The Free Press, Mankato, MN

College Sports

January 13, 2010

Gusties to play Johnnies at the ‘X’

By Shane Frederick

ST PETER — The Gustavus Adolphus men’s hockey team has won seven of its last eight games, and it hopes it’s still rolling come Jan. 24.

That Sunday morning, the Gusties will take on St. John’s in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, home of the Minnesota Wild.

Wild players will be signing autographs in the arena during the game and will put on a skill competition afterward.

“(The Wild) haven’t done it since ’04, and there were 10,000 people there for it then,” Gustavus coach Brett Petersen said. “For our guys to be part of that day is a special deal. It’s a great opportunity for them and for St. John’s, and it’s a great showcase for our league.”

St. John’s gave up its home game of that weekend’s series. The first game of the series will be played Friday, Jan. 22, in St. Peter.

The game will begin at 10 a.m. Advanced tickets can be purchased through Tickemaster. Day-of-game tickets can be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center box office for $15. Gustavus and MIAC sports passes cannot be used for admission.

The ticket will include admission into the Wild skills competition, which is slated to begin at 1 p.m. However, tickets for the Wild autograph session are $10.

Health watch
Gustavus is 10-4-1 and 4-1-1 in MIAC play as it heads into its last 10 games of the regular season.

“We’ve played 15 games, and we’ve not yet had our top 20 players in the lineup,” Petersen said, referring to injuries and illness. “Last year, we didn’t have a kid with a cold.”

Last year, of course, the Gusties advanced all the way to the Division III title game.

“I think that says something about our depth and what we’ve been able to do this year.”

Scouting report
The National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Service released its mid-season ranking this week, and Minnesota State freshman forward Tyler Pitlick was ranked 21st among North American skaters.

Pitlick is eligible to be selected during this summer’s NHL Entry Draft.

Two MSU recruits are also on the list: Pitlick’s former high school teammate, Centennial defenseman Brett Stern, who is 136th, and Woodbury High School forward Max Gaede, who is 144th.

The rankings don’t necessarily predict draft order. While No. 21 would be a first-round pick, Central Scouting has separate lists for North American goalies, European goalies and European skaters.

Tim Jackman remains the Mavericks’ highest-drafted player, taken No. 38 overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2001, following his freshman year. David Backes was selected No. 62 overall — also a second-round pick — by the St. Louis Blues in 2003, the summer before he arrived at MSU.

Players of the week
Two North Dakota players earned WCHA honors after their performances in last weekend’s sweep of Minnesota State.

Forward Jason Gregoire was named co-offensive player of the week after scoring four goals, including both game-winners, while forward Corban Knight took rookie of the week honors after scored two goals in Friday’s game.

Other league awards went to Minnesota Duluth forward Mike Connolly (co-offensive) and St. Cloud State defenseman Garrett Raboin (defensive).

Text Only | Photo Reprints
College Sports
  • MSU bball 3/15 2 Top-seeded Mavericks get knocked off by Huskies

    St. Cloud State advanced to the region championship game with an 83-71 victory Sunday, ending the season for the top-seeded Mavericks.

    March 15, 2010 2 Photos

  • xsmall_Schiller, Joe_PE6X7791.JPG Mavericks healthier but still hurting

    Michael Dorr and Eriah Hayes will be back in the lineup, but with six players still out with injury, center Joe Schiller will move to defense.

    November 3, 2011 1 Photo 1 Story

  • xsmall_Lee, Austin_PE6X7812.JPG College hockey gameday

    Minnesota State at Michigan Tech

    6:07 p.m. today and Saturday, MacInnes Student Ice Arena, Houghton, Mich.

    Radio: KTOE 1420 AM TV: None

    November 3, 2011 2 Photos 1 Story

  • Northern Sun to vote on expansion

    Today, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference board of directors will vote on whether to expand from 14 to 16 programs.

    January 19, 2011

  • Gusties ranked 8th in DIII

    The Gustavus Adolphus men’s hockey team is ranked eighth in the country, according to the first U.S. College Hockey Online poll released earlier this week.

    October 28, 2010

  • MSU w hock-9.jpg Sister support: Ariel the latest Mackley to shine for MSU

    Anyone familiar with women’s college hockey in southern Minnesota must know the Mackleys. Since the fall of 2004, at least one of the three Mackley sisters has been skating for Minnesota State or Gustavus Adolphus.

    October 7, 2010 1 Photo

  • msu hockey 10-4-1.jpg Zuck's goal lifts MSU past British Columbia

    MSU's Eli Zuck’s short-handed breakaway goal 100 seconds into the third period stood as the lone goal in the Mavericks’ 1-0 victory over British Columbia before an announced crowd of 2,236 at the Verizon Wireless Center.

    October 5, 2010 1 Photo

  • Young Mavericks look to prove rankings wrong

    The Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s preseason polls were released on Wednesday, and Minnesota State isn’t getting a lot of love from the league’s coaches nor from the media who cover the conference. Both polls put the Mavericks in 10th place in what is now a 12-team conference.

    October 2, 2010

  • gustfb 092510.jpg Clark, St. Olaf run past Gustavus

    St. Olaf halfback Leon Clark cut loose for 134 second-half yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with 29 seconds left to lift his team to a 19-14 victory over Gustavus Saturday.

    September 26, 2010 1 Photo

  • MSUfb 092510.jpg Mavericks get shocked at home

    Concordia upset No. 11 MSU 28-26 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game before 4,264 fans. It was the second time in the series history that MSU lost to Concordia.

    September 26, 2010 2 Photos