MSU-Mankato surge to contention eliminates sympathy
The WCHA menÂ’s hockey chase has been filled with turbulent ups and downs all season, but in the midst of all the surprises, the most enormous understatement is that the sympathy for Minnesota State-Mankato has ended.
Two very elusive guys named Shane Joseph and Grant Stevenson stand 1-2 in league scoring for the “Alberta Clipper†line, igniting an 11-game unbeaten streak that might be titled “Tie one for Troy†for the ride to third place, which has left the whole league shaking its collective head.
There’s not a lot of time wasted in sympathy by WCHA men’s teams for others in the highly-competitive league. But Minnesota State-Mankato was the recipient of a lot of league-wide sympathy last summer, when Tim Jackman in late July and Jimmy Cunningham in August decided to leave school and sign pro contracts. The Mavericks had made some strides to get up into the middle of the WCHA picture, and the loss of those two players – both among the top three of the team’s returning scorers – would undoubtedly doom them to a plunge to the lower reaches of the WCHA this season.
But as the month of January hurtles toward a conclusion, the Mavericks have ridden an 11-game unbeaten streak (6-0-5) – and overtimes in seven of the last nine games – to third place in the WCHA, behind only the sizzling pace being set by Colorado College and North Dakota. Behind them are preseason co-favorites Denver and Minnesota -– the two teams MSU-Mankato just played, with one victory and three ties – as well as St. Cloud State and resurgent Minnesota-Duluth. Minnesota-Duluth is a team that would be the league’s biggest surprise if it weren’t for MSU-Mankato’s amazing season, and the Bulldogs are the next foe for the Mavericks in a battle for home-ice hopes.
Mankato coach Troy Jutting faced two questions: Is he surprised by the MavericksÂ’ third-place stance? And, is it mathematically possible to tie all the rest of their games and still finish third?
“I knew we were going to have a great group of guys,†said Jutting. “But to say weÂ’d be in third place at this point in the seasonÂ…IÂ’d have to say IÂ’m surprised. I knew weÂ’d work hard, and right now, weÂ’re playing together really well. WeÂ’re getting great leadership, and theyÂ’ve got a lot of pride.Ââ€
“We knew Shane would score. He came in here after a big year in junior and broke his leg in one of the first couple of games and redshirted all year. He had a little trouble adjusting to the pace of the game in his freshman year, but then he comes back and scores 20 goals as a sophomore. Grant Stevenson had scored only 16 points, but we thought he had a lot of skill.Ââ€
Shane Joseph and Grant Stevenson fit together like a hand in a glove on an all-Alberta line, where left winger Joseph is from Brooks, center Stevenson from Spruce Grove, and right winger Dana Sorensen is a junior from Beaumont. As a tandem, Joseph and Stevenson have proven unstoppable for Maverick foes. Joseph, a 5-foot-9 scooter, has 17 goals, 19 assists for 36 points to lead the WCHA, and 20-24—44 overall; Stevenson, a 6-0 playmaker, has 14-21—35 to trail Joseph by one point in league scoring, and 18-28—46 to lead his linemate by two points overall.
As for the ties? Jutting laughed and admitted he hadnÂ’t done the math yet. At 7-5-7 in the WCHA, and 10-7-9 overall, the Mavericks have gone into overtime for a record 12 times, with two victories, one loss and nine of those games unresolved. But as long as junior Shane Joseph and sophomore Grant Stevenson keep up their torrid scoring pace, and veterans like junior Cole Bassett and B.J. Abel keep chipping in timely goals and bolster the leadership, the Mavericks keep rolling along, win or tie.
“WeÂ’re young, and weÂ’ll learn,†said Abel. “Our unbeaten streak is great, but we have a goal of making it to the national tournament. WeÂ’ve done a lot of conditioning, and maybe thatÂ’s helped get us ready for so many overtimes. We knew weÂ’d have a team that was close, and right now, we all do our jobs and everybody is pulling for everybody else.Ââ€
Jutting would seem to be a shoo-in for coach of the year in the league. He not only has taken what was basically a no-name outfit and prodded them into contention, but he has combined some neat tactics along with some great team chemistry to guide the Mavericks into a position to be reckoned with. The Mavericks are likely to send a winger or two all the way to the far blue line to stretch out an opponentÂ’s defense and facilitate a breakout, and their quickness makes them dangerous everytime they gain possession and turn to their transition game.
In goal, Jensen, a junior from Twin Cities suburb Apple Valley, was the No. 1 netminder, and Volp, a sophomore from Eden Prairie, was a distant No. 2. Jensen played 11 straight games at one point, but when he faltered, Jutting went to Volp and liked what he saw. Even though neither has league-leading statistics, both have been outstanding since Jutting started alternating them.
MSU-Mankato needed a break at Minnesota, and got it in the first game, when the Gophers found themselves in a rare predicament of having Troy Riddle, Paul Martin and Matt DeMarchi all in the box together after flagrant, close-order penalties late in the second period. Abel smacked in a 2-man power-play goal with 1:15 left in the period to tie the game 1-1, and with Minnesota still two skaters short, Bassett smacked in another 2-man power-play marker for a 2-1 lead. Jerrid Reinholz tied it 2-2 with 2:57 left in regulation, then the teams played a scoreless overtime.
Minnesota outshot Mankato 36-21, and hit four pipes as well, but Jon Volp was brilliant in goal for the Mavericks, and 10,060 fans went away puzzled.
The next night, Mankato spotted Minnesota leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but fought back for ties on goals by Stevenson and Bassett, then Brad Thompson gave the Mavericks a 3-2 lead in the third period. When Keith Ballard and Jon Waibel scored midway through the third, Minnesota was back on top at 4-3. But Jutting pulled goaltender Jason Jensen in the final minute, and Jeff Marler scored with 26 seconds left for a 4Stevenson and Bassett, then Brad Thompson gave the Mavericks a 3-2 lead in the third period. When Keith Ballard and Jon Waibel scored midway through the third, Minnesota was back on top at 4-3. But Jutting pulled goaltender Jason Jensen in the final minute, and Jeff Marler scored with 26 seconds left for a 4-4 tie.
Again Minnesota outshot the Mavericks, this time 47-30, but the Mavericks extended their unbeaten streak to 11. The week before, at Denver, Mankato led 3-1 until Denver pulled its goaltender and scored twice in the last minute for a 3-3 tie against Volp. In the second game at Denver, Joseph, Abel, Bassett and Joseph again scored and Jensen stymied the Pioneers for a 4-2 victory. That means in a four-game stretch against the WCHAÂ’s co-favorites, the Mavs took five points and didnÂ’t lose.
The Mavericks donÂ’t discriminate, playing close and dramatic games with every foe. Before Denver, MSU-Mankato claimed 4-2 and 5-4-overtime victories over Michigan Tech, after starting January with a 3-2 victory and 4-4 tie against Wisconsin. That makes a 4-0-4 record since the first of the year, and six of those eight games required overtime.
While there is a lot of the season remaining, the Mavericks have played more games than hot-pursuers like St. Cloud, Minnesota, UMD and Denver, which makes their hold on third place tenuous. But creative scoring, strong defense, solid goaltending and a lot of chemistry make them a threat the rest of the way.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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