Amid starts and stops, Minnesota State Mankato keeps plugging along COVID-19 issues throughout the WCHA have forced the Mavericks men's team to adjust on the fly. Still, coach Mike Hastings has his team hitting its stride in time for this weekend's top-10 matchup against Bowling Green.
By Randy Johnson Text size Copy shortlink: Hopefully, the men's hockey schedule-makers in the WCHA and at Minnesota State Mankato invested heavily in pencils and erasers this season because writing any dates and matchups down in ink has been met almost immediately by a "reschedule that'' command from COVID-19. Of the Mavericks' 11 series from Nov. 20 through January on the revised WCHA schedule that was announced in late October, only one – the Jan. 15-16 trip to Lake Superior State – was played on the exact dates listed. Coach Mike Hastings and his Mavericks have endured postponements, cancellations and adjustments, all the while fashioning a 9-2-1 record amid unplanned breaks of 14, 11 and 12 days caused by COVID-19 issues across the league. Minnesota State went so far as to schedule the Milwaukee School of Engineering, a Division III program, only to have the Raiders quickly drop out because of the coronavirus.