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February 18, 2010

College hockey gameday: Minnesota State vs. Alaska-Anchorage

By Shane Frederick Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — The Mavericks (12-16-2, 6-15-1 in WCHA) will play at home for the first time since Jan. 16 as they host the Seawolves (10-16-2, 8-14-2). In November, Minnesota State split a series at Anchorage, scoring a season-high for goals in an 8-2 win but falling 4-1 the next night. The Mavericks are five points behind the Seawolves in the league standings but have two games in hand.

The 5-hole

Five things to know about the series:

1. Got a Stew goin’: The Mavericks’ current active scoring leader against Anchorage is senior forward Geoff Irwin (6-9—15), who has 10 points in 14 games. Fellow senior Jerad Stewart (13-9—22) had a career game against the Seawolves on Nov. 20, scoring four goals and assisting on another for a five-point night. Stewart is tied atop MSU’s scoring list with senior Zach Harrison (6-16—22).

2. Line dance: Mavericks coach Troy Jutting isn’t making too many changes to his lineup this week. The defensive groupings will be the same as Saturday night’s 8-4 loss at Wisconsin, meaning freshman Evan Mosey (0-3—3) will play in his fourth straight game. Mosey is plus-4 in 14 games. The newcomer line of Tyler Pitlick (8-5—13)-Michael Dorr (3-5—8)-Eriah Hayes (6-3—9) is starting to gel, Jutting said.

3. Cook gets the nod: It appears that Phil Cook (.918, 2.45) will start in goal tonight, making it four starts in a row for the Mavericks freshman. Cook made a career-high 40 saves in last Friday’s 4-3 loss at Wisconsin but, the next night, was pulled after allowing six goals on 18 shots. Cook has played in 10 games this season. Austin Lee (.908, 2.80) has made 19 appearances, including one in relief Saturday.

4. No pushover: Alaska-Anchorage is 4-4-2 in its last 10 games and hasn’t been swept by a WCHA team since Dec. 4-5 at home against St. Cloud State. The Seawolves, who arrived in Mankato on Wednesday evening, were idle last weekend. A week earlier, they tied (4-4) and lost (6-0) at St. Cloud State. Their last win came on Jan. 30 in Anchorage against Minnesota.

5. Scouting the Seawolves: Anchorage is led offensively by senior forward Kevin Clark (16-11—27) and junior forward Tommy Grant (7-14—21). Junior Kane Lafranchise (2-8—10) is the Seawolves’ top-scoring defenseman. In goal, senior Jon Olthuis (.875, 3.49) has played in 20 games, including the last 10.

Around the rinks

MSU women: The Mavericks (6-19-5, 4-17-5-3 in WCHA) will close out the regular season against North Dakota at 7 p.m. today and 3 p.m. Saturday at All Seasons Arena. Minnesota State cannot climb higher than seventh place in the league standings but sits just two points ahead of the last-place Sioux. Senior Ashley Young (8-11—19) and freshman Lauren Smith (6-12—18) sit atop MSU’s team scoring chart.

Gustavus: Both Gusties teams will play St. Mary’s in a home-and-home series, with the men playing at St. Peter tonight and the women playing at home Saturday. The No. 7 men (16-5-2, 10-2-2 in MIAC) wrap up the regular season with a chance to win their first conference title since 1993. The No. 9 women (15-4-2, 10-3-1) have won six games in a row and have four games remaining in the regular season.



 

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