Cloud State, but their request was denied by MnSCU, setting off a three-year battle to elevate the program. In 1992, the school announced their intention to move the program to Division I, where they hoped to join fellow Minnesota State College and University (MnSCU) school St. Three straight national tournaments from 1990 to 1992 included an appearance in the 1991 national championship game, where Mankato fell to Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 6-2. When the Division II championship was first suspended after the 1984 edition, the Mavericks moved to Division III, where they immediately made a pair of NCAA tournament appearances in 19. The title win was the Mavericks' 30th win of the year, the only time they have ever reached that number in the win column. They punched through for their first - and thus far, only - national crown in 1980, defeating Elmira College 5-2 in the championship game (in Elmira) behind a 42-save effort by goaltender Steve Carroll. The Mavericks earned a place in the first six tournaments, falling to the eventual champions from Merrimack in 1978 and then to Lowell in the 1979 national championship. In 1978, the NCAA started the Division II national championship, the first separate championship from the Division I title that dated back 30 years. All told, the Mavericks put up six winning seasons in their first eight years as a team from 1970 to 1977. Although the Mavericks had a slow first season, Brose had the team winning games by year two, as Mankato State picked up a 15-2-1 record in the 1970-71 season, still the highest winning percentage in program history. Varsity hockey at Mankato State, as the school was known between 19, began at the Division II level in 1970 under head coach Don Brose, who guided the team for 30 seasons. Cloud State - would be one of those schools playing at college hockey's highest level. Thus, it's not terribly surprising that a school with over 13,000 undergraduates - third most in the state behind Minnesota and St. Hockey is something of a religion in Minnesota witness the five different Division I hockey programs in the state despite having only one fully Division I school (the University of Minnesota). That list shrinks by at least one next year, as the Engineers and Mavericks are set to do battle for the first time during opening weekend in Troy come October. Canisius is the only eastern team on that list, and there are three western schools: the CCHA's Northern Michigan, and two teams from the WCHA - Nebraska-Omaha and Minnesota State.
![don broce, mankato, mn don broce, mankato, mn](http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org/digital/api/singleitem/image/pdf/p16921coll4/4622/default.png)
In fact, coming into the 2011-12 season, there are only four current D-I teams that RPI has never competed against on the ice. Given the long history of RPI hockey, it's no surprise that the Engineers have played practically every team out there to be played in Division I hockey. Looks like the stars have finally aligned, with Appert set to make his homecoming in October.ΔΆ011-12 games: October 14-15, 2011 (Big Rapids, MI) Appert told WaP during the 2009-10 season that he'd been working to get his alma mater on the schedule for a while, but he hadn't been able to make the schedules match up properly.
#DON BROCE, MANKATO, MN FULL#
The first full weekend series between RPI and Ferris State has likely been in the workings ever since Ferris State alum Seth Appert was named as RPI's 12th head coach back in 2006.