The St. Thomas men’s hockey team will face No. 1 Minnesota State in the Mason Cup Championship for the second time in two seasons at 7 p.m. Friday in the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato.
Last season, the Tommies lost to MSU 4-2 in the championship after two back-to-back Maverick goals in the third period. St. Thomas coach Rico Blasi said the team is going to stick to “business as usual” this year.
“You know, the fact that we’ve been here before and are playing a familiar team, I think that allows us to stay focused,” Blasi said in a press conference Tuesday.
The winner of the Mason Cup Championship will advance to the NCAA Regional round, which takes place between March 27 and 29.
MSU dominated Michigan Tech 7-2 in its semifinal on March 14, securing a spot in the championship. First-year forward Reid Morich and senior forward Tristan Lemyre each netted two goals, scoring four of the seven for the Mavericks.
Lemyre leads MSU in scoring with 15 goals. The senior also leads the team in points with 31.
“You don’t score seven goals on Michigan Tech without being real good…You’ve got to play your best at this time of year, and that will be our focus,” Blasi said.
UST earned their place in the championship by beating Augustana 2-1 on March 14. Senior forward Lucas Wahlin helped seal the victory, winning a key faceoff and assisting graduate forward Alex Gaffney’s winning goal.
Gaffney leads St. Thomas in total points with 40 and has the second-most goals on the squad with 18.
“He’s got the whole package, and it makes it really easy for me to be able to play my game, and kind of vice versa for him,” Wahlin said in a press conference Tuesday.
Three-time team captain Wahlin was one of three finalists for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s Forward of the Year award, scoring 21 goals for the Tommies.
Although it is their second time to the conference championship in two years, Minnesota State brings a very different lineup to the Mason Cup. 17 of the Mavericks are new to the team this year.
Even with the new roster, MSU coach Luke Strand wants the team to “trust what they’ve built.” The Mavericks earned the No. 1 seed after achieving a 14-7-5 record in the CCHA. MSU leads the conference in points with 51.
“This is something you work on from the beginning,” Strand said Tuesday.
MSU junior defenseman Evan Murr, the two-time CCHA Defenseman of the Year, will be a key player for the Mavericks on Friday. The junior blocked 28 shots and dished 14 assists this season.
Now that the Tommies and Mavericks are facing off again in the championship, Wahlin said he is ready to give MSU his best game.
“We want to beat this ranked opponent. Obviously, they’re a Minnesota team, and you want to be the Minnesota team that makes it to the tournament,” Wahlin said.
Owen Bell can be reached at bell9606@stthomas.edu.
