29 4:07 PM at Bemidji State* #3 Sanford CenterBemidji, Minnesota   Edquist L 1–4  25 9–2–1
February 5 7:07 PM vs. #8 Bowling Green #6 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota FloHockey.tv McKay W 4–0  150 10–2–1 (7–0–0)
February 6 6:07 PM vs. #8 Bowling Green #6 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota FloHockey.tv McKay W 5–1  150 11–2–1 (8–0–0)
February 11 7:07 PM at Alabama–Huntsville #3 Von Braun CenterHuntsville, Alabama FloHockey.tv McKay W 4–1  888 12–2–1 (9–0–0)
February 12 7:07 PM at Alabama–Huntsville #3 Von Braun CenterHuntsville, Alabama FloHockey.tv McKay W 5–0  1,281 13–2–1 (10–0–0)
February 19 6:07 PM at Ferris State* #3 Ewigleben ArenaBig Rapids, Michigan   Edquist W 5–4 OT 215 14–2–1
February 20 6:07 PM at Ferris State* #3 Ewigleben ArenaBig Rapids, Michigan   McKay W 5–1  250 15–2–1
February 25 7:07 PM vs. #19 Bemidji State #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota FloHockey.tv McKay W 4–3 OT 250 16–2–1 (11–0–0)
February 27 6:07 PM at #19 Bemidji State #3 Sanford CenterBemidji, Minnesota FloHockey.tv McKay L 3–4 OT 150 16–3–1 (11–1–0)
March 5 6:07 PM vs. #19 Michigan Tech #4 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota FloHockey.tv McKay W 2–1  250 17–3–1 (12–1–0)
March 6 6:07 PM vs. #19 Michigan Tech #4 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota FloHockey.tv McKay W 3–2  250 18–3–1 (13–1–0)
WCHA Tournament
March 12 6:07 PM vs. Ferris State* #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota (WCHA quarterfinals Game 1)   McKay W 3–0  250 19–3–1
March 13 4:07 PM vs. Ferris State* #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota (WCHA quarterfinals Game 2)   McKay W 3–1  250 20–3–1
Minnesota State Won Series 2–0
March 19 2:07 PM vs. Ferris State* #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota (WCHA semifinals)   McKay L 1–5  250 20–4–1
NCAA Tournament
March 27 3:00 PM vs. #11 Quinnipiac* #5 Budweiser Events CenterLoveland, Colorado (NCAA West Regional semifinals) ESPN3 McKay W 4–3 OT 101 21–4–1
March 29 7:00 PM vs. #2 Minnesota* #5 Budweiser Events CenterLoveland, Colorado (NCAA West Regional final) ESPN2 McKay W 4–0  175 22–4–1
April 8 4:00 PM vs. #7 St. Cloud State* #5 PPG Paints ArenaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania (NCAA National semifinals) ESPN2 McKay L 4–5  3,660 22–5–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.

[4]

Scoring statistics

[edit]
Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Julian Napravnik RW 27 10 18 28 4
Nathan Smith C 28 9 16 25 16
Cade Borchardt F 28 9 15 24 10
Reggie Lutz RW 25 10 11 21 33
Dallas Gerads LW 28 9 10 19 31
Walker Duehr RW 28 10 7 17 26
Jake Jaremko C/LW 28 4 12 16 2
Akito Hirose D 28 1 14 15 14
Todd Burgess C/RW 25 5 9 14 6
Jake Livingstone D 28 4 10 14 16
Brendan Furry LW 28 5 8 13 19
Riese Zmolek F 24 1 12 13 27
Ryan Sandelin C 27 7 2 9 28
Sam Morton F 17 5 4 9 6
Andy Carroll D 26 3 6 9 4
Jared Spooner LW 23 3 4 7 8
Wyatt Aamodt D 28 2 5 7 10
Jack McNeely D 27 1 5 6 8
Ondřej Pavel C 11 0 4 4 8
Tony Malinowski D 10 1 2 3 2
Shane McMahan LW 16 1 2 3 12
Chris Van Os-Shaw LW 11 0 1 1 23
Connor Gregga F 1 0 0 0 0
Colby Bukes D 3 0 0 0 0
Ryan Edquist G 4 0 0 0 0
Lucas Sowder LW 7 0 0 0 0
Dryden McKay G 26 0 0 0 0
Bench - - - - - 8
Total 100 177 277 321

[5]

Goaltending statistics

[edit]
Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Dryden McKay 26 1522 21 4 0 39 477 10 .924 1.54
Ryan Edquist 4 175 1 1 1 5 28 0 .848 1.71
Empty Net - 9 - - - 2 - - - -
Total 28 1707 22 5 1 46 505 10 .917 1.62

Rankings

[edit]
Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 (Final)
USCHO.com 4 5 6 6 6 5 5 5 4 5 2 3 6 3 3 3 4 3 3 5 - 4
USA Today 5 4 5 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 2 2 4 3 3 3 4 3 3 6 1 3

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[6]

Awards and honors

[edit]
Player Award Ref
Mike Hastings Spencer Penrose Award [7]
Dryden McKay AHCA West Second Team All-American [8]
Nathan Smith NCAA All-Tournament Team
Dryden McKay WCHA Player of the Year [9]
Julian Napravnik WCHA Offensive Player of the Year [10]
Dryden McKay WCHA Goaltender of the Year [10]
Akito Hirose WCHA Rookie of the Year [10]
Mike Hastings WCHA Coach of the Year [10]
Dryden McKay WCHA First Team [11]
Julian Napravnik
Nathan Smith WCHA Second Team [11]
Akito Hirose WCHA Third Team [11]
Riese Zmolek
Akito Hirose WCHA Rookie Team [11]
Jake Livingstone

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "2020–21 Men's Hockey Roster". Minnesota State Mavericks. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  4. ^ "Minnesota State Mavericks (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  5. ^ "Minnesota State Univ. (Mankato) 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  7. ^ "Minnesota State's Mike Hastings Wins 2021 Spencer Penrose Award". WCHA. April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  8. ^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  9. ^ "Minnesota State's Dryden McKay Named 2020-21 WCHA Player Of The Year". WCHA.com. March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "WCHA announces individual award winners". The Sault News. March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d "WCHA Announces 2020-21 All-League Teams". WCHA.com. March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.