The 2024–25 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 56th season of play for the program, 29th at the Division I level, and 4th in the CCHA. The Mavericks represented Minnesota State University, Mankato in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, and were coached by Luke Strand in his 2nd season.
Season The Mavericks entered Strand's second season with modest expectations. The team had lost its top two scorers from the previous season in Sam Morton and Lucas Sowder; the defense saw two departures but added one of MSU's two NHL draft picks, Luke Ashton. In goal, Alex Tracy was given complete control of the net after Keenan Rancier's transfer.
The early part of the season saw the team split the first three weekends. While some of that was due to the strength of their opponents, the offense had some difficulty in finding its consistency through the first few months. The team relied heavily on Tracy's performance in goal; he never allowed more than 3 goals in a game and often led the team to victory despite an off night from the forwards. Tracy was helped mightily by the strong defense in front of him; Ashton, along with Campbell Cichosz and Mason Wheeler, were prolific shot-stoppers, combining for more than 170 blocks for the season and limited opponents to less than 27 shots per game.
The low goals against allowed the Mavericks to back several wins early while the offense worked to fix its issues and had Minnesota State atop the standings by the beginning of December. By that time, Rhett Pitlick, a Minnesota transfer, had taken over as the team's offensive leader and helped the Mavericks post a 14–4–2 record for the first half of the season. Entering the winter break, Minnesota State was ranked #12 in both the polls and the national rankings and was in a good position to earn an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
The Mavericks, however, struggled in January. The team began the second half of their schedule with a loss to one of the worst teams in the country, Northern Michigan. While they were able to salvage the weekend and earn a split, the rest of the month was no different. Hot and cold scoring caused the team to split the next three series as well. While the losses weren't catastrophic for Minnesota State's position in the standings, they cause the team to drop below the cut-line for the national tournament. Compounding this, the CCHA was one of the lowest-ranked conferences this season; this meant that MSU would receive only a small bonus to their ranking by winning conference matches but would take a large hit through any losses. By the start of February, the team's tournament chances had narrowed considerably and, even though they didn't suffer a single loss in their final seven games, they barely moved in the PairWise rankings.
Playoffs By the start of the CCHA tournament, Minnesota State sat at #17 in the national rankings despite possessing a 23–8–3 record. MSU knew that a conference championship was the only way the team could return to the national tournament, Entering their series with Lake Superior State, Tracy's outstanding play during the regular season continued into the postseason, but it was Zach Krajnik who proved to be the hero of the first game. In his final playoff run with the Mavs, Krajnik entered the game with just 1 goal on the season but he tripled that total in the first period. The defense held the Lakers back during the second period and kept the lead for the rest of the game. After Lake Superior State pulled their goaltender, Krajnik was sent onto the ice and he finished off the game with the only hat-trick of his college career.
The rematch saw Lake Superior twice take the lead but Krajnik tied the match just 15 seconds after the second LSSU marker. Evan Murr, the all-around star on the Mavericks' blue line, gave his team their first lead shortly afterwards and then joined the rest of the team in slowing down the Lakers and stopping any further goals from being scored. The win sent MSU into the semifinal round and brought them to 15th in the rankings. While 16 teams did qualify for the tournament, MSU was not yet above the cut line because both the CCHA and Atlantic Hockey America champions would be guaranteed entry and, since no other team in either conference was ranked ahead of the Mavericks, they needed to be ranked at least 14th to earn an at-large bid.
Bemidji State was next for Minnesota State. Zach Krajnik opened the scoring with his 5th goal of the postseason while Alex Tracy blocked every opposing shot. MSU scored three more times and progressed to the championship match. While the team was still one game away from a championship, the Mavericks became the first team in the country to receive an automatic bid thanks to a confluence of events. St. Thomas was the team's opponent in the championship game. However, because the Tommies had recently transitioned from Division III, they were not yet eligible for the NCAA tournament. This meant that even if Minnesota State did not win the conference championship, they would still receive the CCHA's automatic qualifier. This did not stop the team from playing hard in the match and the two teams exchanged leads in the second period. Krajnik again got onto the scoresheet, this time with an assist, but it was Murr's goal midway through the third period that proved to be the winning shot. The defenseman was named Tournament MVP for his efforts and sent the Mavericks to the nationals.
Due to the team's poor strength of schedule, Minnesota state was rated 14th in the field of 16, however, due to seeding requirements they were moved into the Fargo regional and set against NCHC champion Western Michigan. MSU was at a disadvantage, as the Broncos had the #2 offense in the nation. However, the Mavericks were able to respond with the nation's top defense. The two clashed in a physical game that saw few penalties, however, WMU scored early in the second on a power play. Minnesota State eventually managed to break through early in the third thanks to Kaden Bohlsen finishing off a combination from the two top playoff performers, Krajnik and Murr. Western kept MSU hemmed in their own end for long stretches in the third and overtime, but Tracy and the defense held. In the second overtime, Luc Wilson nearly won it for the Mavericks after a turnover in the Broncos' end but he had the puck knocked off his stick at the last moment. Western scored the winning goal a few minutes later on a scramble in front.
Departures Tanner Edwards Forward Graduate transfer to Alaska Anchorage Connor Gregga Forward Graduate transfer to Long Island Brandon Koch Defenseman Graduation (retired) Tony Malinowski Defenseman Graduation (signed with Reading Royals) Sam Morton Forward Graduation (signed with Calgary Flames) Keenan Rancier Goaltender Transferred to Vermont Lucas Sowder Forward Graduation (signed with Pioneers Vorarlberg) Jordan Steinmetz Forward Graduation (signed with Eaters Limburg)
Recruiting Cade Alami Defenseman 23 Bedford, NY; transfer from Arizona State Luke Ashton Defenseman 19 North Vancouver, BC; selected 165th overall in 2024 Luigi Benincasa Forward 21 Edmonton, AB; transfer from Ferris State Ralfs Bergmanis Defenseman 22 Liepāja, LAT; transfer from Vermont Jacob Bonkowski Forward 21 Richmond, BC Rhett Pitlick Forward 24 Plymouth, MN; transfer from Minnesota Eli Pulver Goaltender 21 Vancouver, BC Sam Rice Forward 20 Prior Lake, MN Matthew Syverson Goaltender 21 Apple Valley, MN; transfer from Lindenwood Fin Williams Forward 21 North Vancouver, BC; transfer from Notre Dame
Roster As of August 24, 2024.
Standings
Schedule and results
!colspan=12 style=";" | Regular Season
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NCAA tournament
Game summaryThe game started with a bang as both teams laid big hits on one another. The temperature cooled down a bit after the first minute but both squads skated up and down the ice as they looked for an early goal. During one such rush, WMU was able to turn the puck over in the Mavericks' end and, in reply, Jordan Power was called for tripping when he tried to prevent an open shot at his goal. Western had one of the best power plays in the country but MSU was able to match with a stelar kill. The few shots that made it through to Alex Tracy weren't too dangerous and Minnesota State was able to survive. The Mavericks turned defense to offense and immediately went on the attack. They were able to get a 3-on-2 but the Bronco defenders were able to limit them to a sharp-angle shot from the wall. Chances came fast and furious for both sides but both netminders looked to be on their respective games. A heavy hit by Campbell Cichosz on Owen Michaels in the corner looked to stun the Western forward but the Broncos were still able to tilt the ice towards the Mavericks' end in the middle of the period. Minnesota State was able to counter after WMU iced the puck but the Mavericks missed on a couple of passing plays and never ended up with a decent shot on goal. The fast and physical play continued and both benches called for penalties but the referees allowed play to continue. With about 6 minutes to go, MSU got on another odd-man rush but saw the opportunity go for naught when the play was blown dead for offsides. Minnesota State continued to let chances melt down and get low-percentage chances on goal but the continual puck possession in the WMU end prevented the Broncos from getting anything going in the later half of the period. The first real scoring opportunity came with two and half minutes left when Evan Murr launched an off-balance point shot that was deflected en route and just barely stopped by Hampton Slukynsky. Despite the up and down action, neither team took any real risks during the period until the waning seconds. Alex Bump was able to sneak past the MSU defense and streak in on Tracy. However, just as he was going to shoot, Adam Eisele slashed his stick and was called for a minor penalty. The first 16 seconds of the man-advantage did not produce any results with the rest being held over to the start of the second.