Revenge-seeking Tommies clash with dominant Mavericks in a high-stakes Mason Cup showdown. Goaltending showdown predicts a tight, defensive battle.
The Mason Cup Final will come down to one game, hosted by the higher seed in the #1 Minnesota State Mavericks, as they’ll host the #2 St. Thomas Tommies in what is expected to be a thrilling matchup.
The Tommies have had an interesting season. An ugly start, followed by an incredible middle stretch, then a bit of a downslope before these Mason Cup playoffs, where they’ve now snuck past Lake Superior State in the quarterfinal best of 3, and then the #13 Augustana Vikings in the semifinal.
Now? A shot at revenge, having lost to these very Mavericks in the Mason Cup Final the previous year.
The Tommies' offense is spread and fiery this year, with three players holding 35 or more points. They have hung four goals on Minnesota State in each of the last two matchups in the season series.
St. Thomas won the season series 2-1, winning the two most recent affairs. Minnesota State will seek its first win against the Tommies since Halloween.
On the Minnesota State end, the Mavericks are coming off a statement semifinal, smoking #19 Michigan Tech 7-2. They went up 4-0 24:22 into the game and never looked back, with five Mavericks posting a multi-point performance.
They had a real scare in game two of the quarterfinal against Ferris State, but bounced back to advance with a shutout win from Alex Tracy in game three. Both ends of the ice are catching fire for Head Coach Luke Strand and company.
PREDICTION:
There is no doubt we are getting another close matchup. Minnesota State hosted the last matchup but could not pull through. Nonetheless, the postseason reminds you, if you have one thing, you've got it. And that is goaltending. Alex Tracy holds the 8th best save percentage in the nation, and while it’s not a diss to Aaron Trotter and the Tommies, Tracy has a 0.943 save percentage over his last five games, as well as the veteran experience in these big games, having been a key component to the Mason Cup victory last year. It’ll be a defensive chess match, but I’m going to go with 3-1 Minnesota State, capped off by an empty netter.