Regional News...

This just in via the world of Twitter... 

The University of Nebraska-Kearney is considering leaving the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  If UNK leaves the RMAC, it would join the MIAA in 2012.  UNK has been the most successful school in the RMAC 13 of the last 17 seasons. To view more about this click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Obviously a move like this doesn't directly affect us here at Minnesota State, but it will be interesting to see how this shakes out regionally.

McKelvie Gets New Post

Ryan McKelvie has joined UAA's coaching staff 

Former Maverick forward Ryan McKelvie has accepted an assistant coaching position with Alaska Anchorage. 

McKelvie, who had 9-30--39 in 134 games with the Mavericks from 2002-06, has spent the last two seasons as a member of the coaching staff of the Wenatchee Wild of the North American Hockey League after serving as a graduate assistant coach with Bemidji State the previous two campaigns.

UAA's announcement regarding McKelvie's hiring appears here.

A three-year captain for the Mavericks, the red-headed McKelvie was a hard-working, gritty performer who played both ends of the rink.  And for those who have seen most of MSU's games the last couple of decades, it would be hard to disagree that his dust-up with North Dakota defenseman David Hale during the 2002-03 season was one of the best college tussles during that time.

It's great to be a Maverick.

Musings

Former Maverick forward Travis Morin enjoyed an impressive year in the American Hockey League in 2009-10 with the Texas Stars.  So much so, in fact, that the Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has earned a two-way contract from the parent Dallas Stars.  Morin was featured recently on the Stars' website and that article is available here.

Former Maverick defenseman Chad Brownlee, who has transitioned to a career in the country music industry, is set to release his first cd at the end of August.  Brownlee, a Kelowna, B.C., native who compiled 4-7-11 and 201 PIMs in 135 games in four years with Minnesota State from 2003-07, had his first single, The Best That I Can (Superhero), reach as high as #19 on the Canadian country music charts this past winter.  You can pre-order a copy of Chad's new cd by going to his website located here.

Only 30 days until Minnesota State hosts Northern Michigan in nonconference football action at Blakeslee Stadium Sept. 2.

It's great to be a Maverick!

Battles Battling Away at Vikings Training Camp

Former Minnesota State offensive tackle Adrian Battles (#79) is fighting for a spot with the Minnesota Vikings during the team's annual training camp at Minnesota State University.

Battles, who was a four-year starter for the Mavericks as an offensive tackle, has moved to offensive guard and added about 22 pounds to his frame from when he played at Minnesota State.

As one would expect the Mankato media has been all over the Adrian Battles angle, as it can be found here and here.

Photos from today's practice can be found here and fans can follow Battles on Twitter, here.

Speaking of Minnesota State, Vikings head coach Brad Childress had this to say about the new turf installed in Blakeslee Stadium over the summer.

Mavinnovation

An innovative idea produced and implemented by members of the MSU Department of Athletics during the course of the 2009-10 basketball season has been adopted by the NCAA.  A story regarding MSU's Don't Cross the Line tape appears in the latest issue of NCAA Champion magazine and is available online here.

It's great to be a Maverick.

Happy Birthday to "The Voice"

Casey Lloyd (left), pictured here with NSIC commissioner and former MSU men's basketball coach Butch Raymond, has been calling MSU basketball and football since 1971. 

Minnesota State Athletic Communications would like to wish a very happy birthday to young Casey Lloyd today (7/21).  Despite the fact that we haven't found the rock tablet that has his birth certificate on, Facebook has confirmed that today is Casey's birthday.

Be sure to drop him a note (yes, he's on Facebook) or shoot him an email (ac503@earthlink.net) to pass along your greetings.

Piling On

Not unlike the mutation of an amoeba, the reshaping of Division II conferences continue as schools ponder league affiliation.  The latest news has the University of Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State (Okla.) potentially moving to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).

The departure of UCO and Northeastern would leave the Lone Star with 11 schools. 

And, along these lines, word has it the Lindenwood and Nebraska-Kearney are also potential new members of the MIAA, which would give that league 16 teams.  Lindenwood, a member of the NAIA, will become a full-fledged NCAA Division II institution in 2013-14.  UNK is currently a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletics Conference (RMAC).

It's great to be a Maverick.

Not just the big schools

Sure, sure, we can talk about realignment amongst the Big Ten, the Pac 10, the Big 12, the Mountain West et al.  And while we've posted extensively about possible expansion in the Northern Sun here on MavBlog, other NCAA Division II conferences are making moves as well.

Nine DII schools in Arkansas and Oklahoma, who currently are members of the Lone Star Conference and the Gulf South Conference, have applied to the NCAA to form a new to-be-named league. 

Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas Tech, East Central University, Harding, Henderson State, Ouachita Baptist, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Southern Arkansas and Southwestern Oklahoma State are the schools involved and in order to meet a deadline so that the league can become reality by next year (2011-12), it must submit a strategic plan, conference constitution and conference bylaws to the NCAA by Dec. 1.

In the event the plan does come to fruition (a likely possibility), the Lone Star would still have 11 teams, but the departure of the six Arkansas schools from the Gulf South would leave that league with seven teams (Alabama-Huntsville, Delta State, North Alabama, Valdosta, West Georgia and West Alabama). We all know what happened when the North Central Conference went to six teams after losing North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Northern Colorado and Morningside and we've heard some concern from the Gulf South about the league's future viability.

Here's the statement from the GSC website about this recent development.  Lone Star commissioner Stan Wagnon comments about the new league appear here.

By the way, just 48 days until Minnesota State hosts Northern Michigan in a nonconference match-up on the newly-planted grass at Blakeslee Stadium on Sept. 2.

It's great to be a Maverick!

It was Frank Zappa who said "Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible"

Black Hills State and South Dakota School of Mines have both been awarded membership in NCAA Division II.  Both schools, who are both members of the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), will remain in the NAIA and the Dakota Athletic Conference for the 2010-11 season, followed by a year of candidacy and then a year of probation before gaining official NCAA Division II status.

Here are the releases from the BHSU site and the SDSMT site.  Other stories regarding this development appear in the Rapid City Journal, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and KELO TV.

Jackman Signs With Flames

Former Minnesota State men's hockey forward Tim Jackman has signed a free agent contract with the Calgary Flames.

Jackman, who played for the Mavericks for two seasons (2000-01 and 2001-02), holds the distinction of being the first MSU player to play in the National Hockey League.

Drafted in the second round (38th overall) by Columbus in 2001, Jackman made his NHL debut Dec. 20, 2003 with the Blue Jackets in a game played in St. Paul, Minn., vs. the Minnesota Wild.  Since that time he has seen action with Phoenix, Los Angeles and the New York Islanders.  Jackman's career numbers are available here.

It's great to be a Maverick.