Minnesota State Takes on Northern Michigan in Semi-Finals
After winning their playoff series against Ferris State, Minnesota State hosts Northern Michigan in a one-game semi-final matchup. Puck drop is at 3:07 p.m. on Friday.
Since the 2013-2014 season, Minnesota State has gone 18-5-3 against Northern Michigan and has won four straight against the Wildcats. Minnesota State looks to utilize their home-ice advantage, as the top-seeded Mavericks are 10-2-0 vs. Northern Michigan at home in Mankato.
The WCHA is nearing the end of its season, and Minnesota State has a good chance of winning the championship. It didn’t come without challenges, though. The league had to cancel games, and various players tested positive for COVID-19.
“We’re all in a day-to-day world, we are all continuing to test up until we get to the tournament on Friday, teams are coming in Thursday to get their day before skate in,” Hastings said. “We were never guaranteed a weekend. Northern was supposed to come in here and play us at home but couldn’t make it due to some COVID issues.”
With Minnesota State winning the MacNaughton Cup and securing the top seed, they’ve guaranteed themselves home ice throughout the playoffs.
“We wanted to have home ice in the playoffs for as long as we possibly could, and we are fortunate enough to have that,” Hastings said. “Now we got to take advantage of it.”
A small number of fans can attend these games in Mankato, and Minnesota State players will use the fans’ excitement as extra motivation on Friday.
“I think we are pumped to be in our own building,” captain Riese Zmolek said. “Having our homes fans is an advantage for us”
The WCHA announced its individual award winners last week, with four going to Minnesota State players. The WCHA named head coach Mike Hastings coach of the decade. This prestigious award was well deserved, as no program in the country has won more games than Minnesota State since Hastings was hired.
“The student-athletes I’ve been able to coach and the guys that have helped me do it,” Hastings said. “Coaches only go as far as their players and their staff.”
The upcoming game is a single-elimination knockout. The WCHA introduced this new format introduced for the playoffs, and the pressure can affect players and coaches alike. The mentally tough Mavericks look to avoid an upset and move on to the WCHA championship on Friday afternoon.
“At the end of the day, it’s win or go home,” Hastings said. “If we got some guys going you’re going to see them get their ice time because you’re trying to survive and move on. We are going to do everything we can to take advantage of every opportunity we have.”
