2021–22 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2021–22 Minnesota State Mavericks
men's ice hockey season
CCHA, Champion
CCHA tournament, Champion
NCAA tournament, runner-up
Conference1st CCHA
Home iceMayo Clinic Health System Event Center
Rankings
USCHO.com#2
USA Today#2
Record
Overall38–6–0
Conference23–3–0
Home16–1–0
Road16–3–0
Neutral4–2–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachMike Hastings
Assistant coachesTodd Knott
Paul Kirtland
Brennan Poderzay
Captain(s)Wyatt Aamodt
Alternate captain(s)Reggie Lutz
Jack McNeely
Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey seasons
« 2020–21 2022–23 »

The 2021–22 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 53rd season of play for the program. They represented Minnesota State University, Mankato in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season and for the 1st season in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They are coached by Mike Hastings, in his 10th season, and play their home games at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.

Season[edit]

Minnesota State joined with six other members of the WCHA to restart the CCHA for the 2021–22 season. With their new conference being relatively weak in national rankings, the Mavericks scheduled several games against non-conference opponents that were expected to be very strong. MSU kicked off the season with a road series against the defending national champions Massachusetts. Dryden McKay, who was just 3 shutouts shy of tying the career record of 27 held by Ryan Miller, kicked off the campaign with an 18-save blanking of the Minutemen. That game set te tone for the entire season; Minnesota State relied on a constant offensive attack that kept the puck in their opponent's end. Holding to the maxim 'the best defense is a good offense', MSU stopped most of their opponents from generating offensive chances by forcing them to defend. When their defense was called upon, the corps, led by Jake Livingstone and captain Wyatt Aamodt, was up to the task and limited the opposing forwards to fewer than 20 shots on goal on most nights. Of those reduced shots, only a paltry number managed to get past McKay.

The Mavericks began the season by playing both of the finalists from the previous year's national championship and won three out of four games. For their third week, the team participated in the Ice Breaker Tournament and lost the championship game to Michigan, the then-#3 team in the country. While the defeat cost MSU their #1 ranking, they were still left with a very strong resume as they entered their conference schedule.

After sweeping Northern Michigan, which included McKay's record-breaking shutout, Minnesota State played probably its worst game of the season against lowly Ferris State. While the Mavs could only manage a single goal, the defense allowed the Bulldogs to get 30 shots on McKay, the most they would allow all season. The team responded by flattening their foes over the next couple of weeks, winning their next five games by an average score of nearly 6–1, including two more shutouts. While the CCHA's overall weakness held Minnesota State back, the sheer number of victories and the overwhelming nature of play could not be ignored and MSU received the #1 ranking for the second time in late-November.

McKay was forced to miss the team's first game against Lake Superior State, giving freshman Keenan Rancier his first career start. While the backup played well, allowing just 1 goal, the team's offense fell flat and they were shutout for the only time on the season.[1] McKay returned the following night and began a run of games that was nearly unheard of in NCAA history; Minnesota State won each of their next nine games with McKay allowing a maximum of 1 goal in each affair. The stretch of 12 consecutive games by MSU of allowing less than 2 goals was the longest in Division I history. The five shutouts recorded during that run put McKay at 32 for his career and 8 on the season. He was not, however, alone for lofty goaltending statistics. both Yaniv Perets and Devon Levi were also having magical seasons for their respective programs, leading some to call the 2022 season as the 'Year of the Goaltender'.

When Minnesota State lost its fifth game of the season, they were firmly established one of the two best teams in the country (Michigan being the other). MSU was top three in both goals for and goals against as well as boasting the nation's scoring leader Nathan Smith. With that in mind, there was little surprise when, after the NHL backed out of the 2022 Winter Olympics, head coach Mike Hastings was added to Team USA's coaching staff. Smith joined soon afterwards but, despite persistent rumors, Dryden McKay was not included on the roster.

MSU did not lose a beat in their absence and won their final eleven regular season games. In winning 20 out of 21 games, Minnesota State became one of the select few teams to post 30 wins during the regular season and were rewarded by nearly sweeping the CCHA awards. They were also mathematically guaranteed to make the NCAA tournament and receive a favorable seeding for at least the opening round.

CCHA tournament[edit]

The Mavericks continued their inspired play in the postseason, posting a pair of wins over St. Thomas to all but guarantee MSU one of the four #1 seeds. A demolition of Northern Michigan, who had upset the Mavs the year before, sealed a top seed and set the team up for a showdown against Bemidji State. The Beavers were fighting for a tournament appearance, being ranked too low to earn an at-large bid, and gave the Mavericks everything they had. MSU was held scoreless for more than half the game and, when Bemidji netted the first goal around the mid-way point of the match, it appeared that the boys in green may have had a chance. Fortunately for the Mavericks, their power play, which had been a strength for them all season, provided them with the tying goal and forced the game into overtime. Less than three minutes into the extra session, The puck found its way into the Bemidji cage and Minnesota won the revived CCHA championship.

Half an hour later, after hoisting the trophy and heading to the locker room, both teams were called back onto the ice. While the goal was initially ruled to be a 'good goal', a camera angle that had initially not been available to replay showed conclusively than the puck had gone under the goal cage rather than through the 4-by-6 opening.[2] The goal was waved off and both teams were recalled to the ice to resume the game. Luckily for the Mavericks, their very next shot went into the goal cleanly and they were able to celebrate a championship after was is described as 'the craziest championship ever'. The win was also McKay's 35 victory on the season, breaking the record that had jointly been held by college hockey legends Robb Stauber and Marty Turco.

NCAA tournament[edit]

MSU received the #2 overall seed and began their run facing Harvard, the ECAC Hockey champion. The first 35 minutes of the game was a complete mismatch. The Mavericks scored the first three goals and were completely dominating the Crimson in shots and offensive zone time. Everything changed in the later part of the second period when Sean Farrell fired a puck from behind the goal line that deflected in off of McKay's skate. Less than a minute later Harvard netted their second goal and had reduced the Mavericks' advantage to just 1. Ondřej Pavel scored on a rush early in the third to put a little distance between the two but Harvard would not go away and they netted a third marker on the power play with 3:31 left on the clock. The Crimson went on a furious charge at the MSU cage and twice had looks at a half-open cage. Luck was with the Mavs, however, as both shots went awry and Minnesota State escaped with a 4–3 victory.

The quarterfinal match against Notre Dame turned into a classic goaltending battle with both McKay and Matthew Galajda playing nearly perfect games. While MSU more than doubled up the Irish in shots over the first 20 minutes, they were only able to sneak the final one into the goal with just 16 seconds remaining in the period. Smith's marker remained the only goal for the rest of the contest as both teams attacked relentlessly but to no avail. Vital to the win was MSU's penalty-kill which held Notre Dame back during their three man-advantages.

In the national semifinals, which consisted entirely of western teams, Minnesota State faced off against Minnesota. Though the two had never had much of a rivalry, this was the second time in as many years that they were meeting in the NCAA tournament. As they had all season, MSU shot out of the gate and dominated play for most of the match. It was the Gophers, however, who opened the scoring in the first. The Mavericks were undeterred and continued to assail the Minnesota net. They finally managed to break through midway through the second and that began a deluge of goals. Minnesota State scored the final 5 markers to take the game comfortably and send the team to its first ever Division I championship game appearance.

The final game of the year looked to be following a familiar format when Minnesota State controlled the puck from the opening faceoff and outshout Denver 18–8 through the first 40 minutes. Despite the disparity in play, the Mavericks only enjoyed a 1–0 lead entering the third and little room for error with how well Denver's defense was playing. In the final frame, MSU appeared to move away from the constant attack that was the hallmark of the team and played a more traditional defensive shell. This maneuver proved disastrous for the club as it allowed the Pioneers to get their offense flowing. Denver scored three times in the third and a shell-shocked Mavericks team scrambled to respond. They ended up being forced into pulling McKay for an extra attacker but all that served to do was give Denver two empty-net goals. When the final buzzer sounded, one bad period had completely sunk Minnesota State's entire season and ruined the championship hopes for the school.

Doping ban[edit]

After the season, it was reported that Dryden McKay, who had by then won the Hobey Baker Award, accepted a 6-month suspension from international hockey for testing positive for a banned substance.[3] The United States Anti-Doping Agency could have imposed as much as a 4-year suspension, however, the body accepted the evidence that McKay provided which proved he had unwittingly consumed the substance as part of an effort to combat COVID-19. On the weekend that the team was to play Lake Superior State, a strain of the flu was going around the Mavericks' locker room. Compounded with increased worries over the Omicron variant, McKay took non-NSF-certified antiviral supplements over the course of 10 days that had been contaminated with Ostarine. The drug is typically used to combat muscle wasting and osteoporosis and has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2008.

McKay had submitted the sample on January 23 and the results were available by January 31. Because this occurred prior to the start of the Olympics, it was likely the primary reason that McKay was left off the United States Olympic roster. Minnesota State had given a mandatory provisional suspension to McKay on February 3 but had lifted the prohibition on the same day. Since Ostarine was detected in a sealed bottle sent to a testing lab by the manufacturer, McKay was determined to have not been at fault for the positive test and remained eligible to play for the remainder of the season.

Departures[edit]

Player Position Nationality Cause
Colby Bukes Defenseman  United States Transferred to Merrimack
Todd Burgess Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Manitoba Moose)
Walker Duehr Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Calgary Flames)
Ryan Edquist Goaltender  United States Graduation (signed with Evansville Thunderbolts)
Evan Foss Goaltender  United States Left program (retired)
Dallas Gerads Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
Jake Jaremko Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Florida Everblades)
Shane McMahan Forward  United States Left program (retired)
Jared Spooner Forward  United States Graduation (retired)
Chris Van Os-Shaw Forward  Canada Transferred to American International
Riese Zmolek Defenseman  United States Graduation (signed with Iowa Wild)

Recruiting[edit]

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Steven Bellini Defenseman  Canada 21 Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Josh Groll Forward  United States 20 San Diego, CA; transfer from Michigan
Will Hillman Forward  United States 20 Blaine, MN
Zach Krajnik Forward  United States 22 Eagle River, AK
Benton Maass Defenseman  United States 22 Elk River, MN; graduate transfer from New Hampshire; selected 182nd overall in 2017
Andrew Miller Goaltender  United States 21 Boulder, CO
Brenden Olson Forward  United States 20 Eau Claire, WI
Keenan Rancier Goaltender  Canada 21 Victoria, BC
David Silye Forward  Canada 22 Arnprior, ON; transfer from Clarkson
Bennett Zmolek Defenseman  United States 19 Rochester, MN

Roster[edit]

As of August 20, 2021.[4]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 Alberta Akito Hirose Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-04-09 Calgary, Alberta Salmon Arm (BCHL) —
3 Minnesota Jack McNeely (A) Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-12-16 Lakeville, Minnesota Muskegon (USHL) —
4 Minnesota Andy Carroll Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1997-02-17 Northfield, Minnesota Green Bay (USHL) —
6 Colorado Sam Morton Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1999-07-28 Lafayette, Colorado Wenatchee (BCHL) —
7 Minnesota Wyatt Aamodt (C) Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1997-11-22 Hermantown, Minnesota Lincoln (USHL) —
8 Florida Nathan Smith Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-10-18 Hudson, Florida Cedar Rapids (USHL) WPG, 91st overall 2018
9 Alaska Tanner Edwards Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-03-11 Anchorage, Alaska Muskegon (USHL) —
10 Ontario David Silye Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1999-03-02 Arnprior, Ontario Clarkson (ECAC) —
11 Minnesota Benton Maass Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998-11-25 Elk River, Minnesota New Hampshire (HEA) WSH, 182nd overall 2017
12 California Josh Groll Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-08-09 San Diego, California Michigan (Big Ten) —
13 Ohio Brendan Furry Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-07-08 Toledo, Ohio Tri-City (USHL) —
14 Minnesota Ryan Sandelin Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1999-01-03 Hermantown, Minnesota Penticton (BCHL) —
15 Germany Julian Napravnik Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 167 lb (76 kg) 1997-05-06 Bad Nauheim, Germany Des Moines (USHL) —
16 Minnesota Reggie Lutz (A) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1996-10-18 Elk River, Minnesota Chicago (USHL) —
17 Minnesota Bennett Zmolek Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-04-17 Rochester, Minnesota Youngstown (USHL) —
18 Czech Republic Ondřej Pavel Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-08-29 Prague, Czech Republic Fargo (USHL) —
19 Minnesota Will Hillman Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 2000-11-22 Blaine, Minnesota Youngstown (USHL) —
20 Ontario Connor Gregga Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-07-24 Markham, Ontario Coquitlam (BCHL) —
21 Florida Lucas Sowder Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-11-15 Trinity, Florida Wenatchee (BCHL) —
22 Ontario Steven Bellini Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-05-23 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Tri-City (USHL) —
23 British Columbia Jake Livingstone Sophomore D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-04-16 Creston, British Columbia Langley (BCHL) —
24 Alaska Zach Krajnik Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 1999-05-13 Eagle River, Alaska Kenai River (NAHL) —
25 Wisconsin Brenden Olson Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 2000-10-18 Eau Claire, Wisconsin Sioux City (USHL) —
27 Michigan Tony Malinowski Sophomore D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-10-15 Clarkston, Michigan Des Moines (USHL) —
28 Minnesota Cade Borchardt Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-07-06 Burnsville, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL) —
29 Illinois Dryden McKay Senior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-11-25 Downers Grove, Illinois Madison (USHL) —
32 Colorado Andrew Miller Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 2000-02-10 Boulder, Colorado Fargo (USHL) —
35 British Columbia Keenan Rancier Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2000-06-21 Victoria, British Columbia Minot (NAHL) —

Standings[edit]

2021–22 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#2 Minnesota State †* 26 23 3 0 2 0 0 67 115 28 44 38 6 0 178 60
#14 Michigan Tech 26 16 8 2 2 4 0 54 93 53 37 21 13 3 118 75
Bemidji State 26 14 12 0 1 1 0 42 83 81 39 19 20 0 118 121
Lake Superior State 26 13 13 0 1 1 0 39 69 64 37 18 18 1 107 104
Northern Michigan 26 12 13 1 3 0 1 35 86 99 37 20 16 1 132 136
Bowling Green 26 11 14 1 2 1 0 33 67 87 37 15 19 3 94 119
Ferris State 26 9 16 1 2 2 0 28 66 99 36 11 24 1 90 135
St. Thomas 26 3 22 1 0 4 0 14 45 112 36 3 32 1 61 168
Championship: March 19, 2022
† indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results[edit]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular season
October 2 6:30 PM at #1 Massachusetts* #5 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   McKay W 2–0  8,412 1–0–0
October 3 3:00 PM at #1 Massachusetts* #5 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   McKay W 6–3  3,808 2–0–0
October 8 7:07 PM #2 St. Cloud State* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota Spectrum 191 McKay W 1–0  4,555 3–0–0
October 9 6:07 PM #2 St. Cloud State* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota Spectrum 191 McKay L 1–3  4,838 3–1–0
Ice Breaker Tournament
October 15 4:07 PM #10 Providence* #1 AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota (Ice Breaker Semifinal)   McKay W 5–2  —[a] 4–1–0
October 16 4:07 PM vs. #3 Michigan* #1 AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota (Ice Breaker Championship)   McKay L 2–3  —[a] 4–2–0
Regular season
October 29 7:07 PM Northern Michigan #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota   McKay W 4–2  3,952 5–2–0 (1–0–0)
October 30 6:07 PM Northern Michigan #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota   McKay W 7–0  4,004 6–2–0 (2–0–0)
November 5 6:07 PM at Ferris State #2 Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan   McKay L 1–2  1,745 6–3–0 (2–1–0)
November 6 5:07 PM at Ferris State #2 Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan   McKay W 5–1  1,776 7–3–0 (3–1–0)
November 12 7:07 PM Bowling Green #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 9–2  4,260 8–3–0 (4–1–0)
November 13 6:07 PM Bowling Green #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 5–3  4,187 9–3–0 (5–1–0)
November 19 7:07 PM St. Thomas #3 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 9–0  3,875 10–3–0 (6–1–0)
November 20 7:07 PM at St. Thomas #3 St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota   McKay W 5–0  885 11–3–0 (7–1–0)
November 26 6:07 PM at Lake Superior State #1 Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan   Rancier L 0–1  822 11–4–0 (7–2–0)
November 27 5:07 PM at Lake Superior State #1 Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan   McKay W 3–0  1,014 12–4–0 (8–2–0)
December 3 7:07 PM Michigan Tech #2 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 2–1  4,522 13–4–0 (9–2–0)
December 4 6:07 PM Michigan Tech #2 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 3–1  4,494 14–4–0 (10–2–0)
December 10 7:07 PM at Bemidji State #1 Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota   McKay W 5–1  2,941 15–4–0 (11–2–0)
December 11 6:07 PM at Bemidji State #1 Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota   McKay W 3–1  3,212 16–4–0 (12–2–0)
December 30 7:07 PM #6 Minnesota Duluth* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 2–1 OT 5,117 17–4–0
January 1 7:07 PM at #6 Minnesota Duluth* #1 AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota My9 McKay W 3–0  5,878 18–4–0
January 7 7:07 PM Ferris State #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 7–1  4,016 19–4–0 (13–2–0)
January 8 6:07 PM Ferris State #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 7–0  4,032 20–4–0 (14–2–0)
January 14 6:37 PM at Northern Michigan #1 Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   McKay L 2–4  2,284 20–5–0 (14–3–0)
January 15 6:37 PM at Northern Michigan #1 Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   McKay W 4–1  2,897 21–5–0 (15–3–0)
January 20 7:07 PM at St. Thomas #2 St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota   McKay W 5–1  684 22–5–0 (16–3–0)
January 22 7:07 PM St. Thomas #2 Blakeslee Stadium • Mankato, Minnesota (Hockey Day Minnesota) BSN McKay W 7–1  —[a] 23–5–0 (17–3–0)
January 28 7:07 PM Arizona State* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 4–2  4,332 24–5–0
January 29 6:07 PM Arizona State* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 5–3  4,902 25–5–0
February 4 6:07 PM at Bowling Green #1 Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio   McKay W 3–1  2,854 26–5–0 (18–3–0)
February 5 6:07 PM at Bowling Green #1 Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio   McKay W 5–0  3,711 27–5–0 (19–3–0)
February 18 7:07 PM Bemidji State #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 5–1  5,058 28–5–0 (20–3–0)
February 19 6:07 PM Bemidji State #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota CCMk–14 McKay W 5–1  5,130 29–5–0 (21–3–0)
February 25 6:07 PM at #14 Michigan Tech #1 MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan   McKay W 2–1 OT 2,607 30–5–0 (22–3–0)
February 26 5:07 PM at #14 Michigan Tech #1 MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan   McKay W 2–1  2,736 31–5–0 (23–3–0)
CCHA tournament
March 4 7:07 PM St. Thomas* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Quarterfinal game 1)   McKay W 3–2  3,351 32–5–0
March 5 6:07 PM St. Thomas* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Quarterfinal game 2)   McKay W 8–2  3,627 33–5–0
March 12 6:07 PM Northern Michigan* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Semifinal)   McKay W 8–1  4,492 34–5–0
March 19 6:07 PM Bemidji State* #1 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Championship)   McKay W 2–1 OT 5,126 35–5–0
NCAA tournament
March 24 11:00 AM vs. #15 Harvard* #1 MVP Arena • Albany, New York (East Regional semifinal) ESPNU McKay W 4–3  2,345 36–5–0
March 26 5:30 PM vs. #9 Notre Dame* #1 MVP Arena • Albany, New York (East Regional final) ESPNU McKay W 1–0  3,449 37–5–0
April 7 8:30 PM vs. #5 Minnesota* #1 TD Garden • Boston, Massachusetts (National semifinal) ESPNU McKay W 5–1  17,850 38–5–0
April 9 7:00 PM vs. #3 Denver* #1 TD Garden • Boston, Massachusetts (National Championship) ESPN2 McKay L 1–5  17,850 38–6–0
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.
Source:[5]

National championship[edit]

Main article: 2022 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament
April 9, 2022
8:00 PM		(E1) Minnesota State1–5
(1–0, 0–0, 0–5)		(W1) DenverTD Garden
Attendance: 17,850
Game reference
Referees:
Geno Binda Jr.
Jeremy Tufts
Linesmen:
Bill Kingdon
Kevin Briganti
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st MSU Sam Morton (9) – PP Sowder and Sandelin 13:59 1–0 MSU
2nd None
3rd DEN Ryan Barrow (8) Benning and Devine 44:46 1–1
DEN Michael Benning (15) – GW Buium and Wright 47:33 2–1 DEN
DEN Massimo Rizzo (12) Mazur and Lee 53:34 3–1 DEN
DEN Brett Stapley (18) – EN unassisted 57:28 4–1 DEN
DEN Cameron Wright (23) – EN Mazur 58:00 5–1 DEN
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DEN Michael Benning Tripping 12:23 2:00
MSU Nathan Smith Roughing 15:28 2:00
2nd MSU Bench Too Many Men 27:07 2:00
3rd MSU Sam Morton Tripping 45:26 2:00

Scoring statistics[edit]

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Nathan Smith C 38 19 31 50 43
Julian Napravnik RW 40 18 31 49 10
Brendan Furry LW 44 13 31 44 20
Cade Borchardt F 44 15 26 41 18
Ryan Sandelin C 41 21 13 34 28
Jake Livingstone D 44 9 22 31 32
Reggie Lutz RW 37 15 13 28 16
Akito Hirose D 38 2 24 26 8
Sam Morton F 38 9 16 25 12
Lucas Sowder LW 37 7 16 23 4
Ondřej Pavel C 44 12 10 22 24
David Silye C 43 8 9 17 18
Jack McNeely D 44 2 15 17 18
Andy Carroll D 43 3 13 16 4
Benton Maass D 42 3 11 14 14
Wyatt Aamodt D 41 6 6 12 33
Josh Groll F 40 4 8 12 4
Connor Gregga F 31 6 4 10 12
Zach Krajnik C 26 2 6 8 14
Bennett Zmolek D 28 2 5 7 8
Will Hillman F 5 1 1 2 0
Tanner Edwards F 6 1 0 1 34
Brenden Olson F 12 0 1 1 6
Tony Malinowski D 17 0 1 1 8
Dryden McKay G 43 0 1 1 2
Keenan Rancier G 2 0 0 0 0
Steven Bellini D 8 0 0 0 4
Bench - - - - - 6
Total 178 314 492 400

[6]

Goaltending statistics[edit]

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Keenan Rancier 2 71 0 1 0 1 10 0 .909 0.84
Dryden McKay 43 2559 38 5 0 56 761 10 .931 1.31
Empty Net - 18 - - - 3 - - - -
Total 44 2649 38 6 0 60 771 10 .928 1.36

Rankings[edit]

Main article: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings
Poll[7] Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 (Final)
USCHO.com 5 (1) 1 (24) 1 (17) 2 (2) 3 (8) 2 (16) 3 (2) 3 (4) 1 (38) 2 (6) 1 (32) 1 (37) 1 (43) 1 (42) 2 (15) 1 (20) 1 (29) 1 (30) 1 (40) 1 (38) 1 (48) 1 (46) 1 (46) 1 (35) - 2
USA Today 5 2 (9) 1 (10) 2 2 (6) 2 (9) 3 (1) 3 (3) 1 (25) 3 (5) 1 (15) 1 (21) 1 (28) 1 (27) 2 (9) 1 (24) 1 (25) 1 (22) 1 (28) 1 (29) 1 (32) 1 (31) 1 (30) 1 (20) 1 (22) 2

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.

Awards and honors[edit]

Player Award Ref
Dryden McKay Hobey Baker Award
Mike Hastings Spencer Penrose Award
Dryden McKay AHCA All-American West First Team [8]
Nathan Smith
Dryden McKay CCHA Player of the Year [9]
Nathan Smith CCHA Forward of the Year [10]
Jake Livingstone CCHA Defenseman of the Year [11]
Dryden McKay CCHA Goaltender of the Year [12]
Mike Hastings CCHA Coach of the Year [13]
Dryden McKay CCHA First Team [14]
Jake Livingstone
Nathan Smith
Julian Napravnik
Bennett Zmolek CCHA Rookie Team [15]
Jack McNeely NCAA All-Tournament Team [16]
Sam Morton

Players drafted into the NHL[edit]

2022 NHL Entry Draft[edit]

Round Pick Player NHL team
7 217 Reese Laubach† San Jose Sharks
7 219 Cade Littler† Calgary Flames

† incoming freshman [17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "MSU goalie Rancier was ready for his opportunity". The Free Press. December 3, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "MSU Mankato Tops BSU in One of the Craziest-Ever Finishes to a College Hockey Game". YouTube. March 22, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "Updated: McKay accepts 6-month suspension for accidental doping violation". The Free Press. April 18, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  4. ^ "2020–21 Men's Hockey Roster". Minnesota State Mavericks. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  5. ^ "Minnesota State 2021-22 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Minnesota State Univ. (Mankato) 2021-2022 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  7. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "Four players return to 2021-22 Division I men's All-American teams, led by three-time pick Dryden McKay". USCHO.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  9. ^ "MSU's McKay named CCHA Player of the Year". CCHA (Press release). March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  10. ^ "MSU's Smith named CCHA Forward of the Year". CCHA (Press release). March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "MSU's Livingstone named CCHA Defenseman of the Year". CCHA (Press release). March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  12. ^ "MSU's McKay named CCHA Goaltender of the Year". CCHA (Press release). March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  13. ^ "MSU's Hastings named CCHA Coach of the Year". CCHA (Press release). March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  14. ^ "Six players earn All-CCHA First Team honors". CCHA. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  15. ^ "Six teams represented on CCHA All-Rookie Team". CCHA. March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Trefzger, Ed (April 9, 2022). "Most Outstanding Player Benning redeems himself for penalty with Denver's game-winning goal". USCHO. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  17. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2022 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  1. ^ a b c Spectators were in attendance, but the exact number was not reported.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2021–22_Minnesota_State_Mavericks_men%27s_ice_hockey_season&oldid=1188392968"