Men's Ice Hockey Minnesota State Athletic Communications

Strand Up For Spencer Penrose Award

Minnesota State head coach Luke Strand has been named a top-10 finalist for the 2024-25 AHCA Spencer Penrose Award, given annually to the CCM/AHCA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year. Selected by the nation's 64 NCAA Division I head coaches, the winner will be announced April 8.
 
The nominees represent any coach who won or shared Coach of the Year honors in his conference this past season, as well as coaches whose teams have advanced to the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four.
 
Strand was announced as the CCHA Coach of the Year on Wednesday, March 25 by the conference office. This season, Strand guided the Mavericks to the MacNaughton Cup and Mason Cup titles as well as the program's 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Under Strand's leadership, MSU leads the nation in scoring defense, surrendering just 1.47 goals per game. The Mavericks are also ninth in the nation in penalty kill percentage (.845), fifth in scoring margin (+1.47) and fourth in winning percentage (.750).
 
Minnesota State (27-9-3, 18-5-3 CCHA) swept Lake Superior State in the Mason Cup quarterfinals with 4-1 and 3-2 victories at home. MSU then shut out Bemidji State 4-0 in the semifinals and collected a 4-2 victory over St. Thomas in the championship on March 21. The season ended in Fargo, North Dakota when the Mavericks fell 2-1 to No. 3 Western Michigan in the NCAA Region Semifinals in double overtime.
 
The Mavericks accumulated several conference individual awards, including junior Alex Tracy, who won CCHA Player of the Year. Tracy is a Mike Richter Finalist and Hobey Baker Top-10 Finalist. He leads the country in both goals against average and save percentage. Strand also recruited senior forward Rhett Pitlick, who won CCHA Forward of the Year and currently has 13 goals, 27 assists and 40 points. Sophomore defenseman Evan Murr was named CCHA Defenseman of the Year, adding seven goals (four on power play) and 19 assists for the Mavericks.
 
Off the ice, Strand's Mavericks held a 3.47 fall grade point average, extending the team's streak to 15 straight semesters having a 3.10 or higher GPA. Twelve student-athletes were named to the Dean's List.
 
In two seasons at the helm, Strand holds a 45-23-7 overall record. In his first season with a brand new staff, Strand helped the Mavericks make the CCHA Semifinals and finish 18-15-4 overall.
 
Finalists
David Carle, Denver, NCAA Semifinalist
Mike Cavanaugh, UConn, Hockey East Coach of the Year
Pat Ferschweiler, Western Michigan, NCHC Coach of the Year, NCAA Semifinalist
Guy Gadowsky, Penn State, NCAA Semifinalist
JF Houle, Clarkson, ECAC Coach of the Year
Jay Pandolfo, Boston University, NCAA Semifinalist
Bill Riga, Holy Cross, AHA Coach of the Year
Brett Riley, Long Island University, Independent Coach of the Year
Steve Rohlik, Ohio State, Big Ten Coach of the Year
Luke Strand, Minnesota State University, CCHA Coach of the Year