从观赏的角度来看,2020 - 21日不是一个我deal season for Minnesota State men’s hockey fans.
Due to the pandemic, spectators weren’t able to attend games at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center during the first half of the season, and even when some fans were allowed in the second half, your odds of being selected as one of 250 via the lottery weren’t great.
On top of that, the Mavericks played only nine regular-season home games, with the pandemic seeming to cause more cancellations and postponements at home.
COVID-19 also led to the cancellation of almost all nonconference games across the country, a huge downer for the many fans who circle those dates as soon as the schedule comes out.
With the pandemic waning, it appears we’re in for a much more complete 2021-22 season.
MSU announced its schedule last week, and there’s plenty to be excited about.
If you’re hoping for revenge on St. Cloud State after the last-minute loss in the Frozen Four, you won’t have to wait long. MSU is currently scheduled to open its season with a home series Oct. 8-9 against the Huskies.
It’s hard to envision a better way to kick things off, although MSU is working to schedule a series the first weekend in October with an opponent that would be just as exciting.
Stay tuned.
Along with the Huskies, you’ll get a chance to see Minnesota-Duluth on Dec. 30, as MSU is playing a home-and-home with the Bulldogs.
With Bemidji State and St. Thomas in the CCHA, that means MSU fans will get a chance to see four out of the other five Minnesota teams in Mankato this winter.
MSU will play at least 12 regular-season games against those four in-state rivals, which is more than 35% percent of its games. There could also be another game against Duluth on Oct. 15-16, as the Mavericks, Bulldogs, Michigan and Providence will be at the Ice Breaker Tournament.
It’s not the old WCHA, but for those who yearn for those days, this seems like good news.
Keeping with the local feel, we also know the Mavericks will play the Tommies on Hockey Day Minnesota on Jan. 22 at Blakeslee Stadium.
Some were hoping it would be one of the other in-state teams on that day, which is understandable, but the Tommies should be embraced as a rival just like the other schools. They likely won’t be in MSU’s class their first season in Division I, but even as a St. John’s graduate, I have to give credit to my rivals in purple.
St. Thomas will do everything in its power to get there as quickly as possible, and they’ll be competitive before you know it.
Get ready for a fun in-state conference rival about 90 minutes away.
We still haven’t even talked about MSU’s biggest rival — the Beavers. MSU will be at Bemidji State on Dec. 10-11, and Bemidji will be in Mankato on Feb. 18-19.
Some fans will never get over the loss of the old WCHA rivalries, which is understandable. The vast local footprint of that league was special.
But MSU is playing a robust nonconference schedule filled with in-state rivalries this winter, one MSU coach Mike Hastings feels is the toughest since his first season in 2012-13.
That’s going to prepare MSU for the season’s biggest games in March and April, and give fans a chance to see some fantastic hockey.
“Multiple opportunities to look in the mirror and judge ourselves ... every single weekend, you’re going to be tested,” Hastings said. “That, I think, benefits everybody ... a litmus test every single weekend where if you’re not on your game, you’re going to get beat.”
Follow Kevin Dudley on Twitter @Dudley7Kevin.
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