SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH. — Minnesota State men’s hockey coach Luke Strand has a shootout after practice each Thursday. Shootouts are also used to break ties that occur in drills throughout the week.
A five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period usually settles games tied at the end of regulation, but on Friday night, 65 minutes wasn’t enough.
The practice paid off, as the Mavericks won a shootout in what officially goes down as a 2-2 CCHA tie with Lake Superior State. By winning the shootout, MSU gets the extra conference point. The Mavericks were on a three-game losing streak entering play Friday.
“The points are important,” MSU coach Luke Strand said. “Our guys, they’re not exactly happy with how we played, but they’ve got to be happy with getting points.”
It was a decisive win in the shootout, with two of three MSU shooters scoring, and both Lake Superior State shooters failing to convert. Sam Morton and Lucas Sowder got the goals for the Mavericks.
After a run of bad starts, MSU quickly built a 2-0 lead in the first period. Sowder and Jordan Steinmetz scored at 7:04 and 10:43 of the first period, respectively, with both goals being tip-ins.
The Lakers made it 2-1 at 11:11 of the first, a score that held through two periods. Lake State outshot MSU 17-2 in the third period, tying the game at 7:05.
MSU goaltender Alex Tracy made some key saves in the third period and overtime to help the Mavericks get the point. Shots on goal favored Lake State 37-33.
“He had to make a few big ones. That’s so much confidence for your team,” Strand said. “It was great for him to come out on the right side of the shootout.”
The Mavericks (5-6-2, 3-3-1 in CCHA) finish their series with the Lakers Saturday.
Follow Kevin Dudley on Twitter @Dudley7Kevin.