BSU Men’s Hockey Sets Sights on MacNaughton Cup in Series with Minnesota State

The MacNaughton Cup will be in the house at the Sanford Center this weekend for the series between Bemidji State men’s hockey and Minnesota State-Mankato.

The MacNaughton Cup is awarded to the CCHA’s regular season champs, and after their third consecutive five-point weekend, BSU is just one win away from securing the trophy. The Beavers currently have a four-point lead over the second place Mavericks, who must beat the Beavs twice in regulation to not only steal the cup, but the number-one seed heading into the conference tournament.

The coaches and players understand that stages like this are what the game is all about.

“It’s exciting for everybody right here. And it’s not about, again, the players, it’s not about the coaches, it’s about everybody else. And they’re part of a, you know, an important series and an important game,” said head coach Tom Serratore. “The most gratifying [thing] is that people are going to be able to really watch some great hockey. And we’re playing for a trophy this weekend.”

“Obviously the games, you know, have a little bit more on the line, but we’re just trying to treat them the same,” said 5th year senior forward Carter Jones. “We’re really excited for the community and we’re hoping, you know, everyone is as excited as we are and we’re going to try and put our best foot forward and win it for them.”

Minnesota State has won the last six MacNaughton Cups, but the last team to win one before their current streak was Bemidji State in 2017, the Beavers’ lone cup win.