WCHA 2025-26 previews: Minnesota State Mavericks

Minnesota State women's hockey wants to play 'an up-tempo offensive game' with its young roster

Ahead of WCHA conference play beginning this weekend, Badger Breakaway is previewing each of the eight teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Next up is the Minnesota State Mavericks, and the purple cows’ roster was tipped over this offseason.

Despite tremendous turnover, associate head coach Jeff Giesen says the Mavericks have a clear goal of securing a spot in the top four of the conference standings – something that has only been achieved once in Mankato, and not since over two decades ago.

Despite losing significant offensive production, MSU returns a reliable veteran goaltender and boasts one of the most accomplished rookie defenders in the conference.

Minnesota State Mavericks preview, at a glance

WCHA returning production spreadsheet

• 2024-25 record: 14-21-2, 7-19-2 WCHA

• 2024-25 WCHA finish: 6th of 8

• 2024-25 postseason: Lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the WCHA Tournament best-of-three quarterfinal, 2-1

• 2025-26 WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll prediction: 7th

• 2025-26 preseason national polls: Receiving votes (USA Hockey poll)/Unranked (USCHO poll)

• Preseason All-WCHA honorees: None

• Returning production (conference rank)

  • Goals: 45 (T-6th)

  • Points: 100 (7th)

  • Goals percentage: 42.86% (8th)

  • Points percentage: 35.59% (8th)

  • Returning skaters games played percentage: 48.99% (7th)

  • Goalie starts returning percentage: 67.57% (6th)

• Class breakdown

  • 9 rookies

  • 5 sophomores

  • 4 juniors

  • 5 seniors (T-4th)

Minnesota State women’s hockey sits at bottom of WCHA returning production rankings

Minnesota State faces significant turnover after trotting out a veteran-laden roster in 2024-25. The Mavericks and Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are tied atop the league for the most players departing after exhausting their eligibility, each with nine. UMD’s losses are stark. MSU’s losses, however, create a unique challenge.

Between graduates and transfers, no team in the league lost a greater share of its offense this offseason than Minnesota State. MSU’s top three scorers are all gone, along with four of its top five, five of its top seven, and seven of its top 11. The Mavericks return only 40.87% of their shots on goal, the lowest mark in the conference.

The team Giesen says wants to continue “playing an up-tempo offensive game” will need to find new playmakers to replace those from the group that finished fifth in the conference and 12th nationally with 2.84 goals per game.

Some of those playmakers will surely have to come from MSU’s incoming class of nine rookies, of whom Giesen hopes “five or six step up right away.” Early results paint an encouraging picture for that plan. In Minnesota State’s non-conference sweep of RPI to open its season, four Mavericks rookies found their way to the score sheet. Tops among them was Zoe Lopez, whose two goals and an assist earned her WCHA Rookie of the Week honors.

A duo of talented seniors aims to pave the way for younger players. Whitney Tuttle and Taylor Otremba combined for 48 points as juniors. The linemates were invited to the USA Hockey Women’s National Festival this summer, and Otremba looks to bring lessons she learned from that experience in Lake Placid back to Mankato.

“I learned a lot from it. It was high intensity all around the board and just a great opportunity to see the pace of play that needs to be the expectation,” the Lakeville, Minnesota native said of that experience trying out for the USA Hockey collegiate development team. “Carrying into the season, I think, maintaining that throughout the whole season, and making sure I can bring that intensity in practice so that my teammates can feel that level and they can grow in their play of game too.”

Mavericks re-tool defense with touted rookie, backstop with veteran goaltender

Scoring goals remains only half the battle in hockey. Minnesota State has a ways to go in preventing opponents from scoring. The Mavericks finished in the bottom half of the league last season with 3.19 goals surrendered per game and will now rely on goaltender Hailey Hansen to backstop a new-look defense.

Hansen started 25 games in goal for MSU as a sophomore, and will likely see her workload increase after the departures of reserves Suzette Faucher and Jessie McPherson to graduation. Even a modest improvement from Hansen’s 89.7% save percentage last year could buoy the young team playing in front of her. Last year, the Blaine, Minnesota native at times showcased her ability to carry a team, most notably when setting a single-game program record with 66 saves in a win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The skaters in front of Hansen have a lot of defensive production to replace, too. Minnesota State returns only 33.43% of its blocked shots, by far the lowest share returning in the league. No other team in the WCHA returns less than 47%. Twin defenders Jenessa and JuliAnna Gazdik are transferring, in conference, to St. Thomas, leaving a mighty presence in front of the net to replace. Jenessa logged more than twice the number of blocks of any other Mavericks skater in 2024-25, other than her sister. JuliAnna’s 70 were the fourth-most of any player in the conference.

Looking to help shore up that defense is one of the most intriguing rookies in the WCHA. Lucie Tenenbaum arrives in Mankato after playing most recently in the top Swiss Women’s Hockey League. The 5-foot-10 defender tallied eight goals and nine assists in 28 regular-season games for HC Davos. Before playing overseas, she spent time with prep powerhouse Bishop Kearney (known by Wisconsin Badgers fans for helping to develop Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, and Kirsten Simms). Tenenbaum’s experience and size make her a prime candidate to be among the handful of rookies Giesen hopes will provide an immediate impact.