MANKATO – Minnesota State players didn’t know that Saturday’s Mason Cup Playoff semifinal against Bemidji State was for an NCAA Tournament bid when the puck dropped.
“We all wanted to stay away from it,” MSU junior Adam Eisele said. “We had one goal in mind and that was to beat Bemidji. They always give you a good fight, (Mattias Sholl) always plays unbelievable. Just tuning that out is huge for our group.”
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With third-seeded St. Thomas beating No. 4 Bowling Green 3-1 about 45 minutes before the Mavericks and Beavers went head-to-head in the other semifinal, the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament was suddenly up for grabs.
St. Thomas is ineligible to make the national tournament due to the probationary period for moving up to Division I from D-III.
So when Kaden Bohlsen launched a 175-foot heave into an empty net with 1:43 left in regulation to go up 4-0, Eisele felt comfortable posing the looming question.
“When Bohlsen scored that last one, we asked our trainer if (UST) won,” Eisele said. “Maybe that wasn’t the right time to do it, but we were just pumped and we know we have Tracy back there.”
Eisele was right to be confident.
Junior goaltender Alex Tracy, the newly-crowned CCHA Player and Goaltender of the Year, pitched a 27-save shutout at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
“It’s such an honor to play behind this group,” Tracy said. “Any award or accolade, anything I’ve been getting this year, is simply a byproduct of our group’s buy-in. Starting at the top and all the way down – Coach and the staff he brought on and kind of the mess that it was a year ago – what he’s done with the program and the culture … it really bonded us together.”
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Tracy was one of the last MSU players to learn about the tournament berth.
“I think from the reaction it kind of hinted that way,” Tracy said. “I had an interview just as I got off the ice, and I think I mentioned buying one more week because I wasn’t 100% sure. Then I get back to the locker room and I’m asking the guys. Every game, no matter what situation it is, I try to stay as locked in as possible. When that final buzzer goes, that’s when it’s time to start asking questions.”
Eight minutes into the first period, Luigi Benincasa won a faceoff back to Zach Kranjik, who went bar-down over Sholl’s shoulder to put the Mavericks ahead 1-0.
Krajnik had one goal in 34 regular-season games. His tally to open the scoring on Saturday was his fifth in the Mason Cup Playoffs. Krajnik had four goals in a first-round sweep against Lake Superior State.
Minnesota State fans have dubbed him “Mr. March.”
“I’m all for it. Hopefully, he’s Mr. April,” MSU head coach Luke Strand said. “He deserves it. He plays such a great, honest game, night in and night out. Him being rewarded for scoring is just a narrow piece of what he does. We always joke in our room that we call him ‘Doctor’ because if anyone is having an issue with their line, we put him with them and it gets better.
“There’s not a better, more deserving young man. At the same time, if he wants to be a big-time player at this time of year, it’s really vital (to score in March) for a career to last in this game.”
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Outside of a late-period shift from Bemidji State’s second line of Jaksen Panzer, Jere Vaisanen and Adam Flammang, the Beavers struggled to handle Minnesota State’s breakout. Additionally, BSU didn’t do itself any favors protecting the puck, committing numerous turnovers to spring the Mavericks in transition.
“We had a poor first period, who’s kidding who?” BSU head coach Tom Serratore said. “The first period, it was 1-0 and we were lucky it was 1-0. They dictated the pace and played a lot in the offensive zone. We just weren’t sharp and weren’t in rhythm.”
While Bemidji State fared better in the middle frame, outshooting the Mavericks 14-8, it trailed 2-0 heading into the second intermission. Eisele doubled the lead with 3:21 left in the second period, capitalizing on a neutral-zone turnover.
“I thought we played really well in the second period, and it’s too bad we didn’t have anything to show for that,” Serratore said. “We created a lot of time and space in the second period, but that second goal kind of broke our back a little bit.”
Eisele and Pitlick got another chance on an odd-man rush seven minutes into the third period, this time 2-on-0. Pitlick fed Eisele for his second of the night to make it 3-0.
“The forwards did a great job of coming back and really giving our defense the confidence to gap and be tight,” Strand said. “We killed a lot of plays that put us in transition. … The effort of the forwards to get back and the defense’s gaps were a big part of it. And when (Tracy) is behind you, you tend to want to stay up and be more aggressive.”
With 9:39 left in the third period, Jutting got one back for BSU. Then he didn’t.
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As Jutting pushed a rebound shot through MSU goaltender Alex Tracy’s legs, Kasper Magnussen’s stick moved Tracy’s leg.
Strand’s challenge for goaltender interference was successful.
“Credit to them, they defended really well,” Jutting said. “They didn’t give us much room inside the dots. Their goaltender bailed them out. … They didn’t give us much all night.”
In the final minutes, the MSU faithful broke out into a “Tracy” chant.
“When they were chanting Tracy’s name, I think we were chanting on the bench, too,” Eisele said.
As for the Beavers, Saturday marked the end of a rollercoaster season. BSU finished with a record of 15-18-5, and its seniors were one game away from an NCAA Tournament berth for the third time.
“Every year is similar, but it’s different,” Serratore said. “Every team is a little different. You’re excited for the next year because you see the young guys grow, but you’re sad to see the seniors leave. That’s all part of it. For Jutts and these guys, it’s time to move on to the next venture in their lives. You value everything they’ve done for the program and they made the program better.”
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Jutting, who transferred from Colorado College after his sophomore season and exits BSU after three years, was emotional after his collegiate career ended in the same building he fell in love with the game.
“I’ll forever be grateful to be a Beaver and to turn my college career around from where it was after my sophomore year,” Jutting said. “It’s meant a lot to me. It’s the greatest place I could’ve gone when I decided to transfer and move on.
“I’ll forever be grateful for it. The guys I’ve been on this team with the past three years are some of my best friends, and I can’t be more grateful for that.”
No. 1 Minnesota State 4, No. 7 Bemidji State 0
BSU 0 0 0 – 0
MSU 1 1 2 – 4
First period – MSU GOAL: Kajnik (Benincasa) 8:06.
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Second period – MSU GOAL: Eisele (Bergmanis, Groll) 16:39.
Third period – MSU GOAL: Eisele (Pitlick) 6:51; MSU GOAL: Bohlsen (unassisted)
Saves – Sholl (BSU) 20; Tracy (MSU) 27.
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