Minnesota State's Captain Will Miss DU Series

From: Mankato Free Press by Shane FrederickThe Minnesota State men’s hockey team is heading to Denver this morning without their captain, Geoff Irwin, who is out with an injury.The games will be the first Irwin has missed since his sophomore season, snapping a streak of 77 games.“He’s a vocal guy; he’s going to be missed,” Mavericks defenseman Ben Youds said. “He brings a lot of energy.”Irwin suffered an upper-body injury after getting cross-checked from behind into the boards by Wisconsin freshman Craig Smith on Saturday night. Smith got a major penalty and a game disqualification, which comes with a one-game suspension. He was also handed an extra, one-game suspension for the hit.Irwin, who said Wednesday that he was feeling better, hopes to be back in the lineup for the Mavericks’ next series, Nov. 13-14 against Colorado College.“It’s going to be hard without (Irwin),” Youds said. “Hopefully we can get four points (for the WCHA standings) for him. He’s a big body up front and bri...