January 25, 2022

· HO C K EY DAY M I N N E SOTA 2022 · TODAY

Brave heart helps

-2˚

students page

-21˚

It’s going to be cold.

That’s all.

8 ST U DEN T RU N NEWS SINCE 1926

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

MSUREPORTER.COM

SMOOTH MOVES Zamboni driver makes Hockey Day go over smoothly

By MAX MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief

Picture this: the game stops, the teams file into their respective locker rooms, a large door opens and reveals the star of any hockey game: the Zamboni.

Crucial to any healthy ice rink, the Zamboni functions to resurface the ice. It does so by scraping excess snow that arises from cuts in the ice from the skates. Then, it flushes out any dirt with water which is then collected back up. Finally, the Zamboni leaves a thin layer of heated water in order to leave the ice smooth.

With Hockey Day Minnesota hosting hockey games almost non-stop last week in Mankato, there was an immense need to keep the ice smooth for the players. Enter Dan Rickbeil.

Rickbeil, the head athletics equipment manager at Minnesota State University, Mankato, is no stranger to driving Zambonis.

“I actually started driving Zamboni almost 30 years ago,” said Rickbeil.

Rickbeil recounts his childhood memories of spending long hours at the hockey rink in his hometown.

“I was the kid who was always running around the rink,” said Rickbeil, “I was the rink rat.”

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

Dan Rickbeil is the head equipment manager for Maverick athletics, but he has also been driving the Zamboni for over 30 years.

At this young age, Rickbeil started doing odd jobs around the rink, such as collecting the garbages for a quarter or mopping the floors. Eventually, this led to him riding along on the Zamboni, dumping snow out.

While this did get the driver and himself in trouble, it may have foreshadowed his life behind the wheel.

By the time he entered high school Rickbeil properly started working at the rink and was driving the Zamboni consistently.

While in college at MSU, Rickbeil continued to drive Zamboni when working at the All Seasons Arena. Following graduation at MSU Rickbeil moved away from Mankato

for some time, but the charm of the city drew him back and he began working as an equipment manager at the All Seasons Arena.

Now, working as the equipment manager for MSU athletics, Rickbeil was ecstatic to offer his services when he heard Hockey Day was coming to Mankato.

“As soon as I knew we were having Hockey Day, I said ‘Hey, I am interested,’” said Rickbeil, “You don’t have to pay me, just give my family some passes to get in, that is all I ask.”

While Zamboni driving looks simple, Rickbeil notes that drivers often make it look easier than it is.

ZAMBONI on page 7 

OASIS’s name changed but goals to aid are still the same

By JULIA BARTON • News Director

JENNA PETERSON • The Reporter

Despite a name change, the center will operate as usual.

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Center for Multicultural Equity and Access, formerly known as OASIS, continues to be a resource for students seeking guidance when it comes to navigating college.

While being a resource for various inquiries, the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access aims to aid MSU students regarding academics, social events, or peer to peer connections.

“I wanna help domestic diverse students navigate college, whether it’s academic, financial or personal, so I’m helping to support them in all those areas as well as break down some of the barriers of the challenges they might face,” Director of Student Access, Rosalin Cobb, shared.

With the intention of being an information center that students can rely on no matter their questions, the office can assist with anything regarding academics to community involvement.

“If you have a question just stop by, we will try to answer it for you or get you to the right place without you having to go around to other offices.

Even if it isn’t related to school we can help, but the main services we assist with are academic guidance and campus community resources,” Cobb added.

The idea for a name change came last year with the intent for students to better understand what the office can offer.

“We wanted to get away from acronyms because a lot of students may not understand what OASIS really stood for. We wanted to change it to something students could relate to,” Director of Diversity Engagement & Initiatives Ben Thao, said.

Located right across from the Multicultural Center in the upper level of the Centennial Student Union, a lot of their services overlap with each other. Also to mention the International Center being down the hall from the two offices.

CENTER on page 3 

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

8,500 US troops on alert amid Russia worry

By ROBERT BURNS Associated Press

At President Joe Biden’s direction, the Pentagon is putting about 8,500 U.S.-based troops on heightened alert for potential deployment to Europe to reassure allies amid rising fears of a possible Russian military move on Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday no final decisions had been made on deployments, which he said would happen only if the NATO alliance decides to activate a rapid-response force “or if other situations develop” in connection with tensions over Russia’s military buildup along Ukraine’s borders.

“What this is about is reassurance to our NATO allies,” Kirby said, adding that no troops are intended for deployment to Ukraine itself. Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recommended to Biden that about 8,500 troops be ordered to prepare for potential deployment to Europe in light of signs that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not de-escalating his military pressure on Ukraine. Kirby said he was not prepared to identify the U.S.based units because they were still being notified. “We’ve always said we would reinforce our allies on the eastern flank,

MANUEL BALCE CENETA • Associated Press

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022.

The Pentagon says that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has put about 8,500 troops on heightened alert.

and those conversations and discussions have certainly been part of what our national security officials have been discussing with their counterparts now for several weeks,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Later Monday, Biden held a video call with several European

leaders on the Russian military buildup and potential responses to an invasion, the White House said. Kirby said Austin was anticipating the potential for NATO to activate what it calls the NATO Response Force, a multinational force totaling about 40,000 troops. Most of

the 8,500 U.S. troops being put on higher alert would be sent as part of that response force, if it’s activated, Kirby said. He added that he could not rule out that U.S. troops already based in Europe could be shifted east as further reinforcements.

As an example of the effect

of Austin’s order to make U.S.based units more prepared for deployment, Kirby said that those currently required to be ready to move on 10-days notice will be required to be ready on 5-days notice. The Pentagon’s move comes as tensions have soared between Russia and the West over concerns that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine, with NATO outlining potential troop and ship deployments, Britain saying it would withdraw some diplomats from Kyiv, and Ireland denouncing upcoming Russian war games off its coast.

Prior to the U.S. announcement, the Western alliance’s statement summed up moves already described by member countries, but restating them under the NATO banner appeared aimed at showing resolve. The West is ramping up its rhetoric in the information war that has accompanied the Ukraine standoff. Russia has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border, demanding that NATO promise it will never allow Ukraine to join and that other actions, such as stationing alliance troops in former Soviet bloc countries, be curtailed.

Some of these, like any pledge to permanently bar Ukraine, are nonstarters for NATO — creating a deadlock that many fear can only end in war.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

News

Russia rejects claim for Ukraine leader

By JIM HEINTZ

MSU Reporter • 3

Pope calls for day of prayer for peace for Ukraine

Associated Press

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday rejected a British claim that the Kremlin is seeking to replace Ukraine’s government with a pro-Moscow administration, and that former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev is a potential candidate.

Britain’s Foreign Office on Saturday also named several other Ukrainian politicians it said had links with Russian intelligence services, along with Murayev who is the leader of a small party that has no seats in parliament.

Those politicians include Mykola Azarov, a former prime minister under Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president ousted in a 2014 uprising, and Yanukovych’s former chief of staff, Andriy Kluyev.

“Some of these have contact with Russian intelligence officers currently involved in the planning for an attack on Ukraine,” the Foreign Office said. Murayev told The Associated Press via Skype that the British claim “looks ridiculous and funny” and that he has been denied entry to Russia since 2018 on the grounds of being a threat to Russian security. He said that sanction was imposed in the wake of a conflict with Viktor Medvedchuk, Ukraine’s most prominent pro-Russia politician and a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Murayev’s Nashi party — whose name echoes the former Russian youth movement that supported Putin — is regarded as sympathetic to Russia, but Murayev on Sunday pushed back on characterizing it as pro-Russia. “The time of pro-Western and pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine is gone forever,” he said in a Facebook post.

“Everything that does not support the pro-Western path of development of Ukraine is automatically pro-Russian,” Murayev told The AP. He also said he supports Ukraine having neutral status and believes that “striving for NATO is tantamount to continuing the war.” Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists have been fighting in the country’s east since 2014, a conflict that has killed more than 14,000. Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko described Murayev as a significant figure in Ukraine’s CENTER from page 1 “We all work together whenever we can, whether a student needs help talking to a professor or just trying to find a sense of community and get more involved. They definitely can do that here at our centers,” Thao shared.

Overall the MCC and Multicultural Equity and Access serve the same population of students which consist of 

EFREM LUKATSKY • Associated Press

Members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, train in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine.

pro-Russia camp, but added: “Murayev is a second-place player. I don’t think Murayev has direct connections in the Kremlin.”

The U.K. government made the claim based on an intelligence assessment, without providing evidence to back it up. It comes amid high tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia’s designs on Ukraine and each side’s increasing accusations that the other is planning provocations.

“The disinformation spread by the British Foreign Office is more evidence that it is the NATO countries, led by the Anglo-Saxons, who are escalating tensions around Ukraine,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging app Sunday. “We call on the British Foreign Office to stop provocative activities, stop spreading nonsense.”

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the information “shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an insight into Kremlin thinking.”

Truss urged Russia to “deescalate, end its campaigns of aggression and disinformation, and pursue a path of diplomacy,” and reiterated Britain’s view that “any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake with severe costs.”

Britain has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine as part of efforts to bolster the country’s defenses against a potential Russian attack.

Mark Galeotti, who has written extensively on Russian security services, said: “I can’t help but be skeptical” about the British claim.

“This is one of those situa-

tions where it is hard to know whether what we’re facing is a genuine threat, a misunderstanding of the inevitable overtures that were being made to various Ukrainian figures by Russians or ‘strategic communication’ — which is what we call propaganda these days when we’re doing it,” Galeotti, who is honorary professor of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College, London, told the AP. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he could not comment specifically about the British claim, but “we’ve been warning about just this kind of tactic for weeks.”

“This is very much part of the Russian tool kit,” he said in an interview on CNN. “It runs the gamut from a large, conventional incursion or invasion of Ukraine to these kinds of destabilizing activities in an attempt to topple the government. And it’s important that people be on notice about that.”

roughly 2,200 MSU students.

The Maverick Success Program is another asset to the Multicultural Equity and Access office as they provide assistance for students academically as well as help students keep up with their school work.

The MSP mentor program is also offered to first year students that need extra help with making connections on campus or need a peer at MSU to talk

to while going through college.

All mentees are usually paired with an upperclassman meeting regularly.

Meeting students where they are, and connecting with them either virtually or in-person is a way the office is able to reach out and tell students about the services they offer. Mass email and text is a tool they utilize to spread the word.

The U.K. government’s unusual decision to release the thinking of British spies, though not the evidence behind it, comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is distracted by a leadership crisis over lockdown-breaching parties by his staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

Keir Giles, a Russia expert at the international affairs thinktank Chatham House, said the British warning was a sign of “the U.K. effectively taking the lead of a strong NATO and European response to Russia’s threats to Ukraine.”

The U.S. has mounted an aggressive campaign in recent months to unify its European allies against a new Russian invasion of Ukraine.

ANDREW MEDICHINI • Associated Press

Pope Francis holds the sacred host as he celebrates mass to mark the day of the Word of God, in St.Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan 23, 2022.

By Associated Press

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his concern over “rising tensions” in Ukraine that threaten peace, and called for political talks that put at the

center “human brotherhood instead of partisan interests.”

“I am following with concern the rising tensions that threaten to inflict a new blow to peace in Ukraine,” Francis said.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING MANKATO’S HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA!

congratulations mavericks!

Give blood.

Every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.

BLOOD DRIVE Minnesota State University, Mankato

Monday, February 7, 2022 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Student Union Ballroom 117 Centennial Student Union Mankato, MN 56001

Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: MSUUPWARD to schedule an appointment.

All presenting donors will receive a free American Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.

A member of the Minnesota State system and an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. This document is available in alternative format to individuals with disabilities by calling Upward Bound at 507-389-1211 (V), 800-627-3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY).

Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Upward Bound at 507-389-1211 (V), 800-627-3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY) at least 7 days prior to the event.

4 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Overdose renews pleas for Narcan in schools

By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press

The death of a 13-year-old student who apparently overdosed on fentanyl at his Connecticut school has drawn renewed pleas for schools to stock the opioid antidote naloxone, as well as for training of both staffers and children on how to recognize and respond to overdoses.

The seventh grader died Jan. 15 after falling ill at a Hartford school that did not have naloxone on hand. City officials vowed Wednesday to put the antidote in all city schools, as part of a wider drug use and overdose prevention strategy.

“Naloxone should be available in all schools, and there should be education on signs and symptoms of overdose and how to use this,” said Dr. Craig Allen, vice president of addiction services for Hartford HealthCare’s Behavioral Health Network. “Unfortunately, a horrible incident like this happens and suddenly everyone’s vision is 20/20.”

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said that because of the student’s young age, an opioid overdose did not immediately come to mind when the school nurse and first responders, who did have naloxone, treated him.

That’s why city officials are

MARK MIRKO • The Hartford Courant via AP

Students at Sport and Medical Sciences Academy return to school, Jan. 19, 2022 in Hartford, Conn. The school has been closed since last week after a student died from a fentanyl overdose

also proposing more training and curriculum changes aimed at educating staffers, students and community members in substance use awareness and prevention, he said.

In response to the student’s death, advocacy groups are repeating calls they’ve made for

Pie for Pi — All Greek students listed below earned a 3.14 GPA or higher during the Fall 2021 Semester.

Alpha Chi Omega Jenna Anderson * Lauryn Anderson Leah Beery * Gensyn Bosquez * Hannah Corbin * Erica Cronk Kayla Dorshak * Jianna Gellhaus * Alex Gromacki Josie Guernsey * Jenna Hayworth * Leah Hed * Lizzie Hepburn * Aubrey Hill * Jaycey Horton Shalynn Mahady * Marley Pearce * Jaida Peterson * Brianna Pietsch * Lily Pokornowski * Jordan Quam Luella Reilly Skylar Samples * Katie Steward * Madison Stone * Kayla Szafraniec * Amanda Weber Jana Weber * Maggie Wipf * Angelah Wood * Whitney Younger * Alpha Sigma Alpha Teagan Allen * MacKenzie Berg Caylie Blowers * Elsa Capistrant-Kinney Lauren Claseman * Alexis Collins *

Nicole Dee * Mackenzie Ehlers * Micaela Fuller * Trinity Geyen * Morgan Hagen Kaitlyn Hodges * Kylie Johnson * Clare Kasten * Eungyeong Lee * Amber Lovely * Julia Market * Elizabeth Sazma * Evelyn Schneider * Ashley Simmons * Katie Stein * Megan Thao * Emily Watts * Gamma Phi Beta Olivia Anderson Katie Baumann * Ellie Braun * Katherine Burgess * Callie Cleaveland * Lindsay Cortese * Abby Culhane Natasha Friedges * Kjerstin Haeny * Maria Haley * Brooklyn Hermanson * Stefanie Jensen * Alexa Lacher * Ryann Lake * Katie Marcks Lyndsey Marquardt * Gwen Martensen * Sarah Morris * Angela Murphy Sarah Novak * ZhiZhi Patterson *

several years for schools to stock naloxone — often delivered as a nasal spray under the brand name Narcan — and train educators, support staff and students to recognize signs of opioid use and overdoses, especially because younger people are falling victim more frequently. The

powerful opioid fentanyl has been showing up in marijuana, illicit pills and other substances accessible to school-age children, experts say.

Fatal overdoses in the U.S. are at record levels, fueled by fentanyl, and have been increasing among younger people, na-

congratulate these Greek Community members on their academic achievements during the Fall 2021 semester.

tional data shows.

The National Association of School Nurses has advocated for naloxone to be in all schools since 2015 and for school nurses to help educate their communities about the signs and symptoms of substance abuse.

“It’s a very unfortunate outcome,” Linda Mendonca, the association’s president, said about the Hartford student’s death. “It brings us back to school preparedness and response plans.

Having those in place is really critical.”

The association created a “tool kit” for school nurses that includes information on administering naloxone and educating the community about opioid problems. The kit has been downloaded from its website more than 49,000 times, the group said.

Ethan’s Run Against Addiction is one of many advocacy groups that weighed in on social media about the Hartford student’s death. It is named after Ethan Monson-Dupuis, a 25-year-old Wisconsin man who died of a heroin overdose in 2016. “This tragedy is unbearable,” the group said in a Facebook post Thursday. “ALL public places, including schools, must have Narcan available. We need to educate kids on how to recognize someone who is overdosing and how to use Narcan.”

Dean’s List Recognition — Greek students listed below with Dean’s list for the Fall 2021.

Alexis Rost Rost * Ellie Rundquist * Josie Sandford * Olivia Spitzer * Cassidy Stensrud * Abbey Stohs * Taylor Stradinger * Emilee Thomas * Paige Vancura * McKenzie Wallerus * Katherine Wilcox * Lambda Chi Alpha Sam Graves * Kawika Hashimoto * Logan Jorgensen Tyler Mata Kyle Mickelsen * Sam Pfingsten * JT Rogers Phi Delta Theta Sam D. Ellis * Preston Lyon * Phi Kappa Psi Mitchell Becker * Cal Capra James Erickson * Brandon Grund * Cameron Jahns * Jonathan Muck * Ryan Schmidt * Cole Southwood Gunner Stier Samuel Vestal Sigma Chi Steven Dammann

Coltin Grimm Muhammad Huzaifa * Ben Mangel * Ryan McGraw * Joshua Palashewski Nathan Paulnock * Patrick Robinson * Jack Wheeler * Sigma Nu Dawson Altringer Joshbir Bedi * Colin Clavell Carson Davis * Taylor Gaunt * Keegan Gilbert Brandon Hansen Elliot Huh * Mason Iles Tyler Johnson Alex Klawitter * Jacob Rangitsch Jeffery Robinson Joseph Roeser * Kaden Schafer Ben Smith Sam Ure * Sigma Sigma Sigma Kristyn Aarestad * Kaitlyn Bannwarth Brooklynn Brandanger * Jadin Brue * Jade Costello Lucy Delorme Grace Draegar Madeline Farmer * Jojo Hayes LaRen Holtman * Shyane Jorgenson

Brittney Karschnik * Morgan Kingsley * Emma Knutson * Greta Lampe * Chloe Larson * Lisbeth Magdaleno-Garcia * Jordyn Manderscheid * Autumn Manni * Reagan McCurnin Faity Mounce * Anne O'Hara * Courtney Peper * Jamie Rand * Cailey Ruble Haley Saniti * Victoria Schulmeister * Emilie Staeffler * Betsy Staiger * Alexia Thomas Tau Kappa Epsilon William Karels Collin Mccarthy * Colton Neisen * Tyler Schernbeck * Nathan Varley * Blake Wilson

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

News

Race factor in COVID treatment

By TODD RICHMOND

MSU Reporter • 5

Hope seen once the omicron wave increases immunity

Associated Press

Some conservatives are taking aim at policies that allow doctors to consider race as a risk factor when allocating scarce COVID-19 treatments, saying the protocols discriminate against white people.

The wave of infections brought on by the omicron variant and a shortage of treatments have focused attention on the policies.

Medical experts say the opposition is misleading. Health officials have long said there is a strong case for considering race as one of many risk factors in treatment decisions. And there is no evidence that race alone is being used to decide who gets medicine.

The issue came to the forefront last week after Fox News host Tucker Carlson, former President Donald Trump and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio jumped on the policies. In recent days, conservative law firms have pressured a Missouri-based health care system, Minnesota and Utah to drop their protocols and sued New York state over allocation guidelines or scoring systems that include race as a risk factor.

JP Leider, a senior fellow in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota who helped develop that state’s allocation criteria, noted that prioritization has been going on for some time because there aren’t enough treatments to go around. “You have to pick who comes first,” Leider said. “The problem is we have extremely conclusive evidence that across the United States are having worse COVID outcomes compared to white folks. ... Sometimes it’s acceptable to consider things like race and ethnicity when making decisions about when resources get allocated at a societal level.”

Since the pandemic began, health care systems and states have been grappling with how to best distribute treatments.

The problem has only grown worse as the omicron variant has packed hospitals with COVID-19 patients.

Considerable evidence suggests that COVID-19 has hit certain racial and ethnic groups harder than whites. Research shows that people of color are at a higher risk of severe illness, are more likely to be hospitalized and are dying from COVID-19 at younger ages.

Data also show that minorities have been missing out on treatments. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an analysis of 41 health care systems that found that Black, Asian and Hispanic patients are less likely than whites to receive outpatient antibody treatment.

Omicron has rendered two widely available antibody treatments ineffective, leaving only one, which is in short supply.

By CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated Press

JAE C. HONG • Associated Press

Nurse manager Edgar Ramirez checks on IV fluids while talking to a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, Dec. 13, 2021..

The Food and Drug Administration has given health care providers guidance on when that treatment, sotrovimab, should be used, including a list of medical conditions that put patients at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19.

The FDA’s guidance says other factors such as race or ethnicity might also put patients at higher risk.

The CDC’s list of high-risk underlying conditions notes that age is the strongest risk factor for severe disease and lists more than a dozen medical conditions. It also suggests that doctors and nurses “carefully consider potential additional risks of COVID-19 illness for patients who are members of certain racial and ethnic minority groups.”

State guidelines generally recommend that doctors give priority for the drugs to those at the highest risk, including cancer patients, transplant recipients and people who have lung disease or are pregnant.

Some states, including Wisconsin, have implemented policies that bar race as a factor, but others have allowed it.

St. Louis-based SSM Health, which serves patients in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, required patients to score 20 points on a risk calculator to qualify for COVID-19 antibody treatment. Nonwhites automatically got seven points. State health officials in Utah adopted a similar risk calculator that grants people two points if they’re not white.

Minnesota’s health department guidelines automatically assigned two points to minorities. Four points was enough to qualify for treatment.

New York state health officials’ guidelines authorize antiviral treatments if patients meet five criteria. One is having “a medical condition or other factors that increase their risk for severe illness.” One of those factors is being a minority, according to the guidelines.

The protocols have become a talking point for Republicans after The Wall Street Journal ran an op-ed by political commentators John Judis and Ruy Teixeira this month complaining that New York’s policy is

unfair, unjustified and possibly illegal. Carlson jumped on Utah’s and Minnesota’s policies last week, saying “you win if you’re not white.” Alvin Tillery, a political scientist at Northwestern University, called the issue a winning political strategy for Trump and Republicans looking to motivate their predominantly white base ahead of midterm elections in November. He said conservatives are twisting the narrative, noting that race is only one of a multitude of factors in every allocation policy.

“It does gin up their people, gives them a chance in elections,” Tillery said. After the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative law firm based in Madison, sent a letter to SSM Health on Friday demanding that it drop race from its risk calculator, SSM responded that it already did so last year as health experts’ understanding of COVID-19 evolved.

“While early versions of risk calculators across the nation appropriately included race and gender criteria based on initial outcomes, SSM Health has continued to evaluate and update our protocols weekly to reflect the most up-to-date clinical evidence available,” the company said in a statement.

“As a result, race and gender criteria are no longer utilized.”

America First Legal, a conservative-leaning law firm based in Washington, D.C., filed a federal lawsuit Sunday against New York demanding that the state remove race from its allocation criteria. The same firm warned Minnesota and Utah last week that they should drop race from their preference factors or face lawsuits.

Erin Silk, a spokeswoman for New York state’s health department, declined to comment on the lawsuit. She said the state’s guidance is based on CDC guidelines and that race is one of many factors that doctors should consider when deciding who gets treatment. She stressed that doctors should consider a patient’s total medical history and that no one is refused treatment because of race or any other demographic qualifier.

World health officials are offering hope that the ebbing of the omicron wave could give way to a new, more manageable phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, even as they warn of difficult weeks ahead and the possibility of another, more dangerous variant arising.

In the U.S., cases have crested and are dropping rapidly, following a pattern seen in Britain and South Africa, with researchers projecting a period of low spread in many countries by the end of March.

Though U.S. deaths — now at 2,000 each day — are still rising, new hospital admissions have started to fall, and a drop in deaths is expected to follow.

The encouraging trends after two years of coronavirus misery have brought a noticeably hopeful tone from health experts. Rosy predictions have

crumbled before, but this time they are backed by what could be called omicron’s silver lining: The highly contagious variant will leave behind extremely high levels of immunity.

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci talked on ABC “This Week” about a “best-case scenario” where COVID-19 would fall to manageable levels so the United States could get “back to a degree of normality.” And on Monday, the World Health Organization issued a statement anticipating an end to the “emergency phase” of the pandemic this year and saying that the omicron variant “offers plausible hope for stabilization and normalization.”

Both Fauci and the WHO’s Europe regional director, Dr. Hans Kluge, cautioned that new variants are likely to emerge.

CONGRATULATIONS MAVERICK HOCKEY! THANK YOUR FOR SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES DURING HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA IN MANKATO!

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6 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

SPRING 2022 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN

Hockey Day: In review good & bad

maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

Editorial With Hockey Day Minnesota in the rearview mirror, the time to see successes and setbacks is now.

In total, the event was a success. Fans from the community were able to convene around Blakeslee Stadium to celebrate one of the core tenets of being a Minnesotan, hockey.

With events like the community games, PeeWee games, and the celebrity game, fans and players showed up to experience a potentially once in a lifetime chance to skate on a football field.

There are some areas of critique to be talked about for Hockey Day Minnesota , as it was not perfect.

The first problem we should address is the disparity in support for the Men’s Hockey team versus the Women’s Hockey team.

Disparity in support for gendered teams has long been a problem, with large crowds flocking to watch men’s sports, and much smaller crowds at women’s events.

There are a few reasons that this might be the case, including success of the team, media coverage, and the demographic of the fanbase.

There is a lack of interest from fans to watch women’s sports, particularly hockey. While it is easy to put this blame on the fans, it is vital to analyze how these games are presented as well.

For Hockey Day, we saw

NEWS DIRECTOR: Julia Barton julia.barton@mnsu.edu SPORTS EDITOR: Kole Buelow kole.buelow@mnsu.edu VARIETY EDITOR: Emma Johnson emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu MEDIA/DESIGN DIRECTOR: Mansoor Ahmad mansoor.ahmad@mnsu.edu

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

games every single day of the week, with the week climaxing in the Men’s Hockey game. Fireworks, live music, and a televised broadcast.

Then, the day after, the women’s team played to a much smaller crowd, almost treated as an afterthought.

We want to see the women’s program continue to grow and gain in popularity, but that will not happen if they continue to reside in the shadow of the men’s team.

Fans will find value in the women’s team, if we treat

the team with value. If they get scheduled to play on the last day, with free admission, fans will feel as if there is little value in attending.

The other concern is the lack of programming for students of MSU. There was originally only one event that was designed for students of the University, and that was a free skate night. This event would have been a great time for students to experience and get involved with Hockey Day, however, it was the only event that was can-

celed throughout the week.

University faculty and staff have been extremely gracious to allow for this event to be held here, with traffic congestion and an entire parking lot being put out of commission for a tent set up. It would have been nice to see the student experience be more of a priority during the week.

Hockey Day was an amazing event that we should hope to see something like this happen here again, however, in the future, we hope to see these issues addressed.

“What are your thoughts on Hockey Day?” Compiled by Dylan Engel

KINGSLY RUBANJWA, FRESHMAN

KENNEDEE WEBER, SOPHOMORE

EVLYN TORGERSON, SOPHOMORE

“I don’t really watch hockey that much.”

“I think it was a fun way for people to get together and support MSU.”

“I was surprised by the amount of Maverick fans that came.”

DANNY LEPSE, JUNIOR

URIEL JAIME, SOPHOMORE

“Well if you are a hockey fan “It was too expensive, if it was it’s a great event.” a little cheaper I might have gone.”

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• The Minnesota State University Mankato Reporter is a studentrun newspaper published twice a week, coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Reporter generates 78 percent of its own income through advertising and receives approximately 22 percent from Student Activities fees. The Reporter is free to all students and faculty, but to start a subscription, please call us at 507-389-1776.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

News

In mourning yet again, NYC prepares to honor fallen officer

MSU Reporter • 7

ZAMBONI: ‘The crowd is going to let that driver know when they missed a spot.’

ZAMBONI from page 1 “There is a skill to it,” said Rickbeil, “there is a science to the ice, and knowing how cold the ice is, how hot your water is, and how quickly you need it to freeze.”

With everyone watching in between each period, making sure every spot of the ice gets covered is sometimes a daunting task.

“Everybody knows when the Zamboni driver misses a spot,” said Rickbeil, “The crowd is going to let that driver know when they missed a spot.”

In the case of this event happening, Rickbeil raises one finger to the sky and calls it a “victory lap” to cover the missed ice.

While being extremely experienced with Zamboni driving, Rickbeil still is learning about how to best tend to the ice with the machine.

“To be honest with you,” said Rickbeil, “I’ve learned a lot this week from the Arena Warehouse guys and girls.”

Rickbeil, who frequently runs the Zamboni at the Mankato Civic Center for MSU games, finds the stakes to be higher with the larger crowd.

“Driving for a Maverick game, there is more pressure. You’ve got 5,000 people in that arena,” said Rickbeil, “and if they aren’t out getting a beer, their eyes are on you.”

Even after 30 years of driving the Zamboni, Rickbeil understands and appreciates the fact that few people get to drive those machines.

“Just like that Gear Daddies song said, ‘I wanna drive the Zamboni’,” said Rickbeil. 

YUKI IWAMURA • Associated Press

NYPD officers in motorcycles lead an ambulance carrying Officer Wilbert Mora as he is transferred from Harlem Hospital to NYU Langone hospital on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York.

By BOBBY CALVAN Associated Press

A city reeling from a recent spate of violence prepared to lay to rest a rookie police officer being hailed as an inspiration to his immigrant community, as investigators sought to make sense of a domestic dispute that left another officer “fighting for his life.”

Funeral services for New York City Police Officer Jason Rivera were being finalized, as his comrades in blue mourned the loss of the 22-year-old who joined the force to make a difference in what he had described as a “chaotic city.”

A solemn scene unfolded Sunday with a column of uniformed police officers, as well as a line of firefighters, flanking the streets as a hearse carrying the fallen officer left the medical examiner’s office.

Burial rites were scheduled for Friday, city officials said, with services Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Rivera and Officer Wilbert Mora were shot Friday night while answering a call about an argument between a woman and her adult son. Mora, 27, suffered a serious head wound, police said.

During a Sunday morning appearance on CNN, Mayor Eric Adams stressed the urgency “to deal with the underlying issues that are impacting crime in our city and has become a stain on the inner cities across our country.”

He said his police force would revamp a plainclothes anti-crime unit aimed at getting guns off the streets. The unit had been disbanded in 2020 over concerns it accounted for a disproportionate number of shootings and complaints.

“The symbol of that soiled coat with red blood is really

what we’re talking about here in not only New York City, but across America,” Adams said.

The medical examiner ruled Rivera’s death a homicide after an autopsy found he died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Mora, who has been with the NYPD for four years, remained in life-threatening condition, Adams said Sunday.

Police said he would be transferred from Harlem Hospital to NYU Langone Medical Center.

“It just really has impacted our entire city, if not the entire country. And this is coming after having five officers shot, the 11-month baby shot in Brooklyn,” the mayor said.

The shooting is the latest in a string of crimes that have unnerved the nation’s most populous city and the country’s largest police force, with 36,000 officers.

In the three weeks since Adams took office, a 19-year-old cashier was shot to death as she worked a late-night shift at a Burger King, a woman was pushed to her death in a subway station, and a baby was critically injured by a stray bullet while in a parked car with her mother. With the Harlem shooting Friday night, four police officers had been shot in as many days.

The man police say opened fire Friday, Lashawn J. McNeil, 47, was also critically wounded and hospitalized.

Details about what led to the deadly confrontation were still emerging.

Officials said a woman who made an emergency call Friday said she was ill and that her son who had come up to take care of her had become “problematic.” Adams said the woman did not specify the problem.

Authorities said three of-

ficers went to the apartment after the call came in. The officers spoke with the woman and another son, but there was no mention of a weapon, police said.

After Rivera and Mora walked from the front of the apartment down a narrow hallway to check on McNeil, he swung open a bedroom door and began shooting, police said. Both officers were gunned down before they could pull their weapons and defend themselves, police said.

As McNeil tried to flee, a third officer who had stayed with McNeil’s mother in the front of the apartment shot at McNeil and wounded him in the head and arm, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.

McNeil had a 2003 drug conviction in New York City.

He also had several out-ofstate arrests. In 1998, he was arrested in South Carolina on suspicion of unlawfully carrying a pistol, but records show the matter was later dismissed.

In 2002, he was arrested in Pennsylvania on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, Essig said.

McNeil had been married but the couple separated nearly two decades ago, according to Theresa Noa, who is married to his ex-wife’s brother. She said McNeil had four children from that marriage.

Police said the gun used in Friday’s shooting, a .45-caliber Glock pistol with a high-capacity drum magazine capable of holding up to 40 extra rounds, had been stolen in Baltimore in 2017.

On Sunday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that a multistate task force would meet Wednesday to begin work to stanch the flow of illegal guns, which she and Adams blame for gun-related violence.

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8 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Courtesy photo

The Brave Heart program, formerly known as the Conversation Circle, allows MSU students to participate in conversations about difficult subjects in a safe space.

Brave Heart program opens MSU student perspectives

By LILLY SCHMIDT Staff Writer

It can be challenging to find a safe space to talk about serious subjects, let alone share them with other people. Brave Heart, previously known as Conversation Circle, rebranded their group and is encouraging Minnesota State University, Mankato students to get involved and join their community.

Brave Heart is part of the Violence Awareness and Response Program at MSU that allows students all over campus to come in and discuss topics within a variety of categories.

The group meets every other Wednesday in the Centennial Student Union 218 from 4-5 p.m.

Shadow Rolan, Director for Violence Awareness and Response, explained that the goal for the group is to bring

awareness to campus on multiple various topics, such as sexual assault, domestic violence and self-care.

“We can talk about current event topics that’s in the media, but we usually just bring awareness and promote healthy relationships,” said Rolan. “That means relationships, friendships, family relationships, all that, and bringing awareness to the different cultural differences surrounding domestic and sexual violence.”

Mia Ker Thao, Graduate Assistant for the Violence Awareness and Response Program, decided to change the name for the group so that students wouldn’t feel as pressured to join.

“Brave Heart is used to be called Conversation Circle, but we changed the name so we don’t make it sound like it’s a group that you have to come

and talk. You could just come and enjoy other people’s company because sometimes hearing other people talk about certain subjects kind of helps you out a little, even if you’re not the one doing the talking,” said Thao.

“It just helps listening to other people.”

Brave Heart is also a place to discuss topics that may be considered taboo. Topics like domestic assault, partner abuse and family and childhood traumas are a few of the topics that are discussed at meetings. For those who have not experienced those situations, students can join to learn more about them.

“You don’t have to personally have experienced those traumas. One day [students] could just come in and talk about red flags in a relationship. Like, what do you think a red flag is?

What do you think we should look out for? Why do you think those are red flags?” said Thao.

Communities, such as the LGBTQ+ and Asian communities, and the problems they face

are also discussed within the group. “In the Asian communities, there’s [topics] like saving space, and it’s about how keeping up a good face is more important than reporting abuse,” said Thao. “Having that image in Asian communities and honor and tradition is a big part of why many Asian women don’t report abuse.”

Brave Heart is hoping to become a safe space where students are free to talk about problems that concern them and to not feel as alone.

“We promote safe spaces,

and we promote differences of opinions. We want people to come in with their own mind and perspectives,” said Rolan.

“We want to get our perspectives out there, but also to learn from each other.”

“If you’re like, ‘I read this on the news yesterday and I’m very upset about it and I want to talk about it,’ come to Brave Heart.

We’ll talk about it. Everybody will bounce ideas off each other.

So if you need to talk about anything, Brave Heart is the group to do that,” said Thao.

CONGRATULATIONS

MAVERICK HOCKEY!

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WOW warms night with blankets

By SYDNEY BERGGREN Staff Writer

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s weekly What’s On Wednesday events run by each residence hall allows students to connect with one another through various events the Community Advisors plan.

This week, the WOW will be facilitated by MSU’s National Residence Hall Honorary and Residence Hall Association on Wednesday, Jan. 26. Each WOW will be a tie-blanket making event. After the event, all blankets will be donated to a handful of local charities.

Both National Residence Hall Honorary and Residence Hall Association gear their focus towards recognizing and serving

the community. NRHH focuses on the Mankato community as a whole while RHA focuses on bettering residence halls.

“NRHH is an organization that focuses on service, recognition, and leadership,” said the organization’s president Caitlyn Loya. “We hold monthly service events to give back to the community, and write things called Mav Awards and OTMs to recognize people on campus.”

For this event, residents are encouraged to go to their dorm lobby at 7 p.m. while Stadium Heights residents can attend their community room at 8 p.m. Students are encouraged to make as many blankets as they can to be donated. All blanket-making supplies will be provided, NRHH and RHA just

need help putting them together.

“Making tie blankets focuses on the service part of NRHH. It gives students the opportunity to give back to their community,” said NRHH VP of Service Naomi Swanson.

Loya pointed out the importance of getting MSU students involved with the Mankato community, as it will make them feel more connected with the city.

“By having this WOW we are able to get more students involved in giving back to the community,” said Loya. “We will also be able to spread more information about NRHH and RHA to get students involved in different organizations on campus.”

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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

News

MSU Reporter • 9

The Weeknd shines on “Dawn FM”

Comic, St. Paul native Louie Anderson dies at 68

By LYNN ELBER Associated Press

AP Photo

The Weeknd blends a combination of 80’s pop and R&B on his latest album “Dawn FM.” Fans have been awaiting the album since he started dropping hints on social media back in May 2021.

By EMMA JOHNSON Variety Editor

With all the dreaded gloom that’s been carried over to 2022, a ray of light shone through with The Weeknd’s newest album, “Dawn FM.” Two years after his outstanding success from his award-winning album “After Hours,” The Weeknd, known as Abel Tesfaye, is drawing in his eclectic style of 80’s pop with dark storytelling lyrics that have thrilled fans.

After leaving fans hanging by dropping several ominous hints since May 2021, the new album dropped January 7, 2022.

Leaving the haunting streets and the uncertainty of night behind him, Tesfaye finds himself as a DJ in a club, aged by all of his past demons.

On the contrary, the album’s concept revolves around a radio station, Dawn FM. Comedian and actor Jim Carrey interjects with radio catchphrases and ads that allude to future songs.

Tesfaye is not alone as the album features Lil Wayne, Quin-

cy Jones and Tyler, The Creator.

After the calming albeit eerie opening, the album gives way to “Gasoline,” a recap for fans that while Tesfaye’s getting better, he’s still thinking about self-destruction after all these years.

The mood transitions effortlessly from the synth-filled “How Do I Make You Love Me?” to an extended version of his #1 song, “Take My Breath.”

Tesfaye’s brilliance shines on “Sacrifice,” a song that showcases his recent emergence into the nostalgic pop scene with elements of smooth soul.

Following a short interlude, “Here We Go… Again” breathes new life into melancholic R&B that his fans know and love. Tesfaye’s vocals blended with Tyler, The Creator’s rap lyrics, delivering one of the most unique songs on the album.

Songs like “Is There Someone Else?” and “Starry Eyes” provide mystical insight into Tesfaye’s life through alluring lyrics.

Keeping in time with the theme of a radio station, the

mock advertisements help illustrate the elaborate and intricate world that is Tesfaye’s mind.

Shreds of previous albums and foreshadowed songs are interwoven throughout, leaving Easter eggs for fans to discover.

As the album comes to a close, “Less Than Zero” is an elevated version of his previous successful ballad, “Scared to Live,” off of “After Hours.”

With glittering vocals and an electric beat, Tesfaye created the most perfect song to wrap up the album, a bittersweet sliver of hope that the worst is behind him.

Jim Carrey delivers a three-minute monologue, guiding listeners to the divine light and promises peace before the album closes.

With five number one songs on the album, The Weeknd has truly outdone himself in creating a new era to envelop his fans into.

They say, “it is always the darkest before the dawn,” and The Weeknd has brought the brightest ray of light to the music industry in a long time.

WOW: ‘We are directly supporting our community’ BLANKETS from page 8 The blankets from this event will be given to a few different charities throughout the local areas that focus on a variety of issues.

“Some of the tie blankets will be given to the Committee Against Domestic Abuse, while others will be dispersed to organizations focusing on low-income families,” said Swanson.

“We chose to donate the blankets to these organizations be

cause they are both non-profit and local, so we know we are directly supporting our community.”

There will be NRHH members at every residence community to help facilitate the event, along with being able to answer questions that residents may have about joining either of the organizations.

Funding for this event has been provided by NRHH, RHA and each residence hall

to make this event the best that it can be. Being present and participating is an easy way to provide a helping hand to people in need within the Mankato community.

Bring friends as teamwork is encouraged to make the most blankets possible.

For those interested, NRHH meets every Thursday evening at 9 p.m. in Preska 126. RHA meets Monday afternoons at 4 p.m. in Preska 126.

Louie Anderson, whose four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series “Baskets,” died Friday. He was 68.

Anderson died at a hospital in Las Vegas of complications from cancer, said Glenn Schwartz, his longtime publicist. Anderson had a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Schwartz said previously.

The portly, round-faced Anderson used his girth and a checkered childhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as fodder for his early stand-up routines.

He won the best supporting actor Emmy in 2016 for his portrayal of Christine Baskets, mother to twins played by Zach Galifianakis, in FX’s “Baskets.” Anderson, who received three consecu-

tive Emmy nods for the role, played it with restraint and with specific touches he credits to his mom.

He made guest appearances in several TV series, including “Scrubs” and “Touched by an Angel,” and was on the big screen in 1988’s “Coming to America” and in last year’s sequel to the Eddie Murphy comedy.

His books included “Dear Dad – Letters From An Adult Child, ” a collection of letters from Anderson to his late father; “Good-bye Jumbo…

Hello Cruel World,” a selfhelp book, and “The F Word, How To Survive Your Family.”

“Oh dear. Another great comedian. Another great Vegas star. Such a sweetheart.

We will miss you #LouieAnderson,” Penn Jillette said on Twitter.

Anderson’s survivors include sisters Lisa and Shanna Anderson.

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12 • MSU Reporter

In Pictures: Hockey Day Minnesota 2022

H O C K E Y DAY M I N N E S O TA 2 0 2 2

A PICTURE PERFECT CELEBRATION As snow dusted the ice rink in picturesque fashion, the final days of Hockey Day Minnesota saw both the men’s and the women’s hockey teams dominate their opponents. The men’s team saw a victory over St. Thomas, beating them with 7 goals to their 1. The women’s team swept the Tommies in their series also, ending with a final score of 3-1 at Blakeslee Stadium.

Hockey Day included several other games that were held over the course of the weekend, including high school games, the Maverick alumni game, PeeWee games and a southern Minnesota celebrity game. Throughout the week, there was a series of live music featuring the Johnny Holm Band, IV Play and the Shane Martin Band.

Photos by DYLAN ENGEL, MADDIE BEHRENS and MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

In Pictures: Hockey Day Minnesota 2022

HOCKEY DAY 2022 IN NUMBERS 10,022 ATTENDANCE AT THE MAVERICKS GAME

32

GAMES

350

VOLUNTEERS

64

TEAMS

MSU Reporter • 13

14 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

H O C K E Y DAY M I N N E S O TA 2 0 2 2 MAVERICKS

7-1

TOMMIES

10,022 FLOOD THE BLAKE

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

The Minnesota State men’s hockey team scored seven goals in their rout of new CCHA foe St. Thomas in Mankato’s first time hosting Hockey Day Minnesota. The Mavericks had three different players with multiple points that included sophomore forward David Silye’s (10) hat trick in front of over 10,000 people at Blakeslee Stadium.

The Mavericks swept the Tommies on a historic Hockey Day

By KOLE BUELOW Sports Editor

GAGE CURETON • Special to The Reporter

David Silye (left) celebrates with teammate Lucas Sowder.

A busy weekend has come to an end for the Minnesota State men’s hockey team, who finalized their regular season sweep of St. Thomas at Hockey Day Minnesota. The Mavericks came into the series against the Tommies with two wins, outscoring them 14-0 in those games.

The Mavs continued that trend this past weekend, adding 12 more goals to that total. The two teams started off the series in St. Paul on St. Thomas’ home ice, where the Mavericks defeated the Tommies 5-1.

MSU was unable to keep the Tommies from finding the net in this one, giving up the first goal to UST with just 2:09 remaining in the first period. A Nathan

Smith interference penalty was all the Tommies needed to get on the board as they buried their first shot on goal.

It was all Mavericks from then on as the team found nylon five times in the remaining two periods of play. Senior defenseman Jack McNeely was the first of the Mavs to score, as he deked a Tommie defender and ripped a shot from the middle of the slot to tie the game.

Minnesota State defensemen continued to have outstanding games as the game went on, with freshman Bennett Zmolek and sophomore Jake Livingstone also finding the back of the net.

Junior standout Smith tallied another goal and assist as well, bringing his total points this season to 37.

The two teams then had a much-deserved rest Friday before the long awaited Hockey Day Minnesota game. As Saturday rolled around, chilly single-digit temps engulfed Blakeslee Stadium.

As 10,000 fans piled into the stadium, snow sprinkled the scene while marking the highest home attendance of a Maverick’s home hockey game in team history. The Mavericks and Tommies both appeared in the game with Winter Classic inspired jerseys which made the night just that much more special.

Snow poured down on fans and players as the puck dropped.

It took a bit of getting used to for both teams as snow blanketed ice restricted the puck’s movement.

It was at the 8:53 mark however where the Mavs struck first behind sophomore David Silye’s historic night. Silye was able to corral a rebound off Tommie goaltender Peter Thome’s right side and bury the first goal of the game.

Silye did not stop there, putting up his second goal of the game in similar fashion over Thome’s left shoulder to go up 2-0. The remainder of the first HOCKEY DAY on page 17 

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Sports

MSU Reporter • 15

Hockey Day ends with a sweep The women’s team is now over .500 as they prepare for UMD

By KOLE BUELOW • Sports Editor The final day of Hockey Day Minnesota began earlier than most on Sunday, beginning with U8 Girls and Mite levels hitting the ice at a bright and early 8:00 a.m. From there on out began the MSU Women’s Alumni game, the Minnesota State versus St. Thomas women’s game, and the Minnesota Mullets Vs. the Steele County Blades game.

The MSU Women’s Alumni game kicked off first, highlighted by a ceremonial puck drop by current Minnesota State women’s hockey coach John Harrington and former women’s coach Todd Carroll. Carroll coached the Mavericks between 1998 and 2001 finalizing his three-year stint as the team’s head coach with an overall record of 24-71-4.

Harrington took over the women’s program in May 2015. It is Harrington’s seventh season at the helm. He compiled a record of 42-134-23 prior to the 2021-22 season. After the alumni game, the Mavericks faced off against the Tommies. In the previous game of the series, the women traveled north to St. Paul to face the Tommies on the road where they came out on top 4-1.

Senior forward Brittyn Fleming and junior defenseman Charlotte Akervik had solid games for the Mavs in St. Paul, with Fleming scoring two goals while Akervik scored once while also tallying two assists. Forwards Sydney Langseth and Kelsey King also did great, each putting up two points of their own before heading back to Mankato for their Hockey Day Minnesota game at Blakeslee Stadium.

“It was extremely exciting for me and I know our girls loved every minute of it with the chance to play outside… We are thankful for the great support we had from the organizing committee for them to work us in,” Harrington said Monday.

The Maverick women lucked out on the weather in comparison to the day before, where most had to play in a winter wonderland which affected puck movement tremendously. The women started their game frigidly, just like the day before, but were granted a sunny and clear-weathered day to participate in their Hockey Day game.

The Mavs got on the board first, as sophomore forward Madison Mashuga collected a pass in front of the Tommies’ net and beat the goaltender over her left shoulder to go up one with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Unfortunately for MSU, St. Thomas struck with less than 30 seconds left in the period on the power play after collecting a rebound that initially hit the post.

Nearly the whole second period went by without a score, until Fleming scored her third goal of the weekend thanks to a perfect pass from King to beat the shifting goaltender, regaining the Mavs the

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

Kelsey King (20) scored an empty net goal to solidify the Mavericks’ win over St. Thomas Sunday to total four points over the weekend versus the Tommies. The Mavs sweep the Tommies during the regular season with the win, moving above .500 for the first time since Nov. of 2021.

MADDIE BEHRENS • The Reporter

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

The MSU women’s alumni (top) and USPHL junior teams took the ice on Sunday.

lead. The second period ended without another score and the whole third period went by before the Tommies strategically

pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker.

It did not pan out well for UST, as

King got her second point of the day after scoring on the empty net from nearly half-ice to give the Mavericks a 3-1 lead with less than a minute remaining. With the win, the Mavs now sit above the .500 mark for the first time since November when they lost to St. Cloud State University 2-3 in overtime.

Harrington wondered, with his team coming off a historic win against Minnesota last week, how his team would react in this week’s matchup. He said he thought to himself, “Are we still going to have that same attention to detail when we played in that game?” he said “And we certainly did that.”

“We are certainly going to have to do that again... We are starting a series of games all against some of the top teams in the nation.”

With a four-point weekend the past two games against St. Thomas, MSU’s Akervik earned WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors. “Charlotte is having an outstanding year… She’s been one of the best two-way defenders in the league for us this year” said Harrington.

Akervik was also tied for the team lead in blocked shots during the series with two and earned a plus-minus rating of +4 in the series for her first WCHA weekly honor of her career.

Later that night the junior hockey teams hit the ice, as the U.S. Premier Hockey League Steele County Blades and Minnesota Mullets faced off. It was a quick start for the Blades who scored three unanswered goals in the first period.

The Blades also scored the first goal of the second period, before the Mullets finally buried one at the 8:33 mark. Steele Country did not let off the gas, however, scoring again with 23 seconds left to keep their lead at four.

The third period had one lone goal scored by the Mullets, but the lone goal was not enough to bring Minnesota back into the game.

Connor Lee and Gavin Ellis were the top performers for the Blades in this one, as Lee scored two first period goals and added an assist in the second.

Ellis scored once in the second period and assisted on Lee’s first goal of the game.

16 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Maverick alumni, East and West hit the ice

By KOLE BUELOW • Sports Editor As Friday rolled around for the Hockey Day Minnesota festivities on the ice, the local high schools got their chance at battling on the outdoor rink at Blakeslee Stadium along with a Minnesota State Alumni game later that night.

The Mankato East versus Mankato West game kicked off first at 5:30 p.m., as both teams took the ice.

Both teams had played each other earlier in the season, where the Mankato East Cougars defeated the Scarlets of Mankato West 8-3 at All Seasons Arena.

The Cougars were led by Brayden Borgmeier in the contest, who tallied four points on two goals and two assists.

Leading up to this game the Cougars had relied on their senior goaltender Caelin Brueske, who had played and started in all 15 of the team’s games up to this point in the season. Brueske was unable to play in the Hockey Day Minnesota game this past weekend, which led to the start of Lucas Barnett for East who collected his first career shutout in his first varsity start.

The two teams came into the game with completely opposite records of each other, East at 10-5-0 and West at 5-10-0.

With the game, the regular season series between the two teams would be decided as either a sweep for the Cougars or a 1-1 split.

East, the favorite to win the game, came out as they should, firing on all cylinders as they scored their first shot on goal less than two minutes into the contest. Only a few minutes later the Cougars scored their second goal of the game on the power play to go up two with 10 minutes remaining in the first.

It did not end there however, as the team was able to get on the board again shortly after killing a penalty to head into the first intermission up 3-0. The Cougars tallied two more goals in the second period before a scoreless third period to finish their game as Hockey Day champi-

Photos by MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

Ryan Carter and David Backes highlighted Friday’s action in the MSU Alumni game while local high schools Mankato West and East settled their in-city rivalry.

ons 5-0.

With the win, the Cougars improved to 11-5-0 while the Scarlets fell to 5-11-0.

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Later that night the Minnesota State Alumni game was set for drop, as notable Mavericks took the ice such as David

Backes and Ryan Carter. Carter played two seasons in Minnesota State’s program from 2004 to 2006.

He then went onto the NHL where he played for several teams including the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils before playing his final two seasons for the Minnesota Wild. Backes, on the other hand, played three seasons for the Mavs, playing just before and during Carter’s tenure from 2003 to 2006.

Backes’ 15-year career in the NHL most recently ended with the Anaheim Ducks, but he also played for the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins. Backes remains the most decorated Maverick to date after an NHL All-Star appearance, two Olympic appearances, and a silver medal in 2010.

Behind the bench included Mavericks coaches from the past 50 years. Carter’s team was coached by Don Brose, the first MSU coach ever who led the team while they played all their games on an outdoor rink.

Brose returned to coach the alumni team on yet another outdoor rink while facing off against Darren Blue, who is a former MSU player and longtime assistant coach of the Mavericks. Blue has served under Troy Jutting and Mike Hastings as an assistant, and is continuing on for his 21 season this year.

The collection of the “MavFam” created a bunch of excitement not only for the players and coaches but also the community as they packed the stands in anticipation for the game.

Defensive mastery was not the name of the game for this one, as both teams buried shot after shot against their opposing goaltender.

Team Brose and Team Blue finished off the two periods of play with a final score of 4-5, with Team Blue taking home the victory after scoring five goals on 14 shots. Team Blue’s Backes won the first star of the game behind one goal and two assists.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Sports

MSU Reporter • 17

Wounded Warriors and Southern MN Celebs join HDM

By KOLE BUELOW • Sports Editor Thursday, Jan. 20 was marked as Community Night for the Hockey Day Minnesota scene, as the Minn. Wounded Warriors Game and the Southern Minn. Celebrity Game took place during sub-zero temperatures. First to take the Hockey Day ice were the Wounded Warrior players, who had compiled both of their teams solely of injured war veterans.

The Minnesota Warriors have been working as a nonprofit organization with the goal of bringing injured or disabled veterans together through the sport of hockey. The Warriors continuously try to raise awareness for the veteran’s issues and provide services to help integrate the veterans back into civilian life.

The games the Warriors play help the group train and work hard together with the end being a common goal.

It was an amazing scene as both teams took the ice, both wearing creatively themed jerseys in respect to wounded veterans. The Warriors represented themselves differently on both sides of the ice, while one team wore camo-themed jerseys and the other, Minnesota WildHOCKEY DAY from page 14 ended scoreless with the Tommies beginning the scoring in the second.

St. Thomas’ Tim Piechowski was able to beat Dryden McKay thanks to a perfect pass in front of the crease from teammate Andrew Kangas to bring the Tommies back within one. It was not long however before the Mavs shut down any momentum UST gained.

Senior forward Julian Napravnik began the Mavericks’ scoring run, collecting a perfect pass from junior Cade Borchardt in front of the net before shooting it past Thome to make the lead two once again. 

MADDIE BEHRENS • The Reporter

The Wounded Warriors and Southern Minnesota Celebrities took the ice on Thursday to raise awareness for non-profit charities.

themed.

Arik Matson served as the honorary puck drop veteran. Matson was shot in

Just a few minutes later Smith got a goal of his own off yet another rebound.

The period’s scoring didn’t end there, with junior forward Sam Morton tallying his fifth of the season on a perfect one timer from just outside the right faceoff circle. The two teams then headed to the third period where, for the Tommies, the bleeding didn’t stop.

Junior forward Ryan Sandelin earned his 15th of the season to tie Smith for the team lead once again after tipping a McNeely point shot past the Tommie goaltender. A few minutes later both teams gave backup goaltenders a chance to play

the line of duty during his service as a Waseca police officer in 2020 and each of the players did their due diligence shak-

on the Hockey Day Minnesota ice. St. Thomas sent in former MSU goaltender Jacob Berger while Minnesota State sent in freshman Keenan Rancier.

As the game winded down the Tommies headed to the box for high sticking at the 8:27 mark. Silye took advantage of the power play, earning a hat trick on yet another rebound in front of the net past former Maverick Berger.

As the snowy scene came to a close, with the Mavericks coming out on top 7-1 in the first ever Hockey Day Mankato at Blakeslee Stadium. Silye earned the player of the game for his three-goal performance while

ing his hand after he dropped the puck for their outdoor game.

Following the Wounded Warriors game was the Southern Minn. Celebrity Game which dropped the puck around 8:00 p.m. that night. The game was just as it sounded, with Southern Minn. celebrities filling the rosters of both teams.

Behind the benches the two teams were coached by top-notch talent in Jeff “Stunt Monkey” Lang from Radio Mankato and Jess Blais from Alpha Media.

Among the other celebrities filling both the teams was Minnesota State’s own Tim Marshall, the MSU Associate Director of Athletics.

A portion of the ticket sales for the game were pledged to local charities such as Feeding Our Communities Partners Backpack Program and the ECHO Food Shelf in support of solving hunger in the Mankato Community.

The game finished off with a final score of 6-3 in favor of the Mankato Clinic team over River’s Edge. Both teams represented Hockey Day Minnesota with Hockey Day themed jerseys to commemorate the event.

McKay earned win no. 23 of the season.

“It was a week of making memories,” stated coach Hastings on Monday. “To coach in an outdoor game, it was a little bit of a bucket list item for myself. To be able to do it with the team we have and being able to host it… it is something I’m going to remember forever.”

In addition, the Mavericks have returned to their No. 1 spot in the USCHO Men’s Division I Hockey Poll in accordance with former No. 1 Quinnipiac’s recent loss to No. 8 Cornell this past weekend. Silye and McNeely have also been named the CCHA Forward and Defensem-

an of the Week respectively.

“He is as reliable of a defensman that we’ve had here” stated Hastings on McNeely. He continued to say, “Silye has realized what kind of threat he can be.”

The Mavs now look forward to their final eight games of the regular season with a home series against Arizona State coming up next. The two teams rarely play each other, with only three matchups between the out-of-conference opponents in history.

MSU has won the past two meetings between the two, with the Sun Devils capturing the first ever matchup between the two teams in a shootout.

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18 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Wild win in overtime

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Edwards and Russell team up for 48 points to lead Timberwolves past Nets, 136-125

By PATRICK DONNELLEY Associated Press

JIM MONE • Associated Press

Minnesota Wild’s Kevin Fiala, left, celebrates his goal against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, in St. Paul, Minn.

By BRIAN HALL Associated Press

Marcus Foligno scored at 4:22 of overtime to send the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.

Minnesota twice trailed in the third period but got goals from Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala to force overtime and, eventually, sweep the backto-back with the Blackhawks after a 5-1 win in Chicago a night earlier.

“It’s not as exciting as probably as you guys think it is because there were some obviously tight moments in those games,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “But what we really liked is we’ve talked about this before is how we trusted each other. We don’t have to call a timeout at the end to keep a unit on the ice, that we as an organization and them as a team they trust that the other groups.”

Joel Eriksson Ek also scored for the Wild, and Kaapo Kahknonen made 33 saves. Jordan Greenway and Alex Goligoski had assists on both Foligno and Fiala’s goals.

Minnesota has points in six straight games and hasn’t lost in regulation since hosting the St. Louis Blues in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1. The Wild have swept three of their seven back-to-backs this season.

“We just, in our way, kind of look at each other and ‘who

you got’ and we change,” Foligno said. “I think it went through one of the defenseman’s legs and I caught it and kind of stuffed it home. Hey, it’s exciting. You expect (Mats Zuccarello) or Kirill to do that job for us, or (Matt Dumba), something like that, but I think that just shows you the type of team we have to get the job done.”

Henrik Borgstrom scored twice and Alex DeBrincat added his 24th goal of the season for the Blackhawks. Kevin Lankinen stopped 40 shots for Chicago, which led 2-0 and 3-2 in the third. Lankin replaced Marc-Andre Fleury during Friday’s loss and stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced.

“Great response,” Blackhawks interim coach Derek King said. “Totally different team from last night. So, very happy with our effort, our compete level. Could have got some bounces go in for us, but that’s hockey. We’ll take that point and move on and build off it.”

Kaprizov’s 17th goal tied the game midway through the third but Borgstrom countered with his second goal of the game 1:18 later. Fiala answered for Minnesota again with his 10th of the season with 2:04 left in regulation.

“It’s tough,” Borgstrom said. “I feel like we needed this and we played really well, hard game. It could have gone either way.”

Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, D’Angelo Russell had 23 points and 10 assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Brooklyn Nets 136-125 on Sunday night.

Karl-Anthony Towns overcame a poor shooting night, scoring 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as the Wolves put the game away, winning for the third time in four games.

“It doesn’t have to be me every night,” said Towns, Minnesota’s leading scorer and rebounder. “That’s why we have great talents like D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards.

You’ve got to be able to lean on them. They can carry the load just as well as myself.”

Minnesota also got strong contributions from their role players.

Jaylen Nowell scored 16 points, Taurean Prince had 15, and Jaden McDaniels added 14. The three went 18 for 26 from the floor, including a perfect 6-for-6 night from Prince.

“Those guys are coming in, bringing their own energy and spice to the game,” Russell said. “That takes the pressure off everybody.”

Kyrie Irving scored a gamehigh 30 points for the Nets, while Patty Mills hit five 3-pointers on the way to 21 points.

Kessler Edwards added 15 points, and James Harden had 13 points and 13 assists for Brooklyn, which is 2-2 since losing leading scorer Kevin Durant to a sprained ligament in

BRUCE KLUCKHOHN • Associated Press

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards (1) works past Brooklyn Nets forward DeAndre’ Bembry (95) in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, in Minneapolis.

his left knee.

“I don’t know that we gave enough resistance, weren’t into the body enough,” Nets coach Steve Nash said.

“Didn’t feel like our will, our force, was felt defensively. Whatever it was, we didn’t have the juice down there tonight. ... We tried to find a way to hang in and see if we could get on a run defensively. We just never did.”

Minnesota led by as much as 15 in the third quarter before a late surge pulled the Nets to within seven heading into the fourth.

Then Towns went to work, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and converting a three-point play as part of his huge fourth quarter.

The Nets dominated the boards, outrebounding Minnesota 16-5 in the first quarter and 48-37 overall.

But after shooting over 55% in the first quarter, Brooklyn turned ice-cold, hitting just 8 of 24 shots from the floor in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Russell led Minnesota with 17 points in the first half as the Wolves shot 56.8% from the floor to take a 72-62 lead at the break.

NBA officials have been cracking down this year on offensive players making moves that appear solely designed to create contact and draw fouls.

Harden has been considered the poster child of this rule, and his coach is getting frustrated about the treatment his star guard sometimes receives.

“I think there’s nights where it’s fair, even including the points of emphasis this year,” Nash said. “There’s other nights where it feels like he gets targeted the whole night.”

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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Gopher Basketball beats Rutgers with 3 starters out

Sports

MSU Reporter • 19

USA’s Quinn gets second chance

By STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press

BRUCE KLUCKHOHN • Associated Press

Minnesota guard Payton Willis celebrates the win over Rutgers at an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, in Minneapolis. Minnesota won 68-65.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS Payton Willis scored a career-high 32 points, matching a program record with eight 3-pointers, and short-handed Minnesota snapped a fourgame losing streak with an improbable 68-65 win over Rutgers on Saturday.

Missing three starters, including their top scorer, the Gophers (11-5, 2-5 Big Ten) took the victory with the conference-minimum seven scholarship players available.

Willis was 11-of-17 shooting, including 8 of 13 from the arc, with seven assists and scored 18 of his points in the second half.

Despite his long-range prowess, Willis is just a 56% free-throw shooter but he made two with 2.8 seconds left. Ron Harper Jr., whose offensive foul had given the Gophers their final possession, missed from halfcourt at the buzzer.

Minnesota played without Jamison Battle, EJ Stephens and Eric Curry. They were out “due to either illness, COVID-19 health and safety protocols or injury,” the school announced earlier Saturday.

Battle is the Gophers’ leading

scorer and sixth in the Big Ten at 18 points per game. Stephens is third on the team at 12 ppg. Curry, the team’s leading rebounder, missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle.

Luke Loewe added 19 points and 6-foot-11 freshman Treyton Thompson, who had played just 28 minutes this season, added 10 points and six rebounds in helping give first-year coach Ben Johnson his first conference win at Williams Arena.

The Gophers shot 54% from the field and the arc (13 of 24) and held their own down the stat sheet — except for points off the bench, outscored 12-0.

Geo Baker scored 17 of his 25 points and five of his career-tying seven 3-pointers in the second half for the Scarlet Knights (11-7, 5-3), who came in with six wins in their last seven games plus a four-game win streak over the Gophers.

Harper added 12 points and Paul Mulcahy seven assists with seven points.

A Baker 3-pointer gave the Scarlet Knights their final lead with seven minutes to go before the Gophers finished the game on a 11-5 run.

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David Quinn walked into Boston University coach Jack Parker’s office in the summer of 1987 and got news that destroyed his Olympic dream.

Quinn learned he was a hemophiliac and was told his hockey-playing career was over.

“It was a big blow,” said Quinn, now 55. “It was devastating in a lot of ways, life-altering. People have put up with a lot worse than I have in life, that’s for sure, but at 20 years old still a tough pill to swallow.”

More than three decades since the rare blood disorder kept him from playing at the 1988 Games in Calgary, Quinn is getting a second Olympic opportunity as the U.S. coach in Beijing.

It’s also a chance of another kind for Quinn to get back into coaching after being fired last summer by the New York Rangers following three seasons dedicated to a rebuild.

“I really think Quinny can be a great coach in the NHL,” said veteran defenseman Brendan Smith, who played for him for three years in New York.

“The situation he was put in was an unwinnable situation, really, and I’m excited for him to go over there. I think he will do a very good job.”

Much of Quinn’s coaching philosophy stems from his playing career and the diagnosis that took it away. He was a first-round pick of Minnesota in 1984, played on the 1986 world junior team that won the first U.S. medal in that tourna-

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI • Associated Press

New York Rangers head coach David Quinn, right, gestures in the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in Denver.

ment’s history and was a a top college defenseman with legitimate pro prospects.

A handful of injuries that were all blood-related pushed Quinn to get tested. Knowing how bright Quinn’s future was, BU teammate and now U.S. Olympic assistant Scott Young said of the abrupt end: “Nobody saw that coming. That was just a shock to everybody.”

“After you throw a pity party for yourself, I think you try to figure out what’s next,” Quinn said. He reflected on how Parker and previous coaches like Ben Smith, Larry Pietila and Peter Bragdon made up such a big part of his support system at a difficult time. He wanted to follow that same path to stay in hockey.

Quinn gave it a go for 79 more games in the minors in the early ‘90s thanks to a barrage of new medications and

tried and failed to make the Olympic team in 1992. With his playing career over for good, he became an assistant at Northeastern in 1993 before moving on to Nebraska-Omaha and returning to BU. Three years as an American Hockey League coach and one as a Colorado Avalanche assistant led him back to BU as coach for five seasons before getting the job with the Rangers in 2018.

New York had launched into a full-scale rebuild before hiring Quinn, who was seen as one of the sport’s up-and-coming coaching minds.

He coached there for three seasons until the Rangers cleaned house, dumping president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton. New head of hockey operations Chris Drury fired Quinn last summer.

20 • MSU Reporter

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