In this week’s RinkRap, Shorties return to Mankato, Freshmen lead the resurgent Lakers, and the Tommies win the “eye test.”
In the Soo, The Kids Are All Right
In September, CCHA coaches and media left Lake State for dead. Road Kill. Cellar dwellers. Both polls had them projected as dead last in the CCHA. And now with the new year upon us the Lakers are alive and well, thansmall part to an injection of speedy freshmen talent. Contrary to all the prognosticators, the Lakers find themselves on the home-ice side of the CCHA standings. They also have a silver chalice in their hands after sweeping Northern Michigan and capturing the Cappo Cup. Laker freshman poured in four goals and six assists over the weekend, and have scored 56% of LSSU’s total offensive production this season. Rookies are the logical first stop in LSSU’s mid-season analysis. Coach Damon Whitten singled out the rookie line of Brendan Piku (4-6-10), Luke Levandowski (2-3-5) and Reagan Milburn (1-5-6) for the two comeback wins against Northern.
“The freshman line deserve a ton of accolades, just a heck of a weekend,” Whitten said. “They bring a lot of speed, a lot of energy, and they drew a ton of penalties.”
John Herrington chipped in a goal and a helper to raise his totals to 6-9-15 that lead this dynamic class. The kids have an abundance of speed in Sasha Teleguine (“fastest player in the CCHA,” according to LSSU broadcaster Matt Pocket) and his center Carter Batchelder. The Savage, Minnesota frosh scored a sensational goal Friday after being tripped. It turned out to be a two-goal play after classmate Piku converted on the subsequent power play. Due to the fact that most of his freshman have now played 20 or more games, Whitten chooses to no longer call them rookies.
“With all the young guys we play, they’re not “first-years” any more,” Whitten said. “They’re more experienced [now], they’ve got a little more moxie, they’re learning what it takes night in and night out.”
The Lakers holiday tournament bust (a total of two goals in a pair of losses) masked the prodigious offensive numbers they’ve amassed in their two games before and after the break. In all four of those those four league games they have scored five or more goals. Only the two latest NCAA champs Quinnipiac and Denver have matched that streak this season.
There are other indications that the Lakers star is on the rise. Seven times they have come back to win after allowing the first goal. On Saturday night, trailing 1-0 late in the second period, Piku finished off a seeing-eye feed from Milburn, backhand to backhand, igniting a three-goal burst to finish off the frame, and for all intents and purposes, the Wildcats.
Despite the abundance of speed and talent injected into Lakers roster, Whitten has a nagging complaint. As a veteran of CCHA trench warfare, he’d prefer less pretty, and more gritty. “Maybe the one thing I don’t like is the only way they score is a highlight-reel, end-to-end goal,” Whitten said. “We need to teach them to get a little dirtier at times, and muck things up.”
No Shortage of Shorties in Mankato
Considering the fact that Minnesota State won both the MacNaughton Trophy and the Mason Cup last season, it is remarkable that the Mavericks failed to score a single shorthanded goal. Their previous “shorty” was scored by Jake Livingstone back on December 10, 2021. The shortage of shorties had been a point of emphasis by team broadcaster Darren Blue, growing louder as months became years for the Maverick penalty killers. Finally on December 15, fifth-year skater Lucas Sowder generated a brilliant give-and-go to score against RPI while short-handed, MSU’s first such goal in over two years. Sadly, Blue was not in Troy, N.Y. to rejoice.
Now, shorties are becoming commonplace for the Mavericks. Sowder scored another SHG Friday night vs Ferris, and teammate Jordan Steinmetz did the same a period later to provide the winning margin in the 4-2 victory. When it rains, it pours. Mavs first-year coach Luke Strand has been known to sweat out one-goal leads, wondering how his club can extend its lead. Last Friday the formula presented itself, twice in fact. Simply take a penalty and let the killers do their thing.
The Eye Test
An bookkeeper who cares little for college hockey glanced up from her family couch Thursday night and stated for the record: “The team in white is getting all the chances.” And with that, the St. Thomas Tommies passed the eye test with flying colors. Forget the fact that Michigan Tech hit three posts and challenged on the scoreboard in the 4-3 loss. St. Thomas led wire-to-wire to capture Thursday’s game, and Saturday’s as well, to sweep CCHA pre-season favorite Tech, vaulting the Tommies to the top of the standings.
A roster full of hungry players (19 from Minnesota) has clearly bought in to coach Rico Blasi’s culture of sacrifice and accountability. His urgent mantra of not taking a second off was apparent, on both the scoreboard and to the naked eye.
Loose Biscuits
Well into his third season of Dvision I hockey at Michigan Tech, Alex Nordstrom had not scored a goal. He was a loyal practice player as a freshman, and a dedicated fourth-line checker the past two seasons. And then in the second period last Thursday vs St. Thomas he struck for two goals within 43 seconds, turning a 3-0 deficit into a 3-2 nailbiter . . . Hockey fans are familiar with the proverbial “Gordie Howe Hat Trick”: a goal, an assist and a fight. Last Thursday Austen Swankler gave it a new twist: a crossbar, an assist and a post-game skirmish . . . In one of the most emotional intermission interviews in memory, Minnesota State’s Luc Wilson spoke with Darren Blue after scoring a goal and an assist in the first period Saturday against Ferris State. “My uncle passed away a couple of days ago, that one was for him,” Wilson said, his eyes moist. “I’ve got him on the back of my stick tonight, playing with a heavy heart. He’s definitely an angel from above tonight.” Wilson notified Maverick radio man Mike Sullivan to give his uncle a shout out if and when he scored . . . St. Thomas freshman defenseman Mason Poolman scored his first career goal last Thursday, the eventual game-winner vs Michigan Tech. It was the first goal scored by a Tommies’ defenseman this season . . . On Friday Ferris goalie Logan Stein not only learned that he had made the Richter Award Watch List, but he also earned a spot on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top-10 plays with this leathery theft.