By Joe Pohoryles
BOSTON — Only three Washington Capitals prospects currently play college hockey. All three made the NCAA tournament. Two of them scored in this year’s tourney, and the other is a goaltender – Harvard’s Mitchell Gibson (2018 4th round).
North Dakota’s Brent Johnson (2021 3rd round) scored in the Fighting Hawks’ first-round loss to Notre Dame, and Thursday night was Benton Maass’ turn.
The Minnesota State defenseman scored the game-tying goal just over six minutes into the second period in the Mavericks’ 5-1 win over Minnesota in the Frozen Four semifinals. Maass & co. punched themselves a ticket to the national title game against Denver tonight at TD Garden.
It was only Maass’ third goal of the season (3-11—14), but it was a big one. Working deep in the offensive zone, he skated around behind Minnesota goalie Justen Close’s net, wrapping the puck in to tie the game 1-1.
From there, the Mavericks scored four more unanswered goals. The Mavericks were dominating the offensive production all game long up to that point, but a first period turnover at the blue line led to a two-on-zero chance for the Golden Gophers, where Matthew Knies capitalized on Minnesota’s first shot on goal of the game to take an early 1-0 lead.
Minnesota State kept their foot on the gas, but needed to get one breakthrough. Maass saw the opportunity and seized it, even if he had to rely on good fortune.
“I saw I had more time and space than I thought, and I was able to try and just get to the side of the net,” Maass said after the game. “I kind of just threw it on net and hoped for a rebound ‘cause I knew we had guys in front, and fortunately it was able to go in the far side.”
In Thursday night’s semifinal, Maass and his defensive partners – minus the turnover that led to the two-on-oh breakaway goal – successfully shut down a lethal Minnesota attack, headlined by Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist Ben Meyer.
Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings liked how his guys responded after the early mishap.
“There wasn’t a lot of panic on the bench or in the locker room, and they just, as they have this entire season, they stuck with it, and they were rewarded for it,” Hastings said.
The Capitals selected Maass in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, with the 182nd overall pick. Maass played four seasons at the University of New Hampshire, skating 120 games on the blue line and totaling 37 points (10g, 27a). He wore an ‘A’ in his senior season.
“(Playing in New Hampshire) was a great time, I consider it a second home,” Maass said in his Friday afternoon media availability.
The Elk River, Minn. native would not have had a fifth year to play if it weren’t for the extra year of eligibility due to COVID. Suddenly, Maass could play another year, this time close to home and on a much bigger stage.
Joining a program coming off a Frozen Four run the year before, Maass has a chance to help finish the job. The Mavericks have 38 wins this year alone, and are currently riding an 18-game winning streak into the championship.
After years playing at the bottom of Hockey East with the Wildcats, who haven’t made the Frozen Four since 2003 and won 43 games total across Maass’ four years, it didn’t take long for Maass to decide to take his talents to Mankato, which he had considered when going through recruiting the first time around.
“I had a good Zoom with Coach Hastings, and I think I committed to him about 20 minutes later, so it all went pretty quick, and I couldn’t be happier with the decision,” he said.
Hastings recognized the upside Maass and the other transfers — Josh Groll (Michigan) and David Silye (Clarkson) — would bring to the program, both on and off the ice.
“All three of those young men have had an impact on our program in a very short period of time,” Hastings said. “I think a lot of that has to do with the makeup of the human beings and the young men themselves.”
Maass plays an important role on one of the best defensive teams in the country. The Mavericks allow just 1.3 goals per game this season, tied with Quinnipiac for least in the nation. They also average 4.1 goals per game, which ranks second-most in the nation… behind Denver (4.3).
Minnesota State will need that stout defense tonight. Facing another Hobey Baker finalist, the nation’s leading scorer Bobby Brink (14-43—57), and the rest of the Pioneers’ squad, it will be two well-rounded teams fighting for the championship.
Eight-time champion Denver has a chance to tie Michigan for the most championships all-time. Maass and Minnesota State face the opportunity to win the program’s first title.
“It would mean everything to this program,” Hastings said about the chance to win Minnesota State’s first title in a major college hockey city like Boston. “Just because of the work that these young men have put in from Day One til today.”
Whether Maass has developed enough to become a big piece within the Capitals organization remains to be seen, as it’s increasingly difficult for late-round picks to work their way into the fold. But until he can focus on his future, Maass will be hoping to make history tonight.
Cover Photo Credit: Michael Dwyer/AP Photo
The Wildcard 