Reusse: Mike Hastings, architect of a men’s hockey miracle in Mankato, aims for the same with Wisconsin

The new year was arriving and all was right in Purpledom. The Vikings were 14-2 and riding a nine-game winning streak. This had doubled the preseason betting total for wins, with a game remaining in Detroit, and then onward into the playoffs.

There was such giddiness over our colossus of the sports scene that it was decided to offer a ranking for Minnesota’s most unlikely sports seasons for success since 1960 (when we were awarded the Twins and the Vikings and became major league).

There was a dilemma in coming up with a Top 10: A) Should the panel go with the pros and the Gophers or B) in the spirit of the new Minnesota Star Tribune, should we add the state’s college teams playing at a top level?

We went with A). If we had gone with B), what was accomplished by the Minnesota State Mankato men’s hockey team in any one of three seasons from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2022 might have cracked the top five.

The idea that a college team in Mankato, 70 miles of cornfields from the Iowa border, could become a national contender in men’s hockey will remain forever unimaginable for me. The architect of this astounding run was Mike Hastings, hired in 2012 from Nebraska Omaha, where he was an assistant to Dean Blais.

“You worked for the Blaiser!” I exclaimed to Hastings on Friday morning. “I love that hard-nosed [gentleman].”

To which Hastings responded: “Loved every minute of it. One of the best human beings I have met. Tough as nails.”

Hastings had some of that, too. He was at Mankato for 11 seasons. The Mavericks had more wins (299-109-25) and the highest winning percentage (.719) in Division I hockey over that period. The breakup of western hockey from two conferences to three with the start of the Big Ten in 2013 contributed to that record to a degree.

The new NCHC featuring North Dakota, UMD, etc., took St. Cloud State from our state colleges. Mankato and Bemidji State were the two Minnesota teams that wound up in the CCHA. Generally, that league is not as strong, which doesn’t mean Hastings’ three-season run near the end of his tenure in southern Minnesota deserves an asterisk.

The Mavericks had their best team ever (31-5-2) in 2019-20 — an absolute powerhouse with the aptly named Dryden McKay in net — when COVID-19 stopped the postseason in mid-March. They demolished the Gophers 4-0 to reach the Frozen Four in 2021. They did it to the Gophers again, 5-1, in the national semifinals in 2022.

“When I was first in Mankato, going around town, the question I heard most often was, ‘When are the Gophers playing here, Coach?’ ” Hastings said Friday. “They improved the arena, we were winning a lot, and those same fans got into it … no matter what team was in town."

The Mavericks lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to St. Cloud State, 4-0, in 2023. That was the fifth straight tournament in the 16-team field, excluding the canceled 2020, when the Mavericks were headed for a No. 1 seed.

On March 30, 2023, Wisconsin and athletic director Chris McIntosh announced Hastings as the replacement for the fired Tony Granato.

“Wisconsin … Chris Chelios, Paul Ranheim, Mike Richter," Hastings said. “The Gophers versus the Badgers, those teams against North Dakota — that was college hockey at its best for me as a younger guy. The chance to come to Wisconsin, try to take a shot at getting the Badgers on top … that was something I couldn’t turn down.

“Didn’t change my mind about Mankato. I love Mankato. Our daughter’s still living in our house there. And the Mavericks are doing well. They made an excellent hire in Luke Strand.”

There was some unhappiness aimed at Hastings from the Mankato fan base — not so much because he left, but because he outbid the Mavericks for coach-in-waiting Todd Knott to follow him to Madison. Other hockey staffers and three transfer players also went there.

Year 1 was a success at Wisconsin, with an NCAA tournament appearance, but the Badgers came to Minneapolis to face the Gophers at 6-9-1 in the Big Ten and 11-12-3 overall. The results are filled with one-goal games and overtimes.

Another loss, this one 5-2 after taking a two-gal lead, was absorbed Friday.

Charlie Stramel, a Wild No. 1 draft choice, left the Badgers for Michigan State and is having a big year. Hastings’ reaction to that?

“Charlie wanted a change, and he’s playing terrific,” Hastings said. “And I’m good with that because Charlie Stramel is a great kid. I mean that … great.

“The situation we’re in right now, we probably have to win the Big Ten tournament to make the NCAA. And there are a lot of great players in our way for that. Jimmy Snuggerud here. That kid frightens me any time he’s near the puck …

“I’m on the bench, saying, ‘Don’t let him touch it.’ ”

It won’t be shocking if Hastings starts winning soon with the Badgers. The shock already occurred when he did so long-term with the Mavericks.