Men's Ice Hockey

Weekend Preview: Ready to Rock

All nine CCHA teams are in action this weekend, including four series and three exhibition games. Highlighting the action to begin the conference's fourth year back is Minnesota State visiting No. 7 Michigan for a pair and No. 20 St. Thomas host No. 16 St. Cloud State. 

Ferris State hosts Miami (OH) for a pair and Lake Superior State welcomes in-state rival No. 4 Michigan State to Taffy Abel. Bemidji State travels to No. 18 Minnesota Duluth for one on Saturday, while Bowling Green visits Mercyhurst for a two-game set.

Notable exhibition action includes Augustana traveling to No. 5 North Dakota and Michigan Tech hosting rival Northern Michigan.
 
Six of this weekend's games will be available on CCHA TV, by visiting midcosportsplus.com. Two are on B1G+, two are on NCHC.tv and two can be seen on FloHockey.
 
Notable Links: 

No. 4 Michigan State (0-0-0) at Lake Superior State (0-0-0)
Day/Time: Friday (6:07pm ET) & Saturday (4:07pm ET)
Video Stream: Midco Sports Plus | International
Radio: LSSU 99.5 FM
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: MSU | LSSU

The Lakers open 2024-25 by hosting the fourth-ranked Spartans at Taffy Abel Arena on Friday and Saturday. The CCHA's leading scorer during conference play (24 points) returns in junior Connor Milburn, as Lake Superior State looks to build off its Mason Cup Semifinal appearance from a season ago. 
 

Minnesota State (0-0-0) at No. 7 Michigan (0-0-0)
Day/Time: Friday (6:00pm CT) & Saturday (5:00pm CT)
Video Stream: B1G+
Radio: MSU AM 1420
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: MSU | MICH

The Mavericks visit Yost Arena for the first in program history on Friday night, before concluding the series on Saturday. Michigan lead the all-time series, 1-0-0, taking the only meeting on neutral ice, 3-2, on October 16, 2021, in the IceBreaker Championship Game in Duluth. Minnesota State sophomore blueliner Evan Murr was named Preseason All-CCHA after a 26-point rookie campaign.


Bowling Green (0-0-0) at Mercyhurst (0-0-0)
Day/Time: Saturday (7:07pm ET) & Sunday (7:07pm ET)
Video Stream: FloHockey
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: BGSU | MU

The Falcons open the Dennis Williams era on the road this weekend, taking on Atlantic Hockey foe Mercyhurst in Eria, Pa. Bowling Green leads the all-time series with the Lakers, 5-2-0, dating back to the inaugural meeting on December 28, 2000 - a 3-1 BGSU victory. The Falcons are looking for their third consecutive opening night win Friday.


Miami (0-0-0) at Ferris State (0-0-0)
Day/Time: Friday (8:07pm ET) & Saturday (8:07pm ET)
Video Stream: Midco Sports Plus | International
Radio: FSU 97.3 FM
Live Stats: Friday | Saturday
Game Notes: MIA | FSU

Ferris State welcomes the RedHawks to town for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday night. Miami holds a narrow edge in the all-time series, 49-46-17, following a split in Big Rapids last season. Travis Shoudy captains FSU from the blue line this season after posting 21 points last year. 


Bemidji State (0-0-0) at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth (0-0-0)
Day/Time: Saturday (5:07pm CT)
Video Stream: NCHC.tv
Radio: BSU 92.1 FM
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: BSU | UMD

Defending MacNaughton Cup Champion Bemidji State opens the 2024-25 season on the road on Saturday, facing the Bulldogs for a single contest. The Beavers return the CCHA's Goaltender of the Year in Mattias Sholl, who went 10-2-2 in conference action with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. Freshman forward Jaksen Panzer was the media's choice for Preseason Rookie of the Year.


Northern Michigan at Michigan Tech (Exhibition)
Day/Time: Saturday (6:07pm ET)
Video Stream: Midco Sports Plus | International
Radio: MTU 93.5 FM 
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: NMU | MTU 

Longtime UP rivals Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan get together for an exhibition matchup on Saturday and MacInnis Student Ice Arena in Houghton. David Shyiak's Wildcat tenure unofficially gets underway as he leads his alma mater into the 2024-25 year. NMU returns only four skaters on its roster, while the defending Mason Cup Champions from Michigan Tech placed two sophomores on the Preseason All-CCHA Team, including defenseman Chase Pietila and forward Isaac Gordon, who shared the league Preseason Player of the Year honor.


No. 16 St. Cloud State (0-0-0) at St. Thomas (0-0-0)
Day/Time: Sunday (5:07pm CT)
Video Stream: Midco Sports Plus | International
Radio: UST AM 1500
Live Stats: Click Here

The 20th-ranked Tommies, who host Manitoba in an exhibition game on Saturday, get the regular season underway at home on Sunday against 16th-ranked St. Cloud State. St. Thomas earned its first-ever victory over the Huskies last October 7, winning a thriller in St. Cloud, 5-4, in overtime. SCSU bounced back to win 1-0 the following night and own a 5-1-0 lead in the all-time series. Junior Lucas Wahlin was named Preseason Player of the Year in the CCHA by both the coaches and media.
 

Augustana at No. 7 North Dakota (Exhibition)
Day/Time: Saturday (6:07pm CT)
Video Stream: NCHC.tv
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: AU | UND

South Dakota's Augustana meets seventh-ranked UND for the first time on Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena, however unofficially, as the contest is an exhibition. The Vikings, who are in their second season of existence, are led by Luke Mobley, who collected a team-high 19 points in 2023-24. Auggie managed some success against NCHC competition in year one, beating Colorado College and tying eventual National Champion Denver on the road.
Â