Top Matchup Between St. Thomas and No. 15 Minnesota State: All Things CCHA
Like with most of college hockey the Central Collegiate Hockey Association eases back to a full returns this weekend, with St. Thomas at No. 15 Minnesota the game to watch.
The Mavericks currently hold the top spot in the standings with 28 points through 14 games played. They're followed by the hard-charging Tommies with 27 points in 13 games. MSU (12-5-5) comes off a split in the Cactus Cup, losing 3-1 to UMass Lowell, before winning 4-3 over Yale.
St. Thomas (11-7-3) rolls into the Saturady showdown having winning five straight, including two series sweeps over Ferris State and Northern Michigan. The Tommies, after struggling early in the season, haven’t lost in over a month.
MSU is led by goalie Alex Tracy and Evan Murr, who leads conference defensemen with 18 points on six goals and 12 assists. Tracy leads the CCHA with a 1.93 goals against average, and his .929 save percentage ranks second.
The Tommies are led by two prolific scorers in Alex Gaffney and Lucas Wahlin. Gaffney tops the Tommies with 27 points on 13 goals and 14 assists. Wahlin has 22 points on 13 goals and nine assists.
These teams met earlier this season, splitting a home-and-home series. The Mavericks won game one 3-1 in St. Paul, before the Tommies stole an overtime win 4-3 in Mankato the following night. Saturday's game will be the last time these two teams meet in the regular season.
Michigan Tech at Bemidji State
BSU (9-8-3) currently holds third place in the conference with 25 points in 12 games. The Huskies (12-8-2) are in fifth with 22 points in 12 games.
The Beavers have only played one time since the beginning of December. Winning an exhibition against Minnesota 3-3 in a shootout on Jan. 2.
Tech comes into this series after a weekend split in the Desert Hockey Classic. The Huskies lost to Air Force 8-2 in game one, before shutting out Alaska Anchorage 5-0.
BSU is led by Adam Flammang and Oliver Peer, Flammang who has tallied 24 points on six goals and 18 assists, leads the team. Peer is close behind with 21 points on 12 goals and nine assists.
The Huskies are led by Stiven Sardarian and Owen Bartoszkiewicz. Sardarian is second in the country with 20 assists and fourth in points with 29. Bartoszkiewicz is second in the country in minutes played and fourth in wins with 12.
Tech leads the all-time series 26-24-11 dating back to 2007. These teams split their earlier series in Houghton, with BSU winning 2-2 in a shootout on Friday before Tech won in overtime 2-1 on Saturday.
Players of the Month
CCHA Forward of the Month: Brett Meerman, Jr., Augustana. Meerman led all CCHA skaters with five goals and nine points in December, helping Augustana to a 3-1-2 record. He also had a league-best in shooting percentage with .417 and power-play goals with 3. He had one game-winning goal and blocked three shots defensively. His month was highlighted by three straight games with multiple points.
CCHA Defenseman of the Month: Chase Cheslock, Jr., St. Thomas. Cheslock paced conference defensemen with six points in December, dishing out six assists as the Tommies went 3-1-0. Highlighting his month was a three-assist game against Lake Superior State on December 5 and a two-assist game at Northern Michigan on December 12.
CCHA Goaltender of the Month: Carsen Musser, So., St. Thomas. Musser was a perfect 3-0-0 in December, leading conference netminders in goals-against average with 1.34 and a save percentage of .945 in his three starts. Stopping 69-of-73 shots, he had one shutout and played 179:43 minutes. He stopped all 29 shots he faced in a shutout of Northern Michigan on December 12, after turning away 27-of-28 in a 4-1 victory over Lake Superior State on December 6.
CCHA Rookie of the Month: Jacob Jastrzebski, Fr., Augustana. Jastrzebski led CCHA freshmen in assists with five and points with seven, helping the Vikings to a 3-1-2 record. Despite seeing his five-game point streak come to an end against Omaha, he had at least one point in all four conference games during the month, including three straight multi-point efforts against Bowling Green and Minnesota State.
Players of the Week
CCHA Forward of the Week: Tyler Hotson, Jr., Bowling Green. Hotson led CCHA skaters with five points last week, scoring two goals with three assists to lead Bowling Green to its first win and series win over in-state rival Ohio State since 2018-19. On Friday, he had one assist in a 2-2 tie in Columbus, before notching a career-high four points in a 5-3 victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday.
CCHA Defenseman of the Week: Jack Anderson, Sr., Michigan Tech. Anderson paced conference blueliners in goals with three and points with four, helping Michigan Tech to a 1-1 record at the Desert Hockey Classic. On Friday, he had one assist in an 8-2 loss to Air Force, before netting a hat trick in the Huskies' 5-0 shutout of Alaska Anchorage.
CCHA Goaltender of the Week: Rorke Applebee, So., Lake Superior State. Applebee went 2-0 last week in Capp Cup action for Lake Superior State, posting league-bests in goals-against average with .980 and a save percentage of .973. He stopped a league-high 72 shots across 122:36 minutes. On Saturday, he made 29 saves in a 2-1 overtime victory over Northern Michigan. He then stopped 43-of-44 shots in a 2-1 victory on Sunday.
CCHA Rookie of the Week: Hayes Hundley, Fr., St. Thomas. Hundley helped St. Thomas to a weekend sweep of Ferris State, scoring two goals and assisting on another for three points. On Friday night, he had one goal in a 5-3 victory over the Bulldogs. He then recorded a goal and an assist in an 8-4 win on Saturday.
SEE ALSO: Latest College Hockey Rankings
Beyond the Blue line
Michigan Tech’s Jack Anderson had a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Alaska Anchorage. He's the first Tech defenseman to do so since 1985. … Tracy is tied for third place on the MSU all-time shutouts list with 10. … Augustana has averaged nearly three goals a game on home ice. … The CCHA has two ranked teams in No. 15 Minnesota State and No. 17 Augustana. However, the Vikings are slightly ahead in the National Collegiate Percentage (NPI) Index, at No. 13 and No. 14, used to determine the 16-team NCAA Tournament field.
Zach Richardson is a graduate of Augustana University, where he double-majored in journalism and media studies. He's a five-year member of the football team and an active contributor to the university’s student newspapers. He's covered a wide range of sports, including hockey, basketball, softball, and baseball. "I know how to break down the game, ask the right questions, and tell compelling stories on and off the field. ... I’ve spent just as much time in locker rooms as I have in newsrooms, and I understand both the athlete and the fan."
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