What a season.

The 2022-23 season was my first not working for The Reporter, the campus newspaper at MSU. The Reporter was where I started working as a photographer and covering Maverick athletics. Although I wasn’t “working” for anyone anymore, I still approached the games as I would’ve while at the paper: being impartial and photographing anything deemed crucial to the story.

And I got to witness some incredible things this past season. From hitching a ride with Paul “PA” Allan and Mike “Sully” Sullivan to the season-opener in Minneapolis against the eventual national runner-ups, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, to photographing Dryden McKay reading the lineup in the Mavericks’ locker room during the Hobey Baker Award celebration night, and the two incredibly-close ‘title’ games, it was an exciting season to be a photographer!

I have wanted to do a blog post for quite some time, and this felt like the right subject to finally start it with. The first draft of this post was ready after the Mavericks’ season ended in the NCAA tournament. I then got another draft ready as the Mavs announced their new head coach, and then life happened, so I never got around to publishing this. But it is here now: filled with some behind the scenes ‘commentary’, this blog post highlights what I think are my best photos of the season in a chronological order, except for a few exceptions.

To make it worth your while, I have a ‘GIF-t’ at the end of this post for those who manage to look through it all. I promise it’s worth it. With that being said, here’s the 2022-2023 Minnesota State Mavericks men’s hockey season in photos.

Oct. 7, 2022: Minnesota State at Minnesota

The Mavericks meet the Gophers for the first time since ending their season in a dominant, 5-1 win at the 2022 Frozen Four in Boston.

The first time the puck crossed the goal line for the Mavericks would not be their first goal. Akito Hirose (2) celebrated with Cade Borchardt (28) before the goal was called off due to goaltender interference.

Junior defenseman Jake Livingstone (23) gets the puck past the Gophers’ Justen Close (1) to score the first goal for the Mavericks’ 2022-2023 season.

And moments later, Livingstone turned to the fans to celebrate.

As Livingstone rushed towards the photo hole I was sitting by, I turned around to spot some Maverick fans and saw the Mavs PA announcer TJ Palsoletti and former Minnesota Wild team reporter, and The MSU Reporter alum, Dan Myers in the crowd.

I try to experiment with different photography techniques, especially towards the end of games. Here, I tried a slow shutter pan. And even though it isn’t a photo I’ll be using for my portfolio, it is important to show how an idea progresses throughout the season.

In a photo that would become even more important after the Mavericks season ended, former Maverick head coach Mike Hastings shakes hands with the Gophers head coach Bob Motzko as he is followed by associate head coach Todd Knott. The Gophers would take the game from the Mavs, 4-1, as the Mavs would get ready for their home opener the next day.

Oct. 8, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Minnesota

The Mavericks started their season by unveiling four new banners to commemorate a historic season. One of the subjects I explored throughout the season were the banners in the building. The Oct. 15 game recap below features a collection of all the new banners that were put up this past year.

Jake Livingstone (23) and Matthew Knies (89), a finalist for the 2023 Hobey Baker Award, battle for the puck during the first period of the game.

Minnesota State’s Connor Gregga (20) runs into Minnesota’s Rhett Pitlick (77) for a very photogenic hockey moment in the first period.

Minnesota State’s Will Hillman (19) tries to control the puck between the Gophers’ Cal Thomas (6) and Ryan Johnson (23). This photo ended being used by the Star Tribune for their story on the game, making it my second photo to be in the newspaper, the other being a photo of Denver lifting the National Championship trophy after defeating the Mavericks in Boston in 2022.

Freshman defenseman Campbell Cichosz (8) celebrates his first career goal with teammates Christian Fitzgerald (3), Ryan Sandelin (14) and Tony Malinowski (27).

Early in the third, Josh Groll (12) celebrates in front of the student section, The Herd, after giving the Mavericks their first lead of the game.

Brian, who has been the Mavs’ bus driver for over the last 15 years, and my landlord for the last 13 months, was in a good mood after Groll’s goal.

A sweet moment as the Mavs took the lead.

The Maverick Machine performs the Sieve chant.

Ryan Sandelin celebrates what would be the game-winning goal over the Gophers.

Another addition to the Myers celebration collection.

Brendan Furry (13) controls a collision that takes out the linesman. The Mavericks controlled the rest of the game and beat the Gophers 3-2.

Oct. 14, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Minnesota-Duluth

Freshman goaltender Alex Tracy is introduced as a starter for the first time. Tracy would go on to get his first win and first shoutout that day over the Bulldogs.

The Mavs line up during the national anthem.

Alex Tracy makes a save early in the first period of the game.

Tracy makes another key save in the first period. He would end up with 16 on the night on his way to a shutout.

A duo that would be solid for the whole season: junior defensemen Jake Livingstone (23) and Akito Hirose (2) play the puck away from the Bulldogs’ Dominic James (17).

Senior Cade Borchardt (28) scores on the power play to extend the Mavs’ lead to 4-0 early in the second period.

Junior defenseman Will Hillman celebrates late in the second period after scoring a goal. Since the Mavs were up 5-0 at this point, I attempted another slow shutter pan. Again, not the smoothest photo, but practice makes perfect, right? The Mavs scored another goal before the game ended, and won the game 6-0.

Oct. 15, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Minnesota-Duluth

The Banners of Mankato

A potential subject for my photos I noticed earlier in the season were the banners hanging at the rink. Along with the four that were unveiled over the ice during the first home game of the season, the Mavs also added two more banners to commemorate All-Americans Dryden McKay and Nate Smith. McKay would also get another banner for winning the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

The WCHA and CCHA regular season and tournament championship banners.

The banner for goaltender Dryden McKay’s three All-American selections from 2020-2022.

The banner for forward Nate Smith’s All-American selection for the 2022 season.

Goaltender Keenan Rancier stands in front of the goal during a game against Ferris State on Dec. 2, 2022 as the Mavericks regular season title banners hang over the ice.

A banner for the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Dryden McKay can been seen through the Mavericks’ 2022 NCAA tournament commemorative banners.

Senior Ryan Sandelin in the benches a few minutes before the warmups. This would be the last time Ryan would be playing against his father, UMD head coach Scott Sandelin, during his college career.

Senior Cade Borchardt can be seen through the transparent section of the Stomper logo on the doors to the Mavericks team area before they took the ice for warmups.

Senior Andy Carroll knocks the pucks with his stick during warmups. The ‘warmups puck slap’ photo is another one I pursued throughout the season and there is another section that goes into my many attempts at getting the right shot.

Ryan Sandelin takes a moment in front of the bench during the warmups.

The Mavs disperse from their pre-game huddle as goaltender Alex Tracy gets ready in the crease.

Ryan Sandelin (14) celebrates with his teammates after Sam Morton (6) scored in the first period. Morton would also score the other goal of the game for the Mavericks.

Goaltender Alex Tracy watches the puck go past him and eventually across the goal line in the third period. After a review, the goal was called off due to a high stick. With no more goals being scored in the game, the Mavs ending up sweeping UMD with the 2-1 win.

Oct. 28, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Bowling Green

Arriving in style

A very common occurance on game days is the Mavericks arriving in style. I was watching a video on New York photographer Bruce Gilden the night before, and I thought I could give his style of using an off-camera flash a shot. I used a Ricoh XR Speedlite 240 flash from the late 1970s, coupled with a transmitter on the flash and a remote trigger on my camera. The result was a high contrast, but evenly lit photo despite the strong setting sun behind the players. I tried it a few more times, and I was really pleased with the results overall. Click on the photos below to view them at a larger size.

The Malinowski Project: Getting the right shot

Another common occurance before every Maverick game was Tony Malinowski knocking the pucks on the ice to begin the warmups. After the first couple of times I took this photo from the catwalk over and behind the Mavs bench, I realized the pucks were placed a bit farther down and as a result, were being knocked down with sticks, instead of Malinowski's hand. So for the next home game I was able to get to early enough, I asked the Mavericks new equipment assitant Jackson Faust if it would be possible to move the pucks closer to the gate as that would require Malinowski to use his hand instead of the stick. Jackson was super helpful and kind enough to help out, and did so for the rest of the season. So here's a massive shoutout to him and Scott Rideout, the head eqipment manager, for always being so kind to me. Click on the photos to view them at a larger size.

Oct. 28, 2022 (vs. Bowling Green)

Oct. 29, 2022 (vs. Bowling Green)

Nov. 18, 2022 (vs. Northern Michigan)

Nov. 19, 2022 (vs. Northern Michigan)

Jan. 20, 2023 (vs. LSSU)

March 4, 2023 (vs. LSSU)

A projection of the Stomper logo can be seen as it crosses over the goal post minutes before the teams took the ice for warmups.

Brendan Furry throws a puck to a young fan during the warmups.

Ondrej Pavel celebrates scoring the first goal of the game, as children on the other side of the glass appear just as happy.

David Silye (10) skates with the puck as he crosses the blue line into the Bowling Green zone.

Brendan Furry (13) is surrounded by his teammates after he scores the game-winning goal in overtime against Bowling Green. I spent time taking photos of the other players as I had no idea Furry scored the goal, and by the time I located him through the view finder, he was against the glass with the team around him. The Mavs won the game 3-2.

Oct. 29, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Bowling Green

Flash warning

I was thinking about how bright the flashes are, and despite giving the players a verbal 'warning' the day before, I thought that was not enough. So I came up with this sign on the sidewalk using a Honey Nut Cheerios box and a Sharpie five minutes before the players showed up. Karson Buelow, The Reporter's men's hockey beat writer, was cool with being the test subject for me to get my settings right before the players showed up. He also held the sign up with one hand while he was recording them coming in with the other for The Reporter's Instagram. All in all, I think it went great and the players apprecaited the heads up.

Brendan Furry steps off the ice at the end of warmups.

David Silye (10) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the first goal of the game.

The Herd performs the sieve chant after the Silye goal.

Ondrej Pavel skates with the puck late in the first period.

An overhead shot of Brendan Furry (13) shooting the puck late in the second period to tie the game.

Goaltender Keenan Rancier (35) watches the puck go past him after making a save. Rancier would end the game with nine saves as the Mavs would win it 4-2.

Nov. 4, 2022: Minnesota State at St. Thomas

Ryan Sandelin (14) walks towards the locker room after warmups.

Jake Livingstone (23) fist bumps the Mavs’ strength and conditioning coach Tom Inkrott as the team took the ice before their game.

Seniors Brendan Furry (13) and Ryan Sandelin (14) stand on the goal line during the player introductions.

Sam Morton (6) attempts a wrap around shot after he fell on the ice in the first period.

Ryan Sandelin skates towards the bench as the Mavericks take the ice at the end of the first intermission.

The Mavericks radio play-by-play announcer Mike “Sully” Sullivan, left, and former SID Paul “PA” Allan work the radio booth. PA often helped out Sully with the radio broadcast on road games that they both worked.

Goaltender Alex Tracy (33) looks at the rink from the tunnel outside the Mavs locker room moments before the team stepped on the ice for the third period against the Tommies.

Ondrej Pavel (18) scores a goal a minute into the third period as the Mavericks took the lead. The Mavs would go on to score five unanswered goals in the third period.

Lucas Sowder (21) skates towards Pavel to celebrate his goal.

Brendan Furry, followed by head coach Mike Hastings, gestures as he walks past the camera following the Mavericks 7-2 win.

Nov. 5, 2022: Minnesota State vs. St. Thomas

David Silye (10) celebrates with his teammates after he tied the game in the first period. Luc Wilson (7) and Brendan Furry (13), the other two players facing the camera, assisted on the goal.

John Regner, a US Army veteran and the Mavs’ Director of Hockey Operations Luke Regner’s grandfather, is recognized as the Veteran of the Game.

The Maverick defense forms a wall in front of the goal before a face-off in the third period. The Mavs would go on to win the game 4-3.

Nov. 18, 2022: Minnesota State vs Northern Michigan

Paul “PA” Allan in the benches during the warmups. I had found out the night before that PA had decided to retire from Maverick Athletics. So when I got to the game that day, I asked him if it was really happening, and he confirmed it. What followed was a very heartwarming conversation. With all that context, I wanted to make sure I had a portrait of PA, and I was very lucky to be able to get this one that day.

Goaltender Andrew Miller walks off the ice at the end of warmups.

Minnesota State’s Josh Groll (12) gets hit by Northern Michigan’s Josh Zinger (20) during the game.

Minnesota State’s Lucas Sowder (21) is run into the boards by Northern Michigan’s Colby Enns (5) during the third period.

Ryan Sandelin reacts as he picked up a penalty for cross checking in overtime. Northern Michigan would score on the power play and the Mavs would lose the game 3-2.

Nov. 19, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Northern Michigan

Ryan Sandelin adjusts his helmet cage during warmups.

David Silye (10) turns to the crowd after scoring the Mavericks’ first goal of the day.

Silye celebrates with Cade Borchardt (28) after his goal.

Silye high fives his teammates as he skates past the bench. This photo is another example of a slow shutter pan, and another one that’s not the sharpest.

Jake Livingstone (23) celebrates with Silye after scoring the second goal of the game that gave the Mavericks the lead.

Goaltender Keenan Rancier (35) makes a save with his arm in the second period. Rancier ended the night with 19 saves.

A potentially missed call on Brendan Furry (13) in the third period.

Cade Borchardt (28) celebrates with his teammates in front of the student section in the third period.

Borchardt (28) leads a line of Mavs to the bench to celebrate after scoring. The Mavs took the second game of the series 4-1.

A highlight of the third period was a Northern Michigan fan that got into an "altercation" with Stomper. This was probably the most heated I've seen a fan get this year.

Dec. 2, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Ferris State

Brendan Furry arrives for the first game against Ferris State.

Andrew Miller arrives sporting a very festive blazer.

Andy Carroll knocks the pucks down as he steps onto the ice for warmups. Tony Malinowski did not suit up for the game, which is why Carroll took over the ‘puck slapping’ duties.

Will Hillman (19) gets his helmet moved around after his shot gets blocked by Ferris State’s Noah Giesbrecht (31) in the first period.

Lucas Sowder (21) gets his shot blocked by Ferris State’s Noah Giesbrecht (31). The Mavericks lost 2-1 as they scored only once despite having 34 shots on goal.

Dec. 3, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Ferris State

Adam Eisele (15) shoots the puck across the goal line to give the Mavericks a 2-0 lead early in the first period.

Eisele skates past the bench after scoring a goal. A much more smoother slow shutter pan than the most of my previous attempts.

Cade Borchardt (28) moves the puck to try and shoot it on goal in the second period.

Jake Livingstone catches the puck mid-air during the third period.

A shot on goal by Ryan Sandelin (14) gets saved by Ferris State’s Logan Stein (1) in the third period.

Ryan Sandelin reacts after the puck is turned over late in the third period. The Mavs would lose the game 3-2 despite scoring the first two goals of the game. This was the first time the Mavericks got swept by a conference opponent since January of 2012, Mike Hastings’ first season in Mankato.

Dec. 15, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Bemidji State

The 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award trophy for Minnesota State’s Dryden McKay can be seen with the CCHA’s MacNaughton and Mason Cups, alongside the NCAA national runner-up trophy the background. Dryden McKay was in town for a special presentation to commemorate winning the 2022 Hobey Baker Award. The celebration included unveiling a banner and a trophy presentation at center ice where McKay talked about his time in Mankato. McKay also made a visit to his old locker room to announce the starting lineup that night.

**Dryden McKay, the 2022 Hobey Baker Award winner**

Goaltender Alex Tracy (33) makes a save in the first period of the game. He ended up with saving 21 of the 25 shots he faced that night.

Ondrej Pavel (18) tries to control the puck as he is surrounded by a tough Bemidji State defense. The Mavericks would lose the back-and-forth game 4-3.

Dec. 16, 2022: Minnesota State vs. Bemidji State

Paul “PA” Allan: The ultimate quiet professional

When I found out PA was retiring just before the end of the year, I wanted to make sure I was there for his last game. I got to the game a little over four hours before puck drop due to a few reasons, one of them being able to photograph any special moments involving PA. Of course, PA was already there and working, which was not surprising at all. About an hour and a half later, I was walking around the rink trying to find potential new compositions for my photos, and I noticed the gameday operations staff was testing the scoreboard screen over center ice, and that was when I saw the graphic paying tribute to PA. I was a few feet away from my camera and ran to grab it just in time to get a few photos of him working away with the tribute graphic on the screen as the zambonis drove across the ice.

PA started working at Minnesota State in 1985 (Mankato State back then). I was very fortunate to be in Mankato for the last five of his 37 years here, and I’m incredibly thankful for all his help and advice. From setting up overhead remote cameras over the ice, to letting me tag along on a couple of Maverick hockey road games with him, and SO much more wisdom over the past few years, PA has helped me learn and grow not just as a photographer, but more importantly as a person. A consummate professional and always helpful, PA is the ultimate role model for all those who work in sports media.

David Silye (10) skates past the blue line with the puck.

Silye’s shot on the goal is saved by Mattias Sholl (30) in the first period.

Two sides of the same coin: Unhappy coaches

Jake Livingstone (23) attempts a shot on goal that is blocked by Mattias Sholl (30) in the second period.

Ondrej Pavel (18) celebrates his goal with his teammates in the second period.

Pavel skates past the Mavs bench after scoring.

Will Hillman (19) runs into Bemidji State’s Elias Rosén (28) late in the third period.

221216_MSU_MHOC_vs_BemidjiState_finalEdit_FHD_MansoorA_22.JPG

Maverick Athletics paid tribute to PA late in the third period as it was nearing the end of his last game working for them. PA got a little emotional as he waved to a loud, cheery crowd of over 4,500 hockey fans in downtown Mankato.

Jan. 20, 2023: Minnesota State vs. Lake Superior State

Simon Tassy (11) gets on the ice for his first shift as a Maverick.

Christian Fitzgerald (3) fist bumps goaltender Keenan Rancier (35) after scoring the first goal of the game on an assist by Tassy (11), the assist marking his first collegiate point.

Keenan Rancier (35) makes a save in the first period of the game.

Zach Krajnik (24) is denied a goal by Lake Superior State’s Ethan Langenegger (1).

Christian Fitzgerald (3) slides into the net and Ethan Langenegger (1) after a collision.

Akito Hirose (2) celebrates with Ryan Sandelin (14) after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.

The Mavericks celebrating while skating towards Hirose (2) and Sandelin (14) after they won the game in overtime, 3-2.

Jan. 21, 2023: Minnesota State vs. Lake Superior State

Keenan Rancier (35) looks at his teammates before taking the ice for warmups.

The Mavericks try to battle for the puck near the crease early in the first period of the game.

Keenan Rancier (35) makes a save as the net is pushed out of its place in the first period.

Zach Krajnik’s (24) helmet comes in contact with the glove of Ethan Langenegger (1) as he catches the puck to make a save.

David Silye (10) and Christian Fitzgerald (3) celebrate as they skate past the Mavs bench after Silye’s second goal of the game.

Brendan Furry (13) and the Mavericks take a lap to thank the fans after sweeping Lake Superior State with the 3-1 win.

Feb. 24, 2023: Minnesota State vs. Michigan Tech

An FPV (first-person view) drone flies over the ice during warmups with Andy Carroll in the background. The drone was a hot topic for the weekend as it flew over the playing surface during the game.

Ondrej Pavel (18) is surrounded by Michigan Tech players as he tries to get the puck in the first period.

The puck flies past Blake Pietila (31) after Ondrej Pavel (18) tried to shoot it on the goal.

Even though this wasn’t a major play, I couldn’t help but notice what felt like Brendan Furry (13) and Christian Fitzgerald (3) ‘poking’ Michigan Tech’s Ryan O'Connell (3).

Captains Cade Borchardt (28) and Logan Pietila (13) battle for the puck in the third period. The Mavs would end the game with a 2-0 loss, setting up a must-win game on Saturday for the CCHA regular season title.

Feb. 25, 2023: Minnesota State vs. Michigan Tech

Keenan Rancier (35) stands in front of the goal as the Maverick defense tries to keep the puck away from the goal.

Cade Borchardt (28) skates with the puck in the first period.

Christian Fitzgerald (3) flies through the air, surrounded by Michigan Tech players, as he shoots the puck on the goal.

A shot on goal by Brendan Furry (13) is saved by Blake Pietila (31).

Zach Krajnik (24) and Levi Stauber (6) fell to the ice as they tried to battle for the puck.

Lucas Sowder (21) celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game in the second period.

Andy Carroll (4) and Brendan Furry (13), who assisted on Sowder’s goal, celebrate with him before they skated past the bench.

Silye (10) deflects the puck with his stick (or was it his skate?) into the goal.

Silye's goal gave the Mavs a 2-0 lead in the game.

Silye was visibly emotional as he celebrated on his way to the bench after scoring the goal.

Keenan Rancier (35) makes a big save for the Mavericks in the third period.

Brendan Furry (13) skates towards Cade Borchardt (28) to celebrate what would be the game-winning goal by Borchardt.

The Mavericks celebrate after winning the game, and the 2022-2023 CCHA regular season title after an incredibly thrilling game.

Ryan Sandelin (14) smiles as he hugs goaltender Keenan Ranicer after the Mavericks won the CCHA regular season title.

Brendan Furry (13) skates in to hug Lucas Sowder (21).

Bennett Zmolek shares his excitement with Ondrej Pavel (18).

Will Hillman (19) and Mason Wheeler (5) smile and embrace Cade Borchardt (28) during the post-game presentation. I was trying the off-camera flash technique I used for player arrival photos in the past during the presentation. Although I did not end up posting these photos on social media, I’m glad to have tried at least. These definitely need improvement.

Brendan Furry (13) and Cade Borchardt (28) skate towards the team with the MacNaughton Cup after Minnesota State won it for the sixth time in a row, becoming the first team to win the most regular season titles outright in NCAA D-I men’s hockey.

Andy Carroll (4) and Furry (13) after the trophy presentation.

Ryan Sandelin (14) reacts to a camera after the trophy presentation.

The 2022-2023 Minnesota State Mavericks pose with the MacNaughton Cup after the team beat Michigan Tech, 3-2, to win their sixth regular season title in a row.

Ondrej Pavel looks at his parents in the seats after the Mavs won the MacNaughton Cup.

Brendan Furry poses with the MacNaughton Cup for a portrait.

March 3, 2023: Minnesota State vs. Lake Superior State

David Silye (10) shoots the puck past Lake Superior State’s Ethan Langenegger (1) to score the first goal three minutes into the game.

Moments later, Andy Carroll (4) scored the game’s second goal.

David Silye (10) gets a shot on goal saved by Ethan Langenegger (1).

Simon Tassy (11) scores the first goal of his collegiate career.

Tassy's goal would give the Mavs a 5-1 lead.

Josh Groll (12) and Campbell Cichosz (8) slide and dive respectively to block a shot on goal.

Christian Fitzgerald (3) skates towards the bench after scoring a goal. His goal would be the last of the game as the Mavericks went on to win the first game of the series, 6-1.

March 4, 2023: Minnesota State vs. Lake Superior State

Ryan Sandelin (14) skates during warmups.

Lucas Sowder (21) is elbowed in the face as a young fan reacts to it in the first period.

Christian Fitzgerald (3) shoots the puck on goal to score the first goal of the game in the second period.

A shot on goal by Cade Borchardt (28) is saved by Seth Eisele (31) in the second period.

Ryan Sandelin (14) skates towards the Mavericks bench after scoring the game-winning goal with 77 seconds left in the game.

Sandelin celebrates his game-winning goal. The Mavs won the game, 2-1, and swept Lake Superior State in the CCHA quarterfinals to advance to the conference semifinals.

March 11, 2023: Minnesota State vs. Ferris State

Ferris State’s Nick Nardecchia (9) lays on top of Connor Gregga (20) early in the first period.

David Silye (10) and Ryan Sandelin (14) fist bump as the crowd celebrates Silye’s goal that gave the Mavericks the lead.

Cade Borchardt (28) celebrates the fourth goal of the game with his teammates during the second period.

Keenan Rancier (35) makes a save during the third period.

Ondrej Pavel (18) turns to find Jake Livingstone, who assisted on Pavel’s goal, after giving the Mavs a three-goal lead. The Mavericks would take the game, 7-2, to advance to the CCHA Championship game.

March 18, 2023: Minnesota State vs. Northern Michigan

Ryan Sandelin takes a moment at the bench during his warmup routine before the CCHA Championship game.

The details on Brendan Furry’s uniform for the CCHA Championship game.

Furry warming up for the last time as a Maverick at home in Mankato.

Keenan Rancier (35) makes a pad save early in the first period of the championship game.

Moments before the puck is stopped on the goal line by Northern Michigan’s Beni Halasz (30) after the Mavericks shot it on goal.

Connor Gregga (20) skates with the puck in the Mavericks zone as several other Mavericks skate behind him.

Keenan Rancier (35) make a crucial save for the Mavericks on a penalty shot by Northern Michigan’s Andre Gantous (11) late in the first period.

Cade Borchardt (28) controls the puck before shooting it on the goal as Christian Fitzgerald (3) is shoved into the goal post, moving the goal post and resulting in a face-off.

Jake Livingstone (23) slides to block a shot on goal by Northern Michigan in the second period.

Ondrej Pavel (18) scores the Mavericks’ first goal of the game at the 17:41 mark of the third period. The Mavericks still needed one more goal to tie the game with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

Pavel (18) celebrates his goal as the crowd in downtown Mankato was brewing with renewed energy.

Pavel hypes up his teammates on his way to the bench following his goal.

Christian Fitzgerald (3) taps the puck into the goal with 57 seconds left in regulation to tie the game for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks swarm Fitzgerald (3) to celebrate the goal.

The 2023 Mason Cup-winning goal

It only took 68 seconds in overtime for Zach Krajnik (24) to shoot the puck with his backhand that crossed the goal line past Northern Michigan's Beni Halasz (30), earning the Mavericks their second consecutive Mason Cup as they won the 2023 CCHA Championship.

The Mavericks win the game in overtime, 3-2, after trailing for nearly 58 minutes in the game and coming back to win the championship.

For the third consecutive time, the Mavericks were headed to the NCAA tournament.

The Mavericks hoist the Mason Cup at center ice.

Instead of getting the traditional team photo at ice level, I wanted to get an overhead photograph. I visualized a photo where all the players would be looking up at the trophy, and that would show a lot of emotional faces in it. That wasn’t quite how the photo turned out. Regardless, I’m very happy with getting this shot as I had never tried anything like this before.

Two numbers come to mind

Every team I cover, I try to focus on certain players that I find really interesting. An obvious choice for me this year was to focus on #13 and #14, Brendan Furry and Ryan Sandelin. I've been covering these two since their freshmen year, and it only made sense to focus on making sure I got to photograph their last year in the purple and gold. Off the ice, Ryan and Brendan are just a couple of solid guys. All my interactions with them have have always been really fun, and I'll never forget the amount of respect they treated me with. They definitely left their mark on this program, on and off the ice.

Sandelin holds the Mason Cup after the trophy presentation.

Furry takes a moment to himself after the trophy presentation.

Furry waves to a cheering crowd after his last home game.

The 2023 seniors look up at the rafters as the Mason Cup sits at center ice.

Sandelin (14) and Furry (13) pose with the Mason Cup after winning the 2023 CCHA Championship.

Maverick fans cheer as Furry holds the Mason Cup over his head on his way to the locker room.

April 10, 2023: Luke Strand is introduced as the new head coach of the Mavericks

Well, and then this happened. I remember being on my phone and seeing a tweet from John Buccigross about head coach Mike Hastings going to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Within minutes, multiple reports came out confirming the initial tweet. And soon after, the Hastings era in Mankato came to an end, as it was officially confirmed by Wisconsin that they had hired Hastings as their next head coach.

Then on April 10, Luke Strand was introduced as the fifth head coach of the Minnesota State Mavericks men’s hockey team. As I was walking up to the building where the introductory press conference was being held, I saw a black van pull in at front of the building. A few seconds later, Strand stepped out into the bright afternoon sun and met with MSU President Dr. Edward Inch. He was welcomed to the press conference by a crowd of loyal Maverick fans, community members and the ever-awesome Maverick Machine.

At the end of the press conference, I was lucky enough to be granted a couple of minutes with coach Strand as I photographed him for a portrait.

Luke Strand, the new Mavericks men’s hockey head coach, speaks to the Mankato community for the first time.

A Mavericks jersey with Strand’s name is folded and placed under the podium shortly before it was presented to the new head coach.

Strand speaks to members of the media and the Mankato community with the words “head coach” visible behind him on a screen during the press conference.

Strand holds a Mavericks jersey with his name on it.

President Inch and Buisman present Strand with a Mavericks jersey with his name on it.

Mavericks goaltender Alex Tracy hugs the new head coach after the press conference. Strand coached Tracy and his USHL team, the Sioux City Musketeers to a Clark Cup, becoming the 2022 USHL champions.

Strand is interviewed by Mike “Sully” Sullivan.

The newest Maverick in town: head coach Luke Strand

In conclusion…

As interesting as the season was, it wouldn’t be possible for me to photograph the games without the help of so MANY amazing people. There’s a few people I’d like to offer my sincerest thanks to for their help throughout the season.

First and foremost, a big, and very sincere thank you to PA for letting me come out to the games and help tell the Mavericks’ story. Led by Kevin Buisman, the Maverick Athletics staff including Scott Nelsen, Tim Marshall and Ben Diehl were amazing help and support. On the team personnel side of things, shout out to Luke Regner, Scott Rideout, Jackson Faust, Matt Schmidt and Tom Inkrott for tolerating me in the team areas - they are all such professionals.

A big proponent of what kept me going was the constant support from my amazing ‘media friends’ - Mike “Sully” Sullivan, Dan Myers, TJ Palesotti and Shane Frederick (Puckato). Conversations with them are always insightful, especially for younger folks like me working in sports journalism.

And finally, thank you to all the Maverick fans for their support in the form of likes on my Twitter and Instagram.

If you made it all the way down here, you deserve the “GIF-t” I promised earlier. With that being said, enjoy this Dan Myers celly GIF (see what I did there?) and feel free to use it anytime you feel like Dan. And go Mavs!

A Pictorial Recap of Minnesota State Hockey's '22-23 Season