(Mankato, MN). Ask anyone what their favorite time of the week is and “Friday nights” would quite possibly be the #1 answer. For so many, Friday nights represent the end of a tough work week and the beginning of a weekend off. Ask kids on any college campus and for them, Friday nights are often synonymous with parties!!
Well, there was an epic party in Mankato on Friday night and close to 4,900 people showed up as the Minnesota State Mavericks faced off against the St. Thomas Tommies in the CCHA Mason Cup Championship at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. The sold-out crowd had their game faces on, as did the Mavericks.
Mavericks’ forward, Tristan Lemyre, who had two goals and an assist in the Mason Cup semis against Michigan Tech last Saturday, scored the first goal in the championship game when he directed the puck just under the Tommies’ tendie, Carsen Musser, after a sneaky wrap-around goal in the first period. He was assisted on the goal by the CCHA Defenseman of the Week, Evan Murr and Liam Watkins. The already-energetic crowd leapt to its feet and the party was on.
The Tommies would respond with a goal of their own later in the first period and the score would remain tied at ones at the end of the first period. By that time however, Senior Mavericks’ goalie Alex Tracy had hung a metaphorical “no vacancy” sign on the Mavs’ net, as the Tommies would not score again in the contest.
In the second period, Murr would score the eventual game-winning goal when he slipped a backhander through the 5-hole of Musser and into the net to put the Mavs up 2-1 after two periods of play. Forward, Luigi Benincasa would take a feed from Lemyre in the third, hit the brakes directly in front of the St. Thomas goalie and go forehand/backhand to slip it in past the outstretched skate of Musser for a 3-1 lead with just over six minutes left in the game.
Just under two minutes later and on the power play, Jack Smith would redirect a Murr shot into the net for the final score of the game. As the clock hit zeros, Minnesota State would post a 4-1 victory and back-to-back Mason Cup Championships. The win also represents the Mavericks’ fourth Mason Cup win in five years and second in the Luke Strand era as Mavericks’ Head Coach.
Strand, who has been at Minnesota State for three years, led his team to a tenth-consecutive MacNaughton Cup title as the CCHA regular season champion in February and a 22-10-7 record. This was after adding 17 new faces to this year’s roster, including his son Bryce Strand, who is a freshman forward for the Mavs. That had to be a special moment, and one of many in the coming years for the Strands.
The Mavericks are not done yet, however. With the Mason Cup once again secured, the Mavs have earned an automatic spot in the NCAA Regional Tournament. They will find out who their next opponent is on Sunday, March 22 at 2:00 PM CDT during the NCAA selection show which can be found on ESPNU.
More news and updates for the NCAA Tournament, the Mavericks and the NHL can be found here on The Morning Skate. Go Mavs!! Horns up!!
Photo credit for the featured photo to MansoorAhmad. All other photos by Richie Kuttner.
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