The nation’s #2 power-play units scored on both opportunities tonight, as Bryce Gervais (1 PPG, 1 SHG) and Sean Flanagan each scored with the man advantage to lead the home-standing Minnesota State Mavericks (18-13-0, 16-7-0 WCHA) won 4-0 over the visiting UAH Chargers (1-29-1, 1-19-1 WCHA).
UAH coach Mike Corbett b4 game: “It’s like junior hockey all over again. We’re used to traveling on a bus. We’re not going to make excuses."
— Shane Frederick (@puckato) February 15, 2014
This game should not have been played tonight. Corbs said that he wouldn’t make excuses, and to their credit, the boys worked hard and well all throughout the game, which one would generally not expect from a team that bused 20 hours overnight and got to Mankato 2:31:00 before puck drop.
You read that right. Mike won’t make an excuses, but I will register my complaint.
This series should’ve been postponed into Saturday-Sunday. The WCHA needs these two games to be fair and competitive, and that involves UAH being in a better position to win than their travel woes allowed. Is UAH likely to pick up points this weekend? Given that Mankato is 1) the #2 team in the league and 2) now 12-1 at home, that seems unlikely. But ask Bowling Green about hosting UAH. That game may cost the Falcons home ice, as our prediction for the final standings has them in fifth on a tiebreaker. If that loss is a win, the brown-and-orange crew leapfrog Tech into #3.
Alex Allan and Doug Reid enter the offensive zone. (Photo credit: AJ Dahm, SPX Sports)
Now, there aren’t a lot of scenarios where the Mavericks fall into third. But what if Ferris falters? Should an unfair advantage for the Mavericks tonight factor in then?
What was the plan if the bus had been delayed another hour? Two hours? At what point would the game have been postponed? At home, our guys get to the rink at 5:00 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. game. This was cutting in close on that. With flights to Minneapolis cancelled both Wednesday and Thursday due to weather, the boys were left to scramble for buses. But they were kinda okay.
Check out the travel digs to Mankato. Safe to say it all worked out. pic.twitter.com/m1QbVAdUym
— UAH Hockey (@uahhockey) February 14, 2014
Here’s to a good night of sleep for the boys and a better result tomorrow. All of these games matter, and the boys are going to play up to that.