(Photo Prout)
Mankato, MN – With two overtime contests in the last three games, the Huskies could be 3-1-0. But the reality is they are 1-3-0 after being swept by the MSU Mavericks on the road on October 13-14. Now, they have to figure out how to get things on track before they dig themselves into a hole early in the season. They have one more weekend of non-conference games vs the University of Alaska on October 20/21 before they dive into conference play the first weekend of November.
The reconstructed MSU Mavericks sans 11-year coach Mike Hastings and nine of their top ten points producers were the better team on Saturday in the 5-1 win and arguably the better team in the 3-2 overtime win on Friday. For the weekend, the Mavericks outscored the Huskies 8-3 (2 empty net goals) and outshot them 57-53. They won the battle of special teams converting 1 of 5 powerplays while the Huskies were 0 for 6. They were also handled in the faceoff circle losing 60% of the faceoffs (63 of 105). Most importantly for the Mavericks, it was scoring by committee as they received scoring from seven different players.
“It was a big test,” MSU head coach Luke Strand said. “We hadn’t had a back-to-back yet so that was test number one. We played the right way and we had to learn how to play with a lead for the first time as well. I think those two were encouraging moments. I was happy with the way we got out of the gate and I’m proud of the guys. They are finding ways to be a team and happy and excited for each other.”
“Morty (Sam Morton) is an ultimate warrior,” Strand said. “He stays on the ride side of it. He doesn’t cheat. He’s our captain for a reason and you’re just happy for a guy that had to go through it and come out the other side.”
“I think we are building in the right direction,” Sam Morton said following the game. “We are just trying to put our best foot forward, making strides, building team chemistry, and working hard for each other every day.”
Sam Morton (Photo Prout)
Period One
Team leader, captain, and graduate player Sam Morton was one of the key players returning for 2023-24 and he was the player of the game with two goals. He gave the Mavericks a first-period lead with his first goal of the season at 17:22 of period one on the power play. Boston University transfer Brian Carrabes took an initial shot that was saved by Basse but the rebound slid back to Morton who slapped it past Basse from the right dot for a 1-0 lead. In the period, the Mavericks attempted 22 shots with 10 hitting their mark while the Huskes attempted 15 with 7 saved by Alex Tracy.
Brenden Olson (Photo Prout)
Second Period
MSU stunned the Huskies with two goals in the first 2:12 of play. Brenden Olson netted his first goal of the season just 1:36 into period two. The Mavericks apparently found a weakness to exploit as they scored off their third wraparound attempt of the weekend. Omaha transfer Kaden Bohlsen attempted a wraparound on Basse that was saved but Olsen was there to bury the loose puck for a 2-0 Maverick lead. They quickly extended the lead to three goals just 36 seconds later with Morton’s second goal of the game. The 24-year-old Morton started his collegiate career at Union College in the 2018-19 season and added his 25th career goal for an insurmountable 3-0 MSU lead. On a two-on-two into the SCSU zone, Morton attempted to feed the puck to a teammate but it went off Cooper Wylie’s stick and right back to Morton who beat Basse stick side high from the low left circle. That spelled the end of the night for Basse who was relieved by freshman Isak Posch who had five saves in the balance of the period.
(Photo Prout)
Period Three
Desperate to get back into the game down by three goals, the Huskies pulled Posch with 5:25 remaining in the period. The strategy worked with Kyler Kupka getting the puck past Tracy in a goalmouth scramble with 4:05 remaining in the contest and giving some hope for a comeback. But, it was not to be with Brian Carrabes adding an empty net goal at 17:01 and another by Kaden Bohlsen 1:38 later in the 5-1 final. This was the first sweep of the Huskies by the Mavericks since October of 2016.
The loss dropped the Huskies record to 1-3-0 while the Mavericks improved to a perfect 2-0-0. SCSU continues non-conference play with the University of Alaska next weekend while the Mavericks face UMass.
Game Statistics
Shots on Goal: 30 to 30
Goaltender Saves: Basse (SCSU) 11/14 (.785 SV%); Posch (SCSU) 14/14 (1.00 SV%); Tracy (MSU) 29/30 (.966 SV%)
Power Play: (SCSU) 0/3 (0 %); (MSU) 1/3 (33%)
Penalties: (SCSU) 4/8; (MSU) 5/10
Faceoffs: 33-23 (MSU)
Blocked Shots: 11 (MSU); 10 (SCSU)
VIEW FROM CENTER ICE 