2020–21 Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Minnesota State's players would lose a season of play.^[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.^[2]

After missing out on a chance at postseason glory last year, Minnesota State didn't miss a beat and came into this year a house afire. The Mavericks won 9 of their first 11 games with Dryden McKay earning 6 shutouts. The second half of the regular season was nearly as outstanding as the first; MSU went 9–2 down the stretch and finished miles ahead of the second place team in the WCHA. With their record, the Mavericks were guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament but could improve their ranking with a good performance in the conference tournament.

As the top seed, MSU played woeful Ferris State in the quarterfinals. The Mavericks' offense was quiet for much of the series but the defense was stout. Minnesota State surrendered one goal in two games and swept the Bulldogs. They faced an upstart Northern Michigan team in the semifinals and laid a complete egg. Northern Michigan scored the first five goals of the game, chasing McKay from the cage, and then played a defensive shell over the final 20 minutes to upset the Mavericks.

Losing in the semifinal cost MSU the chance to earn a #1 seed and they dropped all the way to 6th in the rankings. The team had to face Quinnipiac in the opening game and got off to a bad start. The Bobcats scored twice in the first while MSU could only muster 6 shots. The Mavericks woke up in the second and cut the lead in half near the end of the period. The third saw the team having to kill off a lengthy 2-man advantage only to surrender a goal a couple of minutes later. MSU bore down and scored with more than 5 minutes to play but, as time ticked away, the team was forced to pull McKay for an extra attacker and Cade Borchardt tied the game with 62 seconds remaining. The game went into overtime and, just like they had been in the third, Minnesota State was the aggressor. The Mavericks continued to put pressure on the Quinnipiac net until Ryan Sandelin banged in a loose puck and won the game for the Mavericks.

The win was the first tournament victory for Minnesota State at the Division I level, snapping a 6-game losing streak. The last NCAA Tournament win for the program had come 30 years earlier when the school was still called 'Mankato State University'

After the win, the team appeared to relax and played their next opponent, Minnesota, like the juggernaut they had been during the regular season. MSU held the Gophers, which had the #2 offense in the nation, to just 9 shots in the first two periods. The Mavericks scored twice in the opening frame and twice more in the third. McKay held the fort during Minnesota's attempted comeback in the final period but he surrendered nothing. The shutout was the 10th of the season for McKay, placing him just 2 behind Ryan Miller for the most in a career.

Minnesota State advanced to its first Frozen Four as the highest remaining seed and faced former WCHA rival St. Cloud State in the semifinal. McKay wasn't sharp in the game, allowing 3 goals in the first 23 minutes, but MSU fought back and took a 4–3 lead early in the third. The Huskies tied the game for the fourth time mid-way through the period but neither team seemed able to finish the scoring in regulation. With less than a minute to play St. Cloud deflected a puck into the net and MSU was unable to earn a tying goal, ending their season.

Tanner Edwards and Evan Foss sat out the season.

As of December 17, 2020.^[3]

No.	S/P/C	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
2		Akito Hirose	Freshman	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1999-04-09	Calgary, Alberta	Salmon Arm (BCHL)	—
3		Jack McNeely (A)	Senior	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1996-12-16	Lakeville, Minnesota	Muskegon (USHL)	—
4		Andy Carroll	Junior	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	1997-02-17	Northfield, Minnesota	Green Bay (USHL)	—
5		Jake Jaremko	Senior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	1996-08-24	Nowthen, Minnesota	Chicago (USHL)	—
6		Sam Morton	Junior	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	1999-07-28	Lafayette, Colorado	Wenatchee (BCHL)	—
7		Wyatt Aamodt	Junior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	1997-11-22	Hermantown, Minnesota	Lincoln (USHL)	—
8		Nathan Smith	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1998-10-18	Hudson, Florida	Cedar Rapids (USHL)	WPG, 91st overall 2018
9		Tanner Edwards	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2000-03-11	Anchorage, Alaska	Muskegon (USHL)	—
10		Shane McMahan	Junior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	1996-07-30	Lakewood, Colorado	Fargo (USHL)	—
11		Jared Spooner (A)	Senior	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	1996-03-22	Bismarck, North Dakota	Green Bay (USHL)	—
12		Colby Bukes	Sophomore	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	1999-02-01	Littleton, Colorado	Muskegon (USHL)	—
13		Brendan Furry	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1998-07-08	Toledo, Ohio	Tri-City (USHL)	—
14		Ryan Sandelin	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	1999-01-03	Hermantown, Minnesota	Penticton (BCHL)	—
15		Julian Napravnik	Junior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	167 lb (76 kg)	1997-05-06	Bad Nauheim, Germany	Des Moines (USHL)	—
16		Reggie Lutz	Senior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	1996-10-18	Elk River, Minnesota	Chicago (USHL)	—
17		Walker Duehr	Senior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	211 lb (96 kg)	1997-11-23	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Bloomington (USHL)	—
18		Ondřej Pavel	Freshman	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2000-08-29	Prague, Czech Republic	Fargo (USHL)	—
19		Chris Van Os-Shaw	Junior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	1997-05-20	Regina, Saskatchewan	Spruce Grove (AJHL)	—
20		Connor Gregga	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2000-07-24	Markham, Ontario	Coquitlam (BCHL)	—
21		Lucas Sowder	Sophomore	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1998-11-15	Trinity, Florida	Wenatchee (BCHL)	—
22		Dallas Gerads (A)	Senior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1996-06-01	Blaine, Minnesota	Dubuque (USHL)	—
23		Jake Livingstone	Freshman	D	6' 4" (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1999-04-16	Creston, British Columbia	Langley (BCHL)	—
24		Todd Burgess	Senior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	1996-04-03	Phoenix, Arizona	RPI (ECAC)	OTT, 103rd overall 2016
25		Riese Zmolek (C)	Senior	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	1996-09-12	Rochester, Minnesota	Cedar Rapids (USHL)	—
27		Tony Malinowski	Sophomore	D	6' 4" (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1999-10-15	Clarkston, Michigan	Des Moines (USHL)	—
28		Cade Borchardt	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1998-07-06	Burnsville, Minnesota	Sioux Falls (USHL)	—
29		Dryden McKay	Junior	G	5' 11" (1.8 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1997-11-25	Downers Grove, Illinois	Madison (USHL)	—
33		Evan Foss	Sophomore	G	5' 11" (1.8 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2001-02-17	White Bear Lake, Minnesota	White Bear Lake (USHS–MN)	—
35		Ryan Edquist	Senior	G	6' 0" (1.83 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	1998-01-28	Lakeville, Minnesota	Boston College (HEA)	—

^[4]

^[5]

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.^[6]