Minnesota State Mankato Names Strand New Head Hockey Coach
Minnesota State Hockey fans received the tough news just a few weeks ago that longtime Head Coach Mike Hastings had left the program to take the Head Coaching position at the University of Wisconsin.
Today, the Maverick Hockey program officially announced his replacement.
Per MSUMavericks.com, Luke Strand will be named the fifth hockey coach in MSU Mavericks history:
Strand comes to Minnesota State after spending the last year as an assistant at Ohio State where he helped lead the Buckeyes to a 21-16-3 record, including a third-place finish in the Big Ten Conference and a berth in the 2023 NCAA Tournament that included a convincing 8-1 opening round win over Harvard. While at Ohio State, Strand played a key role in the Buckeye's success as he helped orchestrate the top-ranked penalty kill unit (.887). The Buckeyes allowed just 18 power play goals this season.
MSU made it to yet another NCAA Tournament this season, their 9th appearance at the DI level and third season in a row accomplishing the feat.
Over 11 years, Hastings posted an overall mark of 299-109-25, and guided the program to new heights, including a runner-up finish in 2022.
Now, it will be Luke Strand's turn to due the same. Strand is very well tied into the area, having also coached down in Sioux City:
Prior to his time at Ohio State, Strand coached in the highly competitive United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Sioux City Musketeers for five seasons, guiding them to an impressive Clark Cup title in 2022 behind a 41-16 record.
Source: MSU Mavericks Official Site