| 2023–24 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | 4th CCHA |
| Home ice | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR |
| Record | |
| Overall | 18–15–4 |
| Conference | 12–10–2 |
| Home | 10–7–1 |
| Road | 8–8–3 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | Luke Strand |
| Assistant coaches | Troy G. Ward Keith Paulsen Cory McCracken |
| Captain(s) | Sam Morton |
| Alternate captain(s) | Tony Malinowski Jordan Steinmetz Mason Wheeler |
| Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey seasons « 2022–23 2024–25 » | |
The 2023–24 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 55th season of play for the program, 28th at the Division I level, and 3rd in the CCHA. The Mavericks represented Minnesota State University, Mankato in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center and were coached by Luke Strand in his 1st season.
Season
Due in no small part to the departure of former head coach Mike Hastings to Wisconsin, Minnesota State saw a mass exodus of players in the offseason. The Mavericks ended up losing the top nine scorers from the previous season, leaving Luke Strand a herculean task ahead of him. To make matters worse, last year's starting goaltender, Keenan Rancier, had to have offseason surgery on his hip and would be unavailable for the star of the season. The team did receive a small bit of good news with Sam Morton having fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury.
Even with circumstances going against them, the Mavericks began the season well, sweeping preseason #10 St. Cloud State at home. Unfortunately, Alex Tracy played inconsistently for the rest of October and the team went winless to finish out the month. Things got a little better once the team settled down but one thing became abundant as the season progressed; while the offense appeared to be operating well, led by Morton, the defense was lacking. Minnesota State had been one of the best teams in recent years in terms of shots against per game. Last season the Mavericks had allowed less than 19 attempts on goal per match but now, with all of the changes that the Mavericks had undergone, MSU was surrendering almost 50% more opportunities per game. While the performances of the two netminders was about the same, the increased shot volume resulted in about half a goal against per game more. The first half of the year saw the team swing between good and bad stretches in even amounts to end up at exactly .500 by the winter break.
After the time off, Minnesota State returned looking like a new team. Tracy and Rancier played about as well as they had all season and helped the team run through January with a 5–1–2 record. By the beginning of February, Minnesota State looked primed to capture its 7th consecutive conference title but that's when the team ran out of gas. Over the final five weeks of the season, The goaltending returned to its early-season form and allowed at least three goals in six of eight games. The offense was unable to compensate and Minnesota State lost five games, all in regulation. On the final weekend of the regular season, MSU still had a chance to finish atop the standings but they were shutout in consecutive games by Bemidji State and fell to 4th.
Tracy was given the starting role in the postseason and fulfilled the assignment by stopping 58 of 60 shots from Northern Michigan. The stout goaltending was more than enough to lead the team to a sweep and a trip to the semifinals. Higher-seeded Michigan Tech awaited the Mavericks in the second round but it looked to be MSU that was the better team. Minnesota State held the lead after the first and second periods but both times Tech was able to tie the match. Adam Eisele gave the Mavs their third lead of the game at the 6-minute mark of the third period and brought upon a furious attack from the Huskies to tie the score. Tracy was unable to stop a penalty shot from tying the game with under 5 minutes to play but neither team was able to get the equalizer and the match seemed destined for overtime. In the waning seconds of the game, Minnesota State won a defensive faceoff but Steven Bellini was unable to clear the puck. A rushed shot from the blueline was stopped by Tracy's pad but deflected up and off the glass. The puck rebounded up and over the net and Jordan Power attempted to knock it out of harm's way with his glove. The Maverick defenseman missed the puck which instead hit him in the helmet and hopped back towards the goal. back towards the goal. Tracy saw the puck at the last moment and appeared to try and head the puck away but it bounced off of his mask and dropped into the goal with just 9 seconds left in the game. Minnesota State was unable to produce a miracle to tie the game and saw their season end on one of the more crazy endings imaginable.
Departures
| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cade Borchardt | Forward |  United States |
Graduation (signed with Kansas City Mavericks) |
| Andy Carroll | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation (signed with Abbotsford Canucks) |
| Christian Fitzgerald | Forward |  Canada |
Transferred to Wisconsin |
| Brendan Furry | Forward | United States |
Signed professional contract (Lehigh Valley Phantoms) |
| Akito Hirose | Defenseman | Canada |
Signed professional contract (Vancouver Canucks) |
| Jake Livingstone | Defenseman | Canada |
Signed professional contract (Nashville Predators) |
| Ondřej Pavel | Forward |  Czech Republic |
Signed professional contract (Colorado Avalanche) |
| Ryan Sandelin | Forward | United States |
Graduation (signed with Colorado Eagles) |
| David Silye | Forward | Canada |
Transferred to Wisconsin |
| Simon Tassy | Forward | Canada |
Transferred to Wisconsin |
| Bennett Zmolek | Defenseman | United States |
Transferred to North Dakota |
Recruiting
| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaden Bohlsen | Forward | United States |
22 | Willmar, MN; transfer from Omaha |
| Brian Carrabes | Forward | United States |
22 | North Andover, MA; transfer from Boston University |
| Tyler Haskins | Forward | United States |
20 | Rochester, MN; transfer from Denver |
| Brandon Koch | Defenseman | United States |
24 | Hastings, MN; graduate transfer from Air Force |
| Brett Moravec | Forward | Canada |
20 | Airdrie, AB |
| Evan Murr | Defenseman | United States |
20 | Stillwater, MN |
| Kade Nielsen | Forward | United States |
21 | Burnsville, MN |
| Jordan Power | Defenseman | Canada |
22 | Ottawa, ON; transfer from Clarkson |
| Jordan Steinmetz | Forward | United States |
24 | Chippewa Falls, WI; graduate transfer from St. Lawrence |
| Jakob Stender | Defenseman | United States |
22 | Alexandria, MN |
Roster
As of September 18, 2023.
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 
|
Brandon Koch | Graduate | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1999-01-18 | Hastings, Minnesota | Air Force (AHA) | — |
| 4 | 
|
Brett Moravec | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2003-02-26 | Airdrie, Alberta | Penticton Vees (BCHL) | — |
| 5 |
|
Mason Wheeler (A) | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 2001-09-29 | Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota | Tri-City (USHL) | — |
| 6 | 
|
Sam Morton (C) | Graduate | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 1999-07-28 | Lafayette, Colorado | Wenatchee (BCHL) | — |
| 7 | 
|
Luc Wilson | Sophomore | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2001-11-22 | Duncan, British Columbia | Penticton (BCHL) | — |
| 8 |
|
Campbell Cichosz | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 2001-08-23 | Albert Lea, Minnesota | Anchorage (NAHL) | — |
| 9 | 
|
Tanner Edwards | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 2000-03-11 | Anchorage, Alaska | Muskegon (USHL) | — |
| 10 |
|
Evan Murr | Freshman | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 2003-02-27 | Stillwater, Minnesota | Sioux Falls (USHL) | — |
| 11 |
|
Tyler Haskins | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2003-07-07 | Rochester, Minnesota | Denver (NCHC) | — |
| 12 | 
|
Josh Groll | Senior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 2001-08-09 | San Diego, California | Michigan (Big Ten) | — |
| 13 | 
|
Jordan Power | Freshman | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2001-07-31 | Ottawa, Ontario | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 14 |
|
Kade Nielsen | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2002-08-06 | Burnsville, Minnesota | Chippewa (NAHL) | — |
| 15 |
|
Adam Eisele | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2001-07-11 | Lake Elmo, Minnesota | Penticton (BCHL) | — |
| 18 |
|
Jakob Stender | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2002-08-07 | Alexandria, Minnesota | Fargo (USHL) | — |
| 19 |
|
Will Hillman | Junior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 2000-11-22 | Blaine, Minnesota | Youngstown (USHL) | — |
| 20 |
|
Connor Gregga | Senior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 2000-07-24 | Markham, Ontario | Coquitlam (BCHL) | — |
| 21 | 
|
Lucas Sowder | Graduate | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 164 lb (74 kg) | 1998-11-15 | Trinity, Florida | Wenatchee (BCHL) | — |
| 22 |
|
Steven Bellini | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 171 lb (78 kg) | 2000-05-23 | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario | Tri-City (USHL) | — |
| 24 |
|
Zach Krajnik | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 1999-05-13 | Eagle River, Alaska | Kenai River (NAHL) | — |
| 25 | 
|
Brenden Olson | Junior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2000-10-18 | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 26 |
|
Kaden Bohlsen | Senior | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2001-01-10 | Willmar, Minnesota | Fargo (USHL) | — |
| 27 | 
|
Tony Malinowski (A) | Senior | D | 6' 5" (1.96 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 1999-10-15 | Clarkston, Michigan | Des Moines (USHL) | — |
| 28 | 
|
Brian Carrabes | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2001-08-01 | North Andover, Massachusetts | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 29 |
|
Jordan Steinmetz (A) | Graduate | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1999-01-10 | Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 32 |
|
Andrew Miller | Junior (RS) | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 2000-02-10 | Boulder, Colorado | Fargo (USHL) | — |
| 33 | 
|
Alex Tracy | Sophomore | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2001-05-04 | Chicago, Illinois | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 35 |
|
Keenan Rancier | Junior | G | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 2000-06-21 | Victoria, British Columbia | Minot (NAHL) | — |
Standings
| 2023–24 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Standings | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| Bemidji State † | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 48 | 82 | 64 | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 117 | 111 | |
| St. Thomas | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 68 | 62 | 37 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 97 | 105 | |
| #19 Michigan Tech* | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 63 | 54 | 40 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 109 | 102 | |
| Minnesota State | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 73 | 62 | 37 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 111 | 96 | |
| Northern Michigan | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 57 | 67 | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 83 | 105 | |
| Bowling Green | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 60 | 69 | 36 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 86 | 116 | |
| Lake Superior State | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 79 | 73 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 1 | 114 | 113 | |
| Ferris State | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 49 | 80 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 83 | 125 | |
| Augustana ^ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 90 | 105 | |
| Championship: March 22, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup) ^ Augustana is playing a transition schedule of 16 games against conference opponents that are not counted in the standings Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll | |||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
Scoring statistics
| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Morton | LW | 37 | 24 | 10 | 34 | 10 |
| Lucas Sowder | LW | 33 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 16 |
| Evan Murr | D | 37 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 14 |
| Adam Eisele | F | 37 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 16 |
| Brian Carrabes | F | 36 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 6 |
| Kaden Bohlsen | C | 37 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 52 |
| Josh Groll | F | 34 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 15 |
| Luc Wilson | F | 36 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 14 |
| Brandon Koch | D | 34 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 18 |
| Steven Bellini | D | 31 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 20 |
| Jordan Steinmetz | F | 32 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| Brett Moravec | F | 27 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| Zach Krajnik | C | 27 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| Jordan Power | D | 31 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 26 |
| Tyler Haskins | F | 18 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Will Hillman | F | 36 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| Mason Wheeler | D | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 |
| Brenden Olson | D | 23 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| Connor Gregga | F | 28 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Campbell Cichosz | D | 36 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Tony Malinowski | D | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jakob Stender | D | 27 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Alex Tracy | G | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tanner Edwards | C/LW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Kade Nielsen | F | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keenan Rancier | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 111 | 175 | 286 | 307 |
Goaltending statistics
| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Tracy | 30 | 1584:17 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 66 | 671 | 2 | .910 | 2.50 |
| Keenan Rancier | 13 | 663:59 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 273 | 0 | .910 | 2.44 |
| Empty Net | - | 11:38 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 37 | 2259:54 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 96 | 944 | 2 | .908 | 2.55 |
Rankings
Main article: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings| Poll | Week | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) | ||
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | 19 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25.
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.
Awards and honors
| Player | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Morton | CCHA Player of the Year | |
| Sam Morton | CCHA Forward of the Year | |
| Sam Morton | CCHA First Team | |
| Evan Murr | CCHA Second Team | |
| Evan Murr | CCHA Rookie Team |
2024 NHL Entry Draft
Main article: 2024 NHL Entry Draft| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 165 | Luke Ashton | Columbus Blue Jackets |
† incoming freshman
References
- "MSU's Rancier glad to be contributing after long recovery". The Free Press. January 12, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- "After battling back from injury, Minnesota State's Sam Morton is flourishing in final college season". The Rink Live. December 8, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- "Tech Hockey - Minnesota State Highlights - 03.16.24". Michigan Tech Huskies. March 16, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- "2023-24 Men's Hockey Roster". Minnesota State Mavericks. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- "2023-24 Men's Hockey Schedule". Minnesota State Mavericks. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- "Minnesota State Univ. (Mankato) 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- "CCHA Player of the Year is Sam Morton". CCHA. March 15, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- "Sam Morton Named CCHA Forward of the Year". CCHA. March 14, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- "All-CCHA First Team Announced". CCHA.com. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- "Six Earn All-CCHA Second Team". CCHA.com. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- "CCHA All-Rookie Team Revealed". CCHA.com. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2024 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024.