The Minnesota State Mavericks are steamrolling through the playoffs, taking up most of the spotlight this weekend as many expected. Only two teams are left in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and although Minnesota State has the edge, St. Thomas has been making noise as well.

Mavericks to host Mason Cup Finals

After a successful weekend shutting out Bemidji State, Minnesota State will be hosting St. Thomas in the Mason Cup Championship Finals.  Both teams had breakout seasons and after this weekend both teams look equally matched, with Minnesota State having the edge of home-ice advantage and being the regular season champs. 

Puck drop: Friday, March 21 at 7:07 p.m. CST (8:07 p.m.)

St. Thomas ties program-record

St. Thomas currently tops the CCHA in almost all offensive stats, with their latest performance against Bowling Green, two St. Thomas players are tied with a program-record for goals in a season.

Sealing St. Thomas’ eighth win in a row, forwards Cooper Gay and Liam Malmquist scored their 19th goal of the season, tying for the most in program history. Forward Lucas Wahlin recorded his 40th assist of the season with Malmquist’s record-breaking goal in the third period. Whalin is now ranked fourth in the CCHA in assists and assists per game.

Minnesota State Sweep Year-end awards

The Mavericks are making a lot of noise sweeping the final three year-end awards announced on Thursday, March 13. Here are the three honorees:

Defenseman of the Year: Evan Murr (Sophomore)

Blocking 23 shots and recording 53 of his own, Murr has been productive on offense and defense. Recording an overall 25 points with six goals and 19 assists, Murr had six multi-point games in conference play. 

Goaltender of the Year: Alex Tracy (Sophomore)

Currently ranked first in both goals against average and save percentage in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Tracy has played 25 out of 26 games for the Mavericks in conference play. Tracy currently has a .944 save percentage, with four shutouts, and is a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award.

The two-time Goalie of the Month winner is also named the CCHA Player of the Year to seal his breakout season on Friday, March 14.

Forward of the Year: Rhett Pitlick (Senior)

Pitlick has also had a breakout season this year, recording a CCHA-best 30 points with 10 goals and 20 assists in 26 games. Pitlick is also tied for 10th in game-winning goals nationally with five. Pitlick was also named Forward of the Month in October 2024.