MSU Reporter • 7
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
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Déjá vu in Bowling Green DEREK LAMBERT Staff Writer For the second time in a two week span, the Minnesota State University, Mankato men’s hockey team was able to salvage a series split with the Bowling Green State University Falcons after losing the Friday night game. After being swept by the University of Minnesota last weekend, the Mavericks looked to put a couple tallies in the win column to get them back on track. In Friday night’s game in Bowling Green, Ohio, there were a couple of surprises. Senior forward Zach Lehrke returned to the team last week after hanging up the skates earlier this season due to a rare medical condition he has had most of his life. He missed the first 10 games this season, but has now returned to the Mavericks’ lineup for the remainder of the season. Also a surprise, freshman goaltender Cole Huggins started in goal on Friday night. Not a surprise because of how he has played; Huggins has done quite well for himself, excusing the two losses he recorded at Minnesota as simply just facing a better team with one of the best offenses in the nation. But surprising because last year’s WCHA Goalie of the Year winner, sophomore goaltender Stephon Williams, has played little over the last couple of weeks. The Mavs got off to a good start Friday night, leading the Falcons on the road 2-0 after the first period. Freshman defense-
man Sean Flanagan recorded his second goal of the season on an assist from junior forward Matt Leitner. Just a few minutes later, junior forward J.P. LaFontaine buried a power play goal assisted by Lehrke, his first point in his first game back. Junior defenseman Zach Palmquist also recorded an assist on the play. Although the first period seemed to be all Mavericks, the second period was owned by the Falcons. Just 16 seconds into the second period, Falcons forward Mark Cooper netted a power play goal to bring the score within one. The Mavericks tried to separate themselves from the Falcons but couldn’t find the back of the net. At 6:47 of the middle period, Cooper scored his second of the night when he tied the game on an assist by Falcon’s forward Matt Pohlkamp, a Brainerd, Minn. native. The third period saw what seems to be becoming a familiar sight for the Mavs against the Falcons. Bowling Green’s Adam Berkle scored a shorthanded goal to give the Falcons a 3-2 lead early in the period. The Mavericks gave up two goals while on the power play to the Falcons when they last played in Mankato. The Mavs came back though, scoring a shorthanded goal of their own when freshman forward Zach Stepan buried a sharp angle shot to tie the game 3-3 with 11:37 of the period, assisted by sophomore Teddy Blueger. The first 60 minutes ended in
David Bassey • MSU Reporter Sophomore forward Bryce Gervais (above) was the hero of the weekend with the game-winning game in overtime on Saturday night against Bowling Green. Gervais has scored four goals with one assist in 12 games this season.
a tie and the two teams headed for overtime. With just 32 seconds remaining in the extra period, Cooper completed the hat-trick, scoring his third goal of the game and the game-winning goal on the power play with Berkle getting an assist on the play. Saturday night saw Maverick head coach Mike Hastings change things up. Huggins, who had started the previous four games, was on the bench, giving Williams a chance to get back to his winning ways.
This didn’t last long, though, as Williams gave up two goals in the second half of the first period to Mike Sullivan on the power play, with Cooper scoring his fourth goal of the weekend. Down 2-0 after the first period, Williams was back on the bench and Huggins would start the second period. There wasn’t much action in the second period until with 3:22 remaining when the Mavs got their power play clicking. The preseason WCHA player of the year, Leitner, scored his first
goal of the year with the man advantage with LaFontaine getting the lone assist. The Mavericks then headed into the third period down 2-1 before their power play unit struck again. At the 8:40 mark of the third, LaFontaine found the back of the net for his second power play goal of the weekend to tie the game 2-2, assists once again going to Lehrke and Palmquist. The third period would
HOCKEY• Page 9
Men’s basketball returns four starters for their journey to another highly anticipated season The no. 12 Mavericks bring back Second Team All-NSIC members in Zach Monaghan and Assem Marei. LUCAS RYAN Staff Writer The Minnesota State University men’s basketball team enters the 2013-2014 seasons with high expectations with four starters returning from last year’s NCAA tournament team. Last season the Mavericks finished with a 28-5 record, tied a school-high in wins while claiming the NSIC regular season championship, but lost 76-73 in an overtime heartbreaker to rival Wi-
nona State in the NCAA Division II central region finals. “We left something on the table there where our guys have really gone through the summer, worked extremely hard and gotten themselves prepared so another great Maverick basketball season,” Head Coach Matt Margenthaler said. The Mavericks return four starters from the 2012-2013 season including junior guard Zach Monaghan and junior center Assem Marei who were both re-
ceived All-NSIC First Team accolades last season. “I am very fortunate to have four starters coming back after last year’s season starting with Assem Marei at the centers position who had a great summer this past summer playing with team Egypt and making it to the Africa National Championships,” Margenthaler said Marei averaged 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last season and Monaghan recorded a team-high 184 assists, and 75
steals, while scoring 389 points including 59 three-pointers. The two were major contributors a year ago and have both had a strong start to their junior seasons through six games. “Zack Monaghan is a young man that played very very good for us last year and has come back stronger, more confident. I would put them in a category of the best point guard and center in the nation,” Margenthaler said. The eighth ranked Mavericks have started this season with 5-1
record suffering their only loss to Alaska-Anchorage in the CCA Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim Calf Nov. 9. Currently (prior to Monday’s game) the Mavericks are riding a four game nonconference winning streak with conference play just around the corner. This season the Mavericks are holding opponents to 64.2 points per game while posting an average of 88.7 each game. Sophomore guard Gage Wooten leads
BASKETBALL• Page 9