MANKATO — After winning a drama-filled de facto MacNaughton Cup title game Saturday, the Minnesota State men’s hockey team was hoping to start the CCHA tournament on a more convincing note.
The Mavericks did just that.
David Silye scored in the opening minutes and top-seeded MSU rolled to a 6-1 victory over eighth-seeded Lake Superior State in Game 1 of the quarterfinals in front of 3,948 fans at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
“I thought it was great for us to be able to get the crowd into it,” MSU coach Mike Hastings said. “It was a good start for us. I liked the way a couple of our young guys stepped up tonight.”
Silye sent Andy Carroll’s rebound home at 3:13 of the first, and Carroll made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 10:38. That score held into the first intermission.
Carroll now has 10 points in his last nine games (3-7—10).
“He’s been really consistent offensively, defensively,” Hastings said. “He’s taken advantage of this opportunity he’s had being in his super-senior year.”
The Lakers got a spark when Brandon Puricelli scored at 2:14 of the second period, but Akito Hirose answered with another power-play goal just 44 seconds later.
MSU went 2-for-5 on the power play Friday after going 3-for-4 against Michigan Tech in its last game. The Mavericks entered the game at 26.7% on the power play, which ranked fourth in Division I.
Even strength goals ended up putting the game away in the third, and the MSU’s young players led the way. The Mavericks didn’t score a five-on-five goal last weekend against the Huskies.
Zach Krajnik tipped in Christian Fitzgerald’s pass at 5:15, and Simon Tassy scored his first collegiate goal on a breakaway at 6:14.
Tassy, the reigning British Columbia Hockey League MVP, scored after fellow freshman Adam Eisele stole the puck in the neutral zone and passed to him. It was only Tassy’s 11th game of the season, as he missed the entire first half while rehabbing from knee surgery.
“I’ve been poking fun of him a little bit in practice and stuff lately,” said Fitzgerald, who’s also a freshman. “I knew his first was going to be coming soon, I just didn’t know when. It was super nice to see him get that tonight.”
Fitzgerald made it 6-1 at 10:51, skating the length of the ice with the puck before tucking it around Lakers’ goalie Ethan Langenegger.
MSU’s three freshmen forwards combined for five points in the win.
“We were all able to get opportunities, and I think we were just trying to make the most of them,” Fitzgerald said. “It was definitely fun to watch.”
Added Hastings: “It was good that we were able to roll four lines throughout the game. Scoring five-on-five has been an issue for us, so it was good to see us get a couple.”
Fitzgerald finished with a goal and two assists, while Carroll and Silye each had a goal and an assist.
Shots on goal favored MSU 32-18. Keenan Rancier made 17 saves to get the win.
The Mavericks (22-12-1) will host the Lakers in Game 2 of their best-of-three series at 6:07 p.m. Saturday.
Follow Kevin Dudley on Twitter @Dudley7Kevin.