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).
