The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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College Hockey Gameday: Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth

The 11th-ranked Mavericks (16-9-3 10-9-1 in WCHA) head north to take on the Bulldogs (10-13-3, 8-9-3) at 7:37 p.m. Friday and 7:07 p.m. Saturday. It will be the teams’ first meeting since last year’s conference playoff series, which UMD won in two games, including a double-overtime thriller that ended MSU’s season. The Mavericks have beaten the Bulldogs just once in their last 16 meetings.
THE 5-HOLE
Five things to know about the matchup:
1. On the road again: Minnesota State will play on the road for the fifth time in its last six games. The Mavericks are 8-4-2 away from Mankato, with just one road loss since early November (at Nebraska Omaha on Dec. 15). Home or away doesn’t matter to leading scorer Matt Leitner (10-20—30), who has scored 16 of his points as a visiting player.
2. Palmquist heats up: Sophomore defenseman Zach Palmquist (5-14—19) already has matched his point total from his rookie season. He has 12 points in his last 14 games and is plus-7. The Mavericks have an 11-2-3 record when Palmquist has at least one point. Josh Nelson (4-3—7) and Brett Stern (2-5—7) are next in scoring among defensemen.
3. Power grab: MSU coach Mike Hastings raved this week about UMD’s power play, which is tied for third in the WCHA with 26 goals and a 21.7 percent success rate. The Mavericks have been pretty good in that area, too, ranking second with 28 goals and the same percentage. The Bulldogs average nearly three minutes more penalty minutes per game (16.6) than MSU (13.7).
4. A new team: The Bulldogs lost a ton of experience from a season ago and the national championship team of 2011. Gone are Hobey Baker winner Jack Connolly and other top scorers Travis Oleksuk and J.T. Brown, as well as solid defenseman Brady Lamb and steady goaltender Kenny Reiter. Of that group, only Brown was an early departure; the others were seniors.
5. Scouting the Bulldogs: Duluth is a young team up front, although a senior, forward Mike Seidel (12-13—25), leads the way in scoring. Next are two freshmen: Tony Cameranesi (11-13—24) and Austin Farley (9-9—18). Senior Wade Bergman (2-13—15) leads the defense, protecting freshman goalie Matt McNeely (.894, 2.71).
AROUND THE RINKS
Minnesota State women: The Mavericks (9-16-3, 5-14-3 in WCHA) will try to snap a four-game losing skid when they play the Bulldogs (13-10-3, 12-9-1) Saturday and Sunday in Duluth. Minnesota State tied and defeated UMD earlier this season in Mankato. Lauren Smith (19-9—28) will try to add to her single-season goals record. Duluth has lost just twice in its last 12 games.
Gustavus: The No. 2 women (18-0-1, 12-0-0 in MIAC) will try to stay perfect in league play when they host St. Mary’s at 7 p.m. today. The series moves to Winona on Saturday. Senior Lindsey Hjelm (8-9—17) is three points away from 100 for her career. The men (11-7-3, 5-5-2), who have lost just one of their last seven games, play St. Mary’s, with Saturday’s game taking place in St. Peter.

— Shane Frederick

Related Photos

  • Minnesota's Nate Schmidt (29) pushes the puck away from Minnesota State's Eriah Hayes (25) during their Jan. 26 game at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato. Pat Christman

    MSU m hock4_1-27.jpg

February 7, 2013

Hayes hopes to get back to scoring goals

By Shane Frederick Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — Looking at the numbers, Eriah Hayes is having a very good senior season for the Minnesota State men’s hockey team.

The senior right wing and co-captain has 21 points, including a team-leading 12 goals. Seven of his goals have come on the power play, putting him in a tie for second in the nation, and atop the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in that category.

But those totals looked fabulous in early January, which was the last time Hayes scored a goal. He has just three assists in his last six games.

“I’m just focusing on my game overall,” Hayes said. “I need to focus on the little things, and the goals will come back. I’m satisfied with my play, but I need to get going here.”

Starting with this weekend’s series at Minnesota Duluth, the 11th-ranked Mavericks are aiming for a spot in the upper half of the jam-packed WCHA standings. With eight games remaining in the regular season, they’re currently in seventh place, one point out of sixth and two points ahead of tonight’s eighth-place opponent.

Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings said he hopes his team can find more scoring depth down the stretch, and getting Hayes back on track is a big part of that.

“No doubt, we need him to lead us — on and off the ice,” Hastings said. “His best attribute is he’s an example setter. ... And he’s OK with that responsibility. He hasn’t’ shied away yet.”

Seeing some goal production dip has caused Hastings to mix up his line combinations a bit. The top line of Matt Leitner, Chase Grant and Johnny McInnis remains the same as MSU’s last series against No. 1 Minnesota. But Hayes spent the last two weeks of practice skating with center Teddy Blueger and Dylan Margonari, while his previous center, Jean-Paul LaFontaine, was with Brett Knowles and Max Gaede.

“We need to get back to using our depth,” Hastings said. “We’ll continue to tinker with the lines until we get some consistency.”

Hayes, who leads the Mavericks in shots on goal, said he has no problem with some late-season changes.

“There’s enough talent up front where anybody can play with anybody,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter; anyone can fill a spot. I’m comfortable playing with any guy up front.”

Hayes added that splitting up his line could benefit other players who have struggled to find the back of the net. After a hot start, the freshman Margonari hasn’t scored since Dec. 14, while Gaede, a sophomore, has no goals this year.

“I think we have some of the most depth in the league with our four lines,” Hayes said. “It’s up to us to get those other guys going.”

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