Nobody can accuse Minnesota State of taking the easy way out to start the 2024-25 season.
In their first five weeks of play, the Mavericks have skated every weekend without a bye, and their opponents have included: two top-10-ranked nonconference opponents (Michigan and North Dakota), one team that was ranked before the series (Omaha), one Hockey East team (Merrimack) and a CCHA matchup against your biggest league rival and defending conference champ (Bemidji State).
The fact that MSU has gone 6-4-0 in that grueling 10-game start to the season is impressive, but Mavericks head coach Luke Strand knows things won’t get any easier now, especially in week six. Minnesota State has a home-and-home series with yet another instate rival, St. Thomas. The Tommies finished tied for second in the CCHA and were picked to finish first in the preseason polls.
“Our conference is tight just out of our familiarity with one another, the coaches do a great job preparing for each other, the players, the way our league plays is very hard. It’s kind of that iron sharpens iron piece every week. You better be ready, the other group can come out and make a difference,” Strand said during his weekly press conference. “We’ve been on a roll on the schedule, where there’s been no off nights, so when we’ve decided to not be so hot, we’ve felt it, and the other times when we’ve been on top of our game, we’ve taken advantage of it.”
The Tommies have, so far, had a more mixed start to the season, going 2-4-1 with a similarly rough schedule that has included St. Cloud State, Minnesota, Vermont and CCHA newcomer Augustana. But Strand knows how dangerous St. Thomas can be.
“They get up and go offensively, and they make plays in all three zones. You look at how they scored a week ago, from an empty netter to shortys to power plays to on the attack. They’re a dangerous team that I think if you take your foot off the gas and start looking around, they can capitalize quickly, to their credit,” Strand said.
The Mavericks-Tommies rivalry isn’t exactly new – they’ve been playing since the 70s when both teams were in the lower divisions of the NCAA – but since 2021 when St. Thomas moved up to Division I, the programs have played at least four times every season. The Mavericks swept the season series in 2021-22 by lopsided margins but the games have gotten progressively better, including last season, when they split their season series in four incredibly close games.
Tommies head coach Rico Blasi said in his press conference Monday that he likes where this rivalry is headed, and the home-and-home series adds another element to it. The teams will play at the Tommies’ home rink in suburban Mendota Heights on Friday before traveling 80 miles to Mankato on Friday. A second home and home series is scheduled for the end of January.
“I think it’s good for both programs and fanbases. Certainly, we’re not capable of doing it with everyone in our conference, but when you can do it, it certainly adds to the rivalry,” Blasi said. “Right now, they’re top of the nation in terms of creating scoring chances. They’re really good off transition and entering the zone. You’re going to have to play some really good team defense, track back and be aware of their forwards and D entering the rush, and their goaltender is playing well.”
That goaltender Blasi mentioned is junior Alex Tracy. The Chicago native has been a workhorse for the Mavericks, starting in every game this season with numbers that are among the best in the country. His .914 save percentage currently leads the NCAA, and he’s given up just 14 goals through 10 games (a 1.41 goals-against average).
“I think he gives our team so much belief. Usually what happens when a goalie is so good you think you can go for it a little bit offensively because if you know you trip up and make a mistake, he’s got your back. That doesn’t always lead to goals, but it does lead to improved posture on the rink,” Strand said.
Although it didn’t lead to a glut of goals last weekend in Bemidji – the Mavericks lost 1-0 on Friday before beating the Beavers 2-1 on Saturday, in part because the Beavers have a rock-solid goalie of their own in Mattias Sholl – it has led to some goals in other games. In the season opener against Michigan, for example, Tracy made 32 saves and the Mavericks backed him up with five opportunistic goals to win 5-2 despite being outshot in the game.
This weekend’s series will feature another solid goaltending matchup–albeit this one is more like a triple-threat match than a one-on-one. St. Thomas’ goalie rotation of Aaron Trotter and Jake Sibell was outstanding last season; this year their numbers are not quite the same through a smaller sample size of seven games but they’re still a dangerous tandem. Trotter started both games in last weekend’s split against Augustana.
Strand said the key to playing well against a good goaltender – as his team did last weekend in Bemidji and will this week against St. Thomas – is to make sure you don’t get rattled because the netminder is taking goals off the scoreboard.
“Traffic is going to be a big piece of it,” he said. “Anything you can get after seconds and rebounds will be key. Not that they give up many, but you have to be a predictable group to each other. We have to give ourselves the best chance to create after pick recoveries and stay on the offense.”
