October 09, 2007 01:03 am
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The Minnesota State men’s hockey team officially started the 2007-08 season with an early practice Saturday morning at All Seasons Arena.
The Mavericks have been picked to finish ninth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, but here are five burning questions, the answers of which may determine whether, come March, MSU will indeed be near the bottom of the league or in the race for home ice.
1. Is Jon Kalinski an elite forward in the WCHA?
Last season, Kalinski made a huge leap forward, going from four goals to 17, including four short-handed scores and three game-winners. He was also third on the team with 74 penalty minutes. The Philadelphia Flyers certainly took notice of the breakout season, drafting the junior forward in the sixth round of this summer’s NHL draft. With All-WCHA pick Travis Morin graduated, Kalinski is the Mavericks’ most dynamic player.
2. Can the sophomores take the next step?
Kalinski made his jump and Mick Berge went from three goals to 12 between their first and second seasons. The team’s nine sophomores combined for 28 goals as freshmen — eight by Kael Mouillierat and five by Jerad Stewart. The group is an experienced one, as six played in 30 games or more last year. If Mouillierat and Stewart, along with James Gaulrapp (four goals), Geoff Irwin, Zach Harrison and Trevor Bruess (three goals apiece) can make similar strides, the Mavericks should be in good shape offensively.
3. Who will win the starting goaltender’s job?
The future is a little cloudy here, but there is a silver lining. The Mavericks appear to have a world of potential in net with juniors Dan Tormey and Mike Zacharias returning. “We’re probably as strong in the goaltending department as we’ve ever been,” coach Troy Jutting said. Tormey had an outstanding rookie season, and Zacharias stepped up after Tormey went down with a hand injury last December. Jutting also has high regard for freshman Austin Lee, who had a .925 save percentage with Fargo-Moorhead of the North American Hockey League last year.
4. Can Steve Wagner be replaced?
Wagner left the Mavericks as a free agent last spring, skipping his final season of college hockey. On Saturday, the defenseman played 21 minutes for the St. Louis Blues. He was on the power play and penalty kill and assisted on a goal. Sounds a lot like his All-WCHA junior year when he was second on the team in points. So is anyone ready to take on those minutes, bear those responsibilities and score those points from the blue line this year? Sophomore Nick Canzanello was thrown into the fire as a rookie, and Jutting calls freshman Ben Youds possibly the most talented defenseman he’s ever recruited.
5. Can MSU survive its early season schedule?
Finally, Minnesota State has been a notoriously slow starter. In the Jutting era, it’s gone 7-29-3 in October games. Contrast that with a 22-20-8 November mark and a 32-26-7 February-March (regular season) record. This year, nine of the Mavericks’ first 10 games are on the road and include four of their five longest road trips (at Michigan Tech, Alaska-Anchorage, Alabama-Huntsville and Denver) and a home-and-home series against No. 5 Minnesota. Early season survival may be the key to a successful season.
Shane Frederick is a Free Press staff writer. He also has a hockey blog.
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