Preview: The Tommies and Mavericks matchup in the Mason Cup Final

The final weekend of CCHA play is upon us and we are getting a rematch of last year’s Mason Cup Final. 2nd seeded St. Thomas travels south to take on the conference’s top seed, Minnesota State. The teams represent 2 of the 3 remaining Minnesota schools in the USCHO top 20 rankings with the Tommies at 15 and Mavericks at 16. Minnesota Duluth is ranked 6th. 

Photo: MSU Mavericks Website

The teams have matched up 3 times this season with St. Thomas securing 5 of the 9 available points. The first matchup came in Saint Paul on Halloween, St. Thomas struck first before 3 unanswered goals from Minnesota State gave them a 3-1 victory. The teams played for a second time the next day in Mankato in what became an early season classic for the conference. The teams went back and forth for all 60 minutes of regulation before heading to overtime. Nathan Pilling beat Alex Tracy in the extra period to win it for the Tommies. The 3rd meeting between the programs took place back at Mayo Clinic HSEC. 4 goals in a row from the Tommies was too much to handle for the Mavericks, with St. Thomas taking a 4-2 victory. Minnesota State finished first outright in the CCHA with 51 points on the season. St. Thomas finished right on their tail with 50 points, including 15 conference victories, one more than the Maverick’s 14. 

St. Thomas swept Lake Superior State in the quarterfinal round, winning 4-3 and 5-2. They beat Augustana in the semifinal round 2-1. The Tommies have seen an uptick in play from CCHA Rookie of the Year and All-CCHA Secon Team member Lucas Van Vliet, who has 3 goals in 3 games after going 8 games with only a single point before the postseason began. Van Vliet is joined by Nathan Pilling and Hayes Hundley as newcomers on the CCHA All-Rookie Team. The Tommies are led by captain Lucas Wahlin, who took home: All-CCHA First Team member and CCHA  Defensive Forward of the Year nods. Interestingly, St. Thomas' points leader Alex Gaffney did not receive conference recognition. Gaffney reached 40 points on the season with his tie-breaking goal over Augustana last time out. He is the 3^rd Tommie in the division one era to reach 40 points on the season.

Minnesota State took down 8th seeded Ferris State in 3 games in the quarterfinal roud. They demolished Michiagn Tech 7-2 in the semifinal round. The Mavericks were represnted in CCHA awards by 3 players. On the All-CCHA Second Team sits goaltender Alex Tracy. Tracy, the CCHA Player of the Year from last season, sits atop the conference in goals against and is second in shutouts. Forward Tristan Lemyre joins Tracy on the second team as he leads the Mavericks in both goals (15) and points (31). Evan Murr Jr was the programs sole-representative on the All-CCHA First Team. Murr Jr recorded 20 points on the season, leading all CCHA defenders. 

The game will be St. Thomas’ final game as a member of the CCHA before they join the NCHC next season. They are chasing their first NCAA division one tournament berth in the history of the men’s hockey program. They made the NCAA division three tournament in 2020 losing to Lake Forest in the first round, it was their 17th and final trip to that tournament.

Minnesota State is the defending CCHA champions and are searching for their second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. They have finished within the best regular season record in the CCHA in 4 of 5 seasons. They have won the conference tournament 4 times within that timespan. 

This showdown has everything on the line in a spot that highlights the state of Minnesota in the sports landscape. Both groups have played outstanding all season and their rankings reflect that, but only one team can capture the Mason Cup.

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