Spring Hockey

Former Maverick forward
Ryan Carter is a member of the
New Jersey Devils

Nope, not quite ready to name the new head coach yet, but thought we could take a look at a few things Maverick Hockey related.

Former Minnesota State men's hockey forwards David Backes and Ryan Carter are about to embark on the 2012 Stanley Cup play-offs with St. Louis (Backes) taking on San Jose and New Jersey (Carter) playing Florida in best-of-seven first-round series.  The St. Louis vs. San Jose series starts Thursday and the New Jersey vs. Florida tussle begins Friday.

Carter, incidentally, brought the Cup back to Mankato after his team (Anaheim) won it in 2007.  Also, Backes is being mentioned as one of the top candidates for the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward. Stories related to this development are located HERE, HERE and HERE.

Other former Mavericks still in regular-season action in the American Hockey League include Jon Kalinski (Norfolk), Travis Morin (Texas), Kael Mouillierat (Bridgeport), Tyler Pitlick (Oklahoma City) and Ben Youds (Rockford). The AHL regular season ends this week and it looks like that while Norfolk, Bridgeport and Oklahoma City will make the play-offs, Texas and Rockford will not.  The current league standings are located HERE.

A bevy of former Mavericks have plied their trade in the East Coast Hockey League this year and with eight teams still alive in the 2011-12 play-offs, there's still a few who wore the purple and gold playing.  Defenseman Channing Boe's Las Vegas Wranglers start their quarterfinal series with Idaho Monday.  Joe Schiller, who just completed his four-year MSU career, saw action in eight games at the end of the regular season with Las Vegas, but hasn't seen any play-off action. Forward Michael Dorr plays for South Carolina and the Stingrays are slated to start their series vs. Kalamazoo Friday.  Forward Zach Harrison is in his second season with Alaska and the Aces play Stockton beginning Friday. And the Florida Everblades, who boast Trevor Bruess and Rylan Galiardi, are scheduled to take on Elmira starting Friday.

A complete listing of former Mavericks who played professional hockey this year is located HERE.

Former Maverick defenseman Chad Brownlee's new single - Smoke in the Rain - ranks 11th on the Canadian Country Music charts.  Here's the video:

A couple of MSU men's hockey recruits appeared in Central Scouting's final rankings with Teddy Blueger of Shattuck-St. Mary's coming in at 116 amongst North American skaters and Stephon Williams, who plays for Sioux Falls of the USHL, rated 34th on the North American goaltenders list.  The lists are located HERE.

Emilia Andersson, a member of the Minnesota State women's hockey program, is playing for Sweden at the IIHF Women's World Championships in Buffalo, N.Y., April 7-14 in Burlington, Vt.  Former Maverick forward Nina Tikkinen, who won a bronze medal playing for Finland at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, is playing, as well.

It's great to be a Maverick!

In the Long Run

Rummy Macias coached the
Maverick Wrestling program for
38 years

One of our departmental interns recently asked if our softball coach, Lori Meyer, had been coaching here as long as Dean Bowyer.

The answer was "not quite," but it also got the wheels turning as to where Lori's time here fits in relative to longevity.

Meyer, a 1982 Upper Iowa grad who served as a graduate assistant coach with the MSU softball and volleyball teams for a couple of years prior to being selected to guide the Maverick Softball program in 1984-85, is in her 28th year as a head coach and enters this weekend with a career won-loss mark of 909-571-3.

Bowyer, who spent four years as the head coach of the baseball program at Minot State prior to coming on board here in 1976-77, built a 990-487-7 mark in 32 years with the Mavericks and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2009.

Georgene Brock spent 33 years as MSU's Director of Women's Athletics from 1965 through 1998, but no female coach has been as tenured as long as Meyer. Women's golf coach Nick Campa currently is in his 21st year and Phil Rhoade coached women's swimming for 21 years. Mary Willerscheidt had a 19-year stint with the women's basketball program.

Not unlike Brock, C.P. Blakeslee, whose name adorns our football stadium, spent forty years in Mankato, serving as an administrator and coach from 1921-62.  Blakeslee, who was the school's AD from 1924-38, coached several sports, including football, basketball, golf, gymnastics track and baseball, but none longer than 27 years.

Including a 13-year period from 1970-83 as men's AD, Bob Otto had a 29-year run in Mankato.  He coached the football program for 17 years and the men's basketball program for one year.

Hall of Famer Paul Waldorf had two periods in which he coached men's tennis that totalled 27 years (1949-65 and 1966-77).

Earl "Bud" Myers, who worked at MSU from 1949-78, guided the men's track program for 23 years from 1949-1973, along with the men's cross country program from 1956-1978, a 23-year span.

Don Brose spent 30 years as head coach of the Maverick Men's Hockey program,  amassing a 536-335-79 record from 1969-2000.

Mark Schuck, the men's head track & field coach for 14 years, just completed his 33rd year as head coach of the men's cross country program.

Legendary Rummy Macias, who will celebrate his 90th birthday this summer, came to Mankato in 1950 to start the MSU wrestling program and 38 years later, following the 1987-88 season, he retired with a career record of 299-207-12.

So, the all-time coaching career years list goes like this: Macias (38 years), Schuck (33 years and still active), Bowyer (32 years), Brose (30 years), Meyer (28 and still active), Blakeslee (27), Waldorf (27), Myers (23), Rhoade (21), Campa (21) and Willerscheidt (19).

Some amazing names mentioned there.  People with buildings named after them and people in the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. A MSU Athletics Mount Rushmore, if you will.

While we're not sure that Schuck will surpass Macias, it's likely that Meyer and Campa will to continue to move up the list.

It's great to be a Maverick!