# 2023–24 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 55th season of play for the program, 28th at the Division I level, and 3rd in the CCHA. The Mavericks represented Minnesota State University, Mankato in the 2023–24 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 1st season.

## Season

Due in no small part to the departure of former head coach Mike Hastings to Wisconsin, Minnesota State saw a mass exodus of players in the offseason. The Mavericks ended up losing the top nine scorers from the previous season, leaving Luke Strand a herculean task ahead of him. To make matters worse, last year's starting goaltender, Keenan Rancier, had to have offseason surgery on his hip and would be unavailable for the star of the season. The team did receive a small bit of good news with Sam Morton having fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury.
Even with circumstances going against them, the Mavericks began the season well, sweeping preseason #10 St. Cloud State at home. Unfortunately, Alex Tracy played inconsistently for the rest of October and the team went winless to finish out the month. Things got a little better once the team settled down but one thing became abundant as the season progressed; while the offense appeared to be operating well, led by Morton, the defense was lacking. Minnesota State had been one of the best teams in recent years in terms of shots against per game. Last season the Mavericks had allowed less than 19 attempts on goal per match but now, with all of the changes that the Mavericks had undergone, MSU was surrendering almost 50% more opportunities per game. While the performances of the two netminders was about the same, the increased shot volume resulted in about half a goal against per game more. The first half of the year saw the team swing between good and bad stretches in even amounts to end up at exactly .500 by the winter break.
After the time off, Minnesota State returned looking like a new team. Tracy and Rancier played about as well as they had all season and helped the team run through January with a 5–1–2 record. By the beginning of February, Minnesota State looked primed to capture its 7th consecutive conference title but that's when the team ran out of gas. Over the final five weeks of the season, The goaltending returned to its early-season form and allowed at least three goals in six of eight games. The offense was unable to compensate and Minnesota State lost five games, all in regulation. On the final weekend of the regular season, MSU still had a chance to finish atop the standings but they were shutout in consecutive games by Bemidji State and fell to 4th.
Tracy was given the starting role in the postseason and fulfilled the assignment by stopping 58 of 60 shots from Northern Michigan. The stout goaltending was more than enough to lead the team to a sweep and a trip to the semifinals. Higher-seeded Michigan Tech awaited the Mavericks in the second round but it looked to be MSU that was the better team. Minnesota State held the lead after the first and second periods but both times Tech was able to tie the match. Adam Eisele gave the Mavs their third lead of the game at the 6-minute mark of the third period and brought upon a furious attack from the Huskies to tie the score. Tracy was unable to stop a penalty shot from tying the game with under 5 minutes to play but neither team was able to get the equalizer and the match seemed destined for overtime. In the waning seconds of the game, Minnesota State won a defensive faceoff but Steven Bellini was unable to clear the puck. A rushed shot from the blueline was stopped by Tracy's pad but deflected up and off the glass. The puck rebounded up and over the net and Jordan Power attempted to knock it out of harm's way with his glove. The Maverick defenseman missed the puck which instead hit him in the helmet and hopped back towards the goal. back towards the goal. Tracy saw the puck at the last moment and appeared to try and head the puck away but it bounced off of his mask and dropped into the goal with just 9 seconds left in the game. Minnesota State was unable to produce a miracle to tie the game and saw their season end on one of the more crazy endings imaginable.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Cade Borchardt | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Kansas City Mavericks) |
| Andy Carroll | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Abbotsford Canucks) |
| Christian Fitzgerald | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Wisconsin |
| Brendan Furry | Forward | United States | Signed professional contract (Lehigh Valley Phantoms) |
| Akito Hirose | Defenseman | Canada | Signed professional contract (Vancouver Canucks) |
| Jake Livingstone | Defenseman | Canada | Signed professional contract (Nashville Predators) |
| Ondřej Pavel | Forward | Czech Republic | Signed professional contract (Colorado Avalanche) |
| Ryan Sandelin | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Colorado Eagles) |
| David Silye | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Wisconsin |
| Simon Tassy | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Wisconsin |
| Bennett Zmolek | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to North Dakota |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Kaden Bohlsen | Forward | United States | 22 | Willmar, MN; transfer from Omaha |
| Brian Carrabes | Forward | United States | 22 | North Andover, MA; transfer from Boston University |
| Tyler Haskins | Forward | United States | 20 | Rochester, MN; transfer from Denver |
| Brandon Koch | Defenseman | United States | 24 | Hastings, MN; graduate transfer from Air Force |
| Brett Moravec | Forward | Canada | 20 | Airdrie, AB |
| Evan Murr | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Stillwater, MN |
| Kade Nielsen | Forward | United States | 21 | Burnsville, MN |
| Jordan Power | Defenseman | Canada | 22 | Ottawa, ON; transfer from Clarkson |
| Jordan Steinmetz | Forward | United States | 24 | Chippewa Falls, WI; graduate transfer from St. Lawrence |
| Jakob Stender | Defenseman | United States | 22 | Alexandria, MN |

## Roster

As of September 18, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Bemidji State † | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 48 | 82 | 64 | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 117 | 111 |
| St. Thomas | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 68 | 62 | 37 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 97 | 105 |
| #19 Michigan Tech* | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 63 | 54 | 40 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 109 | 102 |
| Minnesota State | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 73 | 62 | 37 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 111 | 96 |
| Northern Michigan | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 57 | 67 | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 83 | 105 |
| Bowling Green | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 60 | 69 | 36 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 86 | 116 |
| Lake Superior State | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 79 | 73 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 1 | 114 | 113 |
| Ferris State | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 49 | 80 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 83 | 125 |
| Augustana ^ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 90 | 105 |
| Championship: March 22, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup) ^ Augustana is playing a transition schedule of 16 games against conference opponents that are not counted in the standings Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 7 | 6:07 pm | at Omaha* | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Exhibition) | FloHockey | Miller | L 0–1 | 4,145 | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 13 | 7:07 pm | #10 St. Cloud State* | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 4,398 | 1–0–0 |
| October 14 | 6:07 pm | #10 St. Cloud State* | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | W 5–1 | 4,767 | 2–0–0 |
| October 20 | 7:07 pm | Massachusetts* | #19 | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | L 3–6 | 4,233 | 2–1–0 |
| October 21 | 6:07 pm | Massachusetts* | #19 | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | L 0–1 | 4,543 | 2–2–0 |
| October 27 | 7:07 pm | at #4 North Dakota* | | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Midco | Tracy | L 2–6 | 11,604 | 2–3–0 |
| October 28 | 6:07 pm | at #4 North Dakota* | | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Midco | Tracy | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 11,646 | 2–3–1 |
| November 10 | 6:07 pm | at Ferris State | | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Tracy | W 6–2 | 1,537 | 3–3–1 (1–0–0) |
| November 11 | 5:07 pm | at Ferris State | | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Tracy | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | — | 4–3–1 (2–0–0) |
| November 17 | 7:07 pm | Bemidji State | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | W 5–1 | 4,941 | 5–3–1 (3–0–0) |
| November 18 | 6:07 pm | Bemidji State | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | L 6–7 | 5,008 | 5–4–1 (3–1–0) |
| November 24 | 7:07 pm | Michigan Tech | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Rancier | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 3,732 | 5–5–1 (3–2–0) |
| November 25 | 6:07 pm | Michigan Tech | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | L 2–3 | 4,023 | 5–6–1 (3–3–0) |
| December 1 | 6:07 pm | at Lake Superior State | | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | FloHockey | Tracy | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 930 | 5–6–2 (3–3–1) |
| December 2 | 5:07 pm | at Lake Superior State | | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | FloHockey | Rancier | W 4–3 | 892 | 6–6–2 (4–3–1) |
| December 8 | 7:07 pm | St. Thomas | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | W 3–1 | 4,557 | 7–6–2 (5–3–1) |
| December 9 | 6:07 pm | at St. Thomas | | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | FloHockey | Rancier | L 1–2 | 1,010 | 7–7–2 (5–4–1) |
| December 15 | 6:07 pm | at Rensselaer* | | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | ESPN+ | Tracy | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 1,477 | 7–8–2 |
| December 16 | 5:07 pm | at Rensselaer* | | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | ESPN+ | Rancier | W 4–2 | 1,635 | 8–8–2 |
| January 5 | 7:07 pm | at Augustana | | Denny Sanford Premier Center • Sioux Falls, South Dakota | FloHockey, Midco | Tracy | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 3,211 | 8–8–3 |
| January 6 | 6:07 pm | at Augustana | | Denny Sanford Premier Center • Sioux Falls, South Dakota | FloHockey, Midco | Rancier | W 2–1 | 3,363 | 9–8–3 |
| January 12 | 7:07 pm | Ferris State | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Rancier | W 4–2 | 4,244 | 10–8–3 (6–4–1) |
| January 13 | 6:07 pm | Ferris State | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | W 4–0 | 4,615 | 11–8–3 (7–4–1) |
| January 19 | 6:07 pm | at Bowling Green | | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey | Rancier | L 3–4 | 2,313 | 11–9–3 (7–5–1) |
| January 20 | 6:07 pm | at Bowling Green | | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey | Tracy | W 4–1 | 2,812 | 12–9–3 (8–5–1) |
| January 26 | 7:07 pm | Northern Michigan | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | T 2–2 $^{SOL}$ | 4,667 | 12–9–4 (8–5–2) |
| January 27 | 6:07 pm | Northern Michigan | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | W 4–0 | 4,981 | 13–9–4 (9–5–2) |
| February 2 | 7:07 pm | at St. Thomas | | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,038 | 14–9–4 (10–5–2) |
| February 3 | 6:07 pm | St. Thomas | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | L 2–4 | 4,973 | 14–10–4 (10–6–2) |
| February 9 | 6:07 pm | at Michigan Tech | | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | FloHockey | Tracy | L 1–3 | 3,704 | 14–11–4 (10–7–2) |
| February 10 | 4:07 pm | at Michigan Tech | | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | FloHockey | Tracy | W 4–2 | 3,773 | 15–11–4 (11–7–2) |
| February 23 | 7:07 pm | Lake Superior State | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Rancier | L 3–4 | 4,681 | 15–12–4 (11–8–2) |
| February 24 | 6:07 pm | Lake Superior State | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Rancier | W 4–3 | 4,935 | 16–12–4 (12–8–2) |
| March 1 | 7:07 pm | at Bemidji State | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Tracy | L 0–6 | 2,522 | 16–13–4 (12–9–2) |
| March 2 | 6:07 pm | at Bemidji State | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Rancier | L 0–2 | 2,402 | 16–14–4 (12–10–2) |
| CCHA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 7:07 pm | Northern Michigan* | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 1) | FloHockey | Tracy | W 2–1 | 3,084 | 17–14–4 |
| March 9 | 6:07 pm | Northern Michigan* | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 2) | FloHockey | Tracy | W 6–1 | 3,494 | 18–14–4 |
| March 16 | 4:07 pm | at Michigan Tech* | | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan (Semifinal) | FloHockey | Tracy | L 3–4 | 3,527 | 18–15–4 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Sam Morton | LW | 37 | 24 | 10 | 34 | 10 |
| Lucas Sowder | LW | 33 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 16 |
| Evan Murr | D | 37 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 14 |
| Adam Eisele | F | 37 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 16 |
| Brian Carrabes | F | 36 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 6 |
| Kaden Bohlsen | C | 37 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 52 |
| Josh Groll | F | 34 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 15 |
| Luc Wilson | F | 36 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 14 |
| Brandon Koch | D | 34 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 18 |
| Steven Bellini | D | 31 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 20 |
| Jordan Steinmetz | F | 32 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| Brett Moravec | F | 27 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| Zach Krajnik | C | 27 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| Jordan Power | D | 31 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 26 |
| Tyler Haskins | F | 18 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Will Hillman | F | 36 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| Mason Wheeler | D | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 |
| Brenden Olson | D | 23 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| Connor Gregga | F | 28 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Campbell Cichosz | D | 36 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Tony Malinowski | D | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jakob Stender | D | 27 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Alex Tracy | G | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tanner Edwards | C/LW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Kade Nielsen | F | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keenan Rancier | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 111 | 175 | 286 | 307 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Alex Tracy | 30 | 1584:17 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 66 | 671 | 2 | .910 | 2.50 |
| Keenan Rancier | 13 | 663:59 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 273 | 0 | .910 | 2.44 |
| Empty Net | - | 11:38 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 37 | 2259:54 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 96 | 944 | 2 | .908 | 2.55 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | 19 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Sam Morton | CCHA Player of the Year |
| Sam Morton | CCHA Forward of the Year |
| Sam Morton | CCHA First Team |
| Evan Murr | CCHA Second Team |
| Evan Murr | CCHA Rookie Team |

## 2024 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 6 | 165 | Luke Ashton $^†$ | Columbus Blue Jackets |
† incoming freshman