On Tap:    Minnesota State (14-18-2 overall, 8-15-1 WCHA) is scheduled for a pair of Western Collegiate Hockey Association contests with St. Cloud State University ((20-10-4 overall, 15-8-3 WCHA).  The Mavericks and the Huskies square-off in downtown Mankato at  Verizon Wireless Center (4,832) Friday at 7:37 p.m. before closing out the 2009-10 regular season at the National Hockey Center (5,371) Saturday at 7:07 p.m.

About the MSU-SCSU Series:   MSU, which leads the all-time series with SCSU by a 57-42-9 margin, has gone 11-7-2 vs. St. Cloud State in its last 20 meetings. Senior forward Kael Mouillierat has 6-3--9 in ten games as MSU’s career scoring leader vs. the Huskies.
     Head coach Troy Jutting’s career head coaching record vs. SCSU stands at 11-14-3 (.446).

Mavericks Most Recently:  Minnesota State stands 14-18-2 overall and is 8-17-1 after falling twice at home to #1 Denver.  The Mavericks, who dropped a 3-1 decision to the Pioneers last Friday before falling by a 4-3 margin in overtime Saturday, have gone 2-2-0 in their last four games.

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Radio Broadcasts:  All MSU men’s hockey games are carried live, both home and away, on KTOE • AM 1420 with award-winning veteran sports broadcaster Mike Sullivan handling the play-by-play duties.

Television Broadcasts:  MSU men’s hockey home games are carried live on local cable on channel 14 by Charter Media.  Don Westphal calls the play-by-play and former MSU goaltender Steve Carroll provides color commentary.

Internet Broadcasts:  To listen to Maverick athletic events broadcast via the internet, please go to the following site:   http://www3.mnsu.edu/athletics/
   This page uses Microsoft Media Player to provide streaming audio of the KTOE•AM 1420 radio broadcast of MSU Mavericks athletic events. The audio stream is only available during event broadcast times.  
   You may download Microsoft Media Player at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/.

Live Stats: Live, in-game stats for the Minnesota State home games are available at http://www.sidearmstats.com/mnsu/mhockey/.

Video Streaming:  The Minnesota State/MSU men’s hockey home games are available at http://www.b2livetv.com/upcoming_events.asp?q=v&value=wcha

MSU On the Web:    Tickets, releases, rosters, schedules, statistics, player and staff biographies, historical information, etc., on all of Minnesota State’s 23 sports are available at the  newly-relaunched official website of MSU Athletics located at www.msumavericks.com

About the Mavericks:  Currently 14-18-2 overall and 8-17-1 in WCHA games following the two losses to DU, Minnesota State closes out league action with a pair of games with St. Cloud State this Friday and Saturday.

Senior forward Zach Harrison (8-16--24) stands atop the Mavericks scoring charts with junior defenseman Ben Youds (2-21--23) and  senior forward Jared Stewart (13-9--22) ranking just behind. Freshman Phil Cook (6-4-1, .913, 2.52) has started 11 of the last 17 games in net for the Mavericks and along with sophomore Austin Lee (7-11-0, 2.85, .907) and freshman Kevin Murdock (1-3-1, 3.46, .895), has combined for a team goals against average of 2.85 and a .906 save percentage on the year.
   The Mavericks, who have 708 wins in the 41-year history of the program, will begin the 2009-10 postseason on the road beginning March 12 at a yet-to-be-determined site.
MSU Game Recaps:   Saturday vs. DU - Minnesota State battled hard against top-rated University of Denver Saturday night in Mankato, but eventually fell in overtime by a final score of 4 to 3.

The Mavericks struck first at 13:40 in the first period on a goal by freshman forward Tyler Pitlick. Sophomore Michael Dorr made a nice move along the ice before setting up Pitlick, who beat DU goaltender Mark Cheverie on a beauty of a play.

MSU didn’t hold its lead for long as the Pioneers got on the board at 16:34 of the first period.  DU took advantage on the power play when junior Anthony Maiani was able to beat sophomore goaltender Austin Lee to tie things up at one a piece. Sophomore Joe Colborne and senior Tyler Ruegsegger picked up assists on the goal. Then just when the period was about to expire, Colborne was able to beat not only Lee, but also the buzzer as he scored at 19:59 of the first. Receiving assists on the play were Patrick Wiercioch and Rhett Rakhshani.

The Pioneers padded their lead when junior Jesse Martin flipped in a quick shot that found the back of the net at 10:24 of the second period. Maiani and sophomore John Ryder were credited with assists.

The Mavericks answered back at 14:14 of the second period while on the power play as freshman Eriah Hayes beat Cheverie to put MSU only one goal back. Hayes was set up on the play by senior Geoff Irwin and junior Ben Youds.

Pitlick evened things up for MSU at 17:22 of the second period, as he created a breakaway for himself and finished it with a nice goal, his second of the night.

After no scoring in the third period it took almost all of overtime before Rakhshani put home the game winner for DU at 4:46 of the overtime period. Picking up assists were Ruegsegger and Wiercioch. It was the second assists for both of them on the night.

The game was played in front of 4,110 fans at Verizon Wireless Center.

The Pioneers have now won their last ten games.


    Friday vs. DU - Top-ranked Denver scored a pair of third-period goals in pulling away to a 3-1 win at Minnesota State Friday.  

The Pioneers got on the scoreboard first while on the power play at 10:11 of the first period. Senior Tyler Ruegsegger was able to bounce a shot by freshman goaltender Phil Cook after a pass from senior Rhett Rakhshani. Sophomore Patrick Wiercioch also was credited for an assist on the play.

MSU evened things up at 11:19 of the second period when junior Rylan Galiardi dumped a pass off to senior forward Zach Harrison who fired a shot past DU goaltender Marc Cheverie. Sophomore Mike Louwerse also contributed with an assist on the play.

DU regained the lead at 6:51 of the third period when sophomore Joe Colborne redirected a shot that snuck between the pads of Cook. Freshman William Wrenn and Rakhshani picked up assists on the scoring play. The Pioneers quickly added to their lead when freshman defenseman Matt Donovan found the back of the net at 10:34 after being set up by seniors Tyler Ruegsegger and Rakhshani, his third assist of the night.

MSU, which went zero-for-four on the power play, outshot DU by a 29-20 margin in the game which was played in front of 3,723 fans.

About St. Cloud State: The Huskies, who head into this weekend ranking third in the current WCHA standings and have clinched a first-round home play-off series, come to Mankato having gone12-3-1 in their last 16 games. SCSU split a road league series at Wisconsin (5-1, 7-4 loss) Feb. 19 and 20 in its last action.

SCSU is led by a pair of forwards in senior    Ryan Lasch (17-22--39) and  junior Garrett Roe (14-23--37) . Junior netminder Dan Dunn (12-2-1, 2.46, .918) and freshman Mike Lee (8-8-3, 2.87, .912) have shared SCSU’s netminding duties this year.
 Bob Motzko (SCSU ‘87) is in his fifth year at the Huskies men’s hockey helm and as a college head  coach and has forged a 91-70-19 mark during that time.

Leading The Way:  Senior forward Geoff Irwin is serving as MSU team  captain in 2009-10.   Serving as assistant captain for this year are junior defenseman Channing Boe and senior forward Kael Mouillierat.

MSU All-Time:  The Minnesota State men’s hockey program, begun in 1969-70, completed its 40th year of competition last year.  The Mavericks are in their 14th year as members of NCAA Division I and in their 11th season as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. With a total of 1,348 games played, the Mavericks sport an all-time record of 708-529-125 (.566).

Nick Canzanello Notes:   Senior defenseman Nick Canzanello enters the series with SCSU  having tallied two goals in his last 11 games played.  A two-time WCHA All-Academic honoree, Canzanello has 2-1--3 in 27 games this year. The Rochester, Minn., native has 5-21--26 in his four-year career with the Mavericks.  With 115 career games played, Canzanello is the 100th MSU men’s hockey player with at least 100 career games played.

James Gaulrapp Notes:  A native of nearby Owatonna, Minn., senior forward James Gaulrapp drew an assist on a Michael Dorr goal in MSU’s 6-1 win over RIT on New Year’s Day.  Gaulrapp has totalled 8-16--24 in 91 career games.

Zach Harrison Notes:  MSU’s leading scorer with 8-16--24 on the year, senior forward Zach Harrison heads into the SCSU series having tallied 3-1--4 in the last six games. Harrison, who has played in 129 straight games and leads the Mavericks with a +11, has registered career-highs for assists (16) and points (24) this year. Harrison’s 147 career games played places him in a tie for eighth on MSU’s all-time list with Greg Larson (MSU 1977-81) and Aaron Fox (MSU 1996-2000).

Geoff Irwin Notes: Senior captain Geoff Irwin has totalled 30-47--77 in 138 career games. The Victoria, B.C., native has 2-7--9 in the last 18 games.

Kael Mouillierat Notes:  Senior forward Kael Mouillierat has registered 6-5--11 in the last 16 games. With 47-40--87 in 139 career games the Edmonton, Alta., native ranks 11th on MSU’s NCAA Division I-era career scoring leaders list. Next on the list is T.J. Guidarelli, who racked up 28-60--88 in 136 games from 1997-2001.

Jerad Stewart Notes:   Senior forward Jerad Stewart, who has racked up career-highs for goals (13), assists (9) and points (23) this year, has 2-2--4 in the last ten games. One of four players who have played in all 34 games this year, Stewart ranks second on the Mavericks in scoring (13-9--22), leads the team in goals and is tied for the team lead in shots (89), power play goals (5) and game-winning goals (3).

Jason Wiley Notes:  Senior forward Jason Wiley, who has 1-0--1 in 14 games this year, led the Mavericks with three game-winning goals last year and finished the season with 8-2--10 in 26 games.  For his career the Bloomington, Minn., native owns 21-12--33 in 99 GP.

Channing Boe Notes:    A junior defenseman, Bemidji, Minn., native Channing Boe  who has 3-11--14 in 88 career games, is one of four MSU players to see action in all 34 games this year.  Boe tallied his second goal of the year Jan. 9 in MSU’s 3-2 loss at the University of North Dakota.

Kurt Davis Notes: Junior defenseman Kurt Davis has 4-15--19 on the year and ranks second on the team with a +8. Davis has collected 11-54--65 in 107 career games and is tied for 11th on MSU’s career scoring list by defensemen. Davis is tied with Dan Horn (18-47--65 in 128 GP from 1985-88). Next on the list, in tenth place, is Bryan Lyke, who had 15-54--69 in 126 games from 1991-95

Rylan Galiardi Notes:  Junior forward Rylan Galiardi, who has 4-6--10 in his last 13 games played, has chalked up 19-38--57 in 103 career games. Galiardi drew an assist on Zach Harrison’s goal last Friday vs. #1 Denver.

Andrew Sackrison Notes:  The St. Louis Park, Minn., junior  who suffered a leg injury in the first UAA series (Nov. 20) and missed 17 games as a result, returned to action Feb. 12-13 in MSU’s series at Wisconsin.  Sackrison has posted 11-21--32 in 84 career games. The St. Louis Blues draftee has 2-2--4 in 17 games this year.

Ben Youds Notes: Junior defenseman Ben Youds has had 22 shots on goal in the last eight games. Youds, who ranks second on the team scoring charts with 2-21--23, has achieved career-highs for assists and points this season.

Austin Lee Notes: Sophomore netminder Austin Lee, who stopped a career-high 43 shots in a 5-2 loss at Minnesota-Duluth Oct. 16, owns a 7-11-0 overall record and a 2.85 goals against average and a .907 saves percentage in 19 appearances this year.

Mike Louwerse Notes: Sophomore forward Mike Louwerse has 6-6--12 in 31 games this year.  Louwerse, who leads the Mavericks with 25 penalties for 58 minutes this year, has totalled 19-19--38 in 71 career games.

Brett Peterson Notes:  Sophomore forward Brett Peterson saw action for the first time as a Maverick when he suited up for MSU’s 3-2 win over Wisconsin Oct. 24.  Peterson suffered a knee injury in that game and has not dressed since.

Cameron Cooper Notes: Sophomore defenseman Cameron Cooper, who spent three seasons with Tri-City of the USHL prior to joining the Mavericks for the 2008-09 season, had 1-1--2 in 22 games in his debut year.  Cooper has 0-1--1 and five penalties for ten minutes in 21 games played this year.

Justin Jokinen Notes:  Sophomore forward Justin Jokinen has registered 3-1--4 in 24 games this year.. The Carlton, Minn., native, a fourth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2008, has tallied 6-3--9 in 48 career games.

Adam Mueller Notes:  Sophomore forward Adam Mueller, who registered his first goal of the year when he tallied MSU’s first goal in a 3-2 win over Wisconsin Oct. 24, saw action in 26 games in his debut season with the Mavericks in 2008-09 and totalled 3-3--6.  Mueller has 1-5--6 in 24 games this year.

Joe Schiller Notes: Sophomore defenseman Joe Schiller scored the first goal of his MSU career when he tallied MSU’s first goal in a 4-4 overtime tie with Denver Oct. 31. Schiller, who saw action in 18 games as a forward in his debut season with the Mavericks last year and accounted for 0-1--1 during that time, has 1-3--4 in eight games as a blueliner and four games as a forward this year.

Tyler Thompson Notes:  Sophomore forward Tyler Thompson, who had 2-2--4 in his rookie year with the Mavericks in 2008-09, has 1-1--2 in 18 games in 2009-10.  He tallied his first goal of the year when he scored in MSU’s 5-1 win at Bemidji State Dec. 11.

Phil Cook Notes:   Freshman goaltender Phil Cook, who had a career-high 40 saves in a 4-3 loss at Wisconsin, has started 11 of the last 17 games for the Mavericks. Cook has a 6-4-1 mark, a 2.52 goals against average and a .913 saves percentage in his debut season with the Mavericks.

Tyler Elbrecht Notes:  A freshman defenseman with the Mavericks, Tyler Elbrecht  has 0-4--4 in 33 games played for the Mavericks in 2009-10.

Eriah Hayes Notes:  Freshman forward Eriah Hayes has 2-2--4 in the last four games played. The LaCresent, Minn., native has collected 8-5--13 in his debut season with the Mavericks.

Evan Mosey Notes:  Freshman defenseman Evan Mosey (0-3--3 in 15 games), is tied for fifth on  the team +/- list with a +4 mark.

Kevin Murdock Notes:  Freshman netminder Kevin Murdock, who stands 1-2-1 with a .899 saves percentage and a 3.58 goals against average, had a career-high 40 saves vs. Denver Oct. 31.  Murdock is the first native Floridian to play for MSU.

Tyler Pitlick Notes:   Freshman forward Tyler Pitlick, who registered his second career two-goal game in MSU’s 4-3 overtime loss to #1 Denver last Saturday, leads MSU’s newcomers in scoring with 10-7--17 in 33 GP.

Eli Zuck Notes: Freshman forward Eli Zuck tallied his first career goal last Friday in MSU’s 8-4 loss at Wisconsin. The Anchorage, Alaska native has 1-0--1 in 15 games this year.

Michael Dorr Notes:  Sophomore forward Michael Dorr has totalled 5-7--12 in 17 games since becoming eligible Dec. 12th after transferring to MSU from the University of Minnesota.

MSU Men’s Hockey Notables:  Four MSU players have seen action in all 34 games to date: Zach Harrison, Ben Youds, Jerad Stewart and Channing Boe.

MSU is 0-4-1 in games in which it gives up at least 40 shots on goal this year. The Mavericks are 6-10 in one-goal games for 2009-10.

Next on the Docket:  After the Mavericks close out the 2009-10 regular season with a home-and-home league series with St. Cloud State, MSU will be on the road for the first round of the 2009-10 WCHA play-offs at a yet-be-determined side.  The first round of the best-of-three league play-offs are scheduled for March 12-14 at on-campus sites.  Winners advance to the WCHA Final Five, which is slated for March 18-20 in St. Paul, Minn.