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2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Boston?

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  • 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Boston?

    Coming off a Broadmoor Trophy, and a second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament under Head Coach Mike Hastings, the expectations for the Mavericks are as high as they've ever been. The Mavericks are 50-28-4 through two seasons with Hastings at the helm, but 0-2 in the NCAA tournament. (0-3 all time) This year the expectations will be to win at least one NCAA tournament game, as well as a MacNaughton Cup. The Mavericks need to avoid a somewhat slow start in the conference this year. Additionally, the first two weekends of the year are ginormous for the NCAA tournament picture, as they have two NCHC opponents the first two weekends of the year.

    Top Returning Forwards

    Senior #18 Matt Leitner 12 goals, 33 assists, 45 points
    Leitner could be a legitimate Hobey Baker candidate last year, but he needs to consistently bring the effort, as his talent level is through the roof. Without consistent effort last year, Leitner was the team's leader on offense and had an uncanny ability to get his teammates the puck in scoring areas. The Mavericks will look to Leitner's offensive creativity to continue to produce in all situations, including on the power play.

    Senior #12 Jean-Paul LaFontaine 20 goals, 20 assists, 40 points
    After seeing his goal scoring productivity fall from his Freshman year to his Sophomore year, LaFontaine rebounded nicely in his Junior campaign with a balanced 20 goals and 20 assists. He's a vital part of the Maverick power play, after burying 14 times on the man advantage last year. He'll be a key part of trying to replace and continue his dominance there, with the team losing ten power play goals from former Captain Johnny McInnis.

    Junior #9 Bryce Gervais 16 goals, 10 assists, 26 points
    Gervais was a monster down the stretch last year, tallying 12 goals and 7 assists, for 19 points in his last 16 games of the season. Gervais was arguably the most improved player from a year ago, and he will be relied on to fill in some of the scoring void left by the departures of Zach Lehrke and Johnny McInnis. Gervais is a fast, physical, and highly skilled little guy, and he made numerous big plays for the Mavericks, and will be counted on to do so again.

    Top Returning Defenseman

    Senior #7 Zach Palmquist 4 goals, 19 assists, 23 points
    Palmquist has great vision on the ice, loves to join the rush, and is a carbon copy of what an offensive minded NCAA defenseman should be. Palmquist does a good job getting the puck to the net, and is an integral part of the power play. Palmquist has improved immensely defensively since his Freshman year, and has done a great job understanding when he needs to take his chances and join the rush, as well as when it is the right time to do so.

    Sophomore #11 Sean Flanagan 6 goals, 9 assists, 15 points
    Flanagan was a name that Maverick fans didn't know much about early on last year, but he did a fantastic job down the stretch of really improving and understanding all aspects of playing defense at the collegiate level. For a Freshman, rarely are there seasons that don't have bumps in the road, and Flanagan did a great job of battling through them to become a solid offensive defenseman for the Mavericks. He'll likely be used often on the power play this year, and may quarterbacking the second unit.

    Returning Goaltender

    Sophomore #34 Cole Huggins 21-8-1, 1.88 GAA, .926 SV%
    While Stephon Williams struggled to regain his Freshman year mojo, true Freshman Cole Huggins took the reigns and never looked back. Huggins will look to build on last year, trying to avoid the Sophomore slump his teammate endured. Huggins does an excellent job controlling the puck and making key stops, and will likely be called on to bail out the defense a little bit early in the year as the Mavericks looked to rebuild things a little bit along the blue line. Huggins could make a push to be the number one goaltender in the league with a huge year, although that will be an extremely tough task with C.J. Motte in the league.

    Key Losses

    Forward Johnny McInnis 21 goals, 17 assists, 38 points
    A huge goal scorer, particularly on the power play, as well as the team captain.

    Forward Zach Lehrke 8 goals, 20 assists, 28 points
    Coming out of retirement, Lehrke was the catalyst that got this team rolling last year, especially on the power play. He only played in 31 games and was virtually a point per game guy.

    Defenseman Jon Jutzi 0 goals, 6 assists, 6 points
    Dismissed due to team rules, Jutzi played in 82 games for the Mavericks and was a reliable defensive d-man, and was very good on the penalty kill.

    Poised for a Breakout

    Junior Forward #23 Teddy Blueger4 goals, 22 assists, 26 points
    The Latvia native is highly talented, and comes into this season with two solid years of experience. With another offseason under his belt, can Blueger become a 40 point guy? Blueger has extremely good playmaking ability and can really move with speed. He's fantastic on the rush, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him play a ton of power play minutes this year. Time will tell, but I think Teddy Blueger could become an elite NCAA forward this year.

    Sophomore Defenseman #5 Carter Foguth 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points
    Foguth may not light up the scoresheet this year, but with Jutzi out of the mix, this team needs a solid defensive d-man, and Foguth is the guy. He's clearly a leader on this team already, as he will wear an "A" on the sweater as a second year player. His tenacity and ability to win battles in tough areas in the defensive zone will make him a key factor this year. He needs to be solid for this Mavericks squad to reach expectations.

    Newcomers to Watch

    Freshman Forward #15 C.J. Franklin USHL Sioux Falls Stampede 22 goals, 29 assists, 51 points
    5th round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets

    From SB Nation College Hockey:

    What are his strengths? Weaknesses?

    Franklin is a tenacious worker that competes hard every night. He's willing to play on both ends of the ice, block shots, do whatever it takes to help his team. He's an all-around strong skater too; the type of player that is both quick and fast.

    On the downside, Franklin has always been more athlete than hockey player. He's scored at the USHL level, but doesn't have exceptional hockey sense, relying more on speed and grit to put up points
    Freshman Forward #19 Brad McClure BCHL Pentiction Vees 41 goals, 39 assists 80 points

    From overtheboards.net:

    Penticton had eleven division one commits already, but leading scorer and captain Brad McClure hadn’t yet made his decision – until this week, when he committed to Minnesota State for next fall. With goal-scoring teammate Max Coatta committed to join the Mavericks in 2015, McClure will join the roster a year earlier and could make an impact on day one for the team. The 6'0's Forward's contributions, for his part, have been unignorable – 3 game-winners and 17 pucks that found the twine, plus 16 helpers give him an even 33 point scoreline, good for fourth in BCHL scoring as of November 25, 2013.
    My Season Prediction: 30-12-3, with a MacNaughton Cup Championship, loss in the WCHA Final Five Title Game, and a loss in an NCAA Regional Final.
    AF 99

    M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

  • #2
    Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

    The Mavericks start the year at 13th in the USCHO Poll. The Mavericks are picked to win the league by the coaches and media, and Matt Leitner was picked as the media player of the year.

    http://mankatofreepresshockey.blogsp...ota-state.html
    AF 99

    M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

      CJ Franklin has been excellent thus far in practice. I'd expect to see him quite a bit Sunday to tune him up for the UNO series.
      AF 99

      M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

        I'm starting to get a little nervous, because my tickets haven't showed up yet. They seem to always wait until the absolute last minute to mail them out.
        My guy is a hard-nosed hockey player who is not afraid to crash the net. Your guy is a goon who runs the goalie.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

          Originally posted by MavHockey14 View Post
          CJ Franklin has been excellent thus far in practice. I'd expect to see him quite a bit Sunday to tune him up for the UNO series.
          Great news! I really liked watching him play for Sioux Falls because of the completeness of his game. I'm expecting he's another Stepan type player - good on any line, good at both ends, a positive contributor on both special teams.

          Are we generally healthy so far?

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by MavsFan View Post
            I'm starting to get a little nervous, because my tickets haven't showed up yet. They seem to always wait until the absolute last minute to mail them out.
            Tickets went out Monday and Tuesday of this week. You should get yours soon.
            AF 99

            M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by purpleinnebraska View Post
              Great news! I really liked watching him play for Sioux Falls because of the completeness of his game. I'm expecting he's another Stepan type player - good on any line, good at both ends, a positive contributor on both special teams.

              Are we generally healthy so far?
              No serious injuries to report. Guys are a little tired and banged up of course, but nothing serious.

              You virtually described what I believe Hastings expects from him after the first of the year. He's gonna have to get his feet wet and grow, not to mention that quite a few returning guys are expected to be even better than last year.(not an easy lineup to crack.)
              AF 99

              M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

                CHN has the Mavericks at #6 in their Preseason Top 10. Expectations are, and should be, higher than ever before.
                AF 99

                M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

                  Originally posted by MavsFan View Post
                  I'm starting to get a little nervous, because my tickets haven't showed up yet. They seem to always wait until the absolute last minute to mail them out.
                  Got mine today

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

                    Elk River Senior Forward Jake Jaremko committed to the Mavericks today. I'm assuming he's a 2016 commit. He's extremely fast. He's had a nice fall playing in the Elite League.
                    AF 99

                    M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

                      Originally posted by Iwearpurple View Post
                      Got mine today
                      Me too, but my daughter and her husband are still waiting.
                      My guy is a hard-nosed hockey player who is not afraid to crash the net. Your guy is a goon who runs the goalie.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

                        Originally posted by purpleinnebraska View Post
                        I was hoping for something a little more competitive, but it was just great to see a game again.

                        What was the deal with Knowles? Injury, or something else that kept him out of the lineup?
                        Knowles has a maintenance type injury, as far as I know. No need to try and play him in a meaningless game. The young guys got a lot of work.

                        Man that team was bad, though. The Mavs did what they were supposed to, which was nice to see. The Power Play needs to be quicker, and the defenseman can't get caught sleeping. I think Palmquist was burned twice in back to back shifts, one that led to the goal they gave up.

                        Power Play 1: Leitner, McClure, C. Nelson, Flanagan, LaFontaine
                        Power Play 2: Blueger, Stepan, Palmquist, Huntebrinker, Gervais

                        McClure also was in on PP2 for Huntebrinker in front of the net, and Franklin saw some time there as well. Franklin is a big kid who loves to get to the net. I'm extrememly excited to see how this team looks in Omaha Friday.
                        AF 99

                        M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

                          The lines last night were....

                          21-Grant ... 18-Leitner ... 9-Gervais
                          25-Stepan ... 23-Blueger ... 10-Knutson
                          12-LaFontaine ... 26-Margonari ... 17-Huntebrinker
                          15-Franklin ... 16-J. Nelson ... 8-Gaede
                          19-McClure

                          5-Foguth ... 7-Palmquist
                          27-Stern ... 3-Thompson
                          11-Flanagan ... 6-C. Nelson
                          4-Buchanan ... 22-Schmeisser

                          34-Huggins
                          35-Williams
                          29-Nelson

                          Scratches: Knowles

                          It looks as though Thompson might get a chance to play early on at least. I was surprised to see Knutson on the 2nd line, but there was a lot of switching things up outside of the top line. Gervais and Leitner had some really good chemistry already.
                          AF 99

                          M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

                            Big weekend ahead. The Mavs need a sweep.
                            AF 99

                            M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K-S, MAVERICKS, MAVERICKS, GOOOOO STATE!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: 2014-2015 Minnesota State University, Mankato Season Thread: Shipping up to Bosto

                              Originally posted by MavHockey14 View Post
                              Big weekend ahead. The Mavs need a sweep.
                              And a sweep would also help the WCHA.

                              Comment

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