Mankato, Minn.  ---    Minnesota scored the first three goals of the game in cruising to a 6-2 win over Minnesota State in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game played in Mankato Saturday night.

 

Minnesota got an unassisted goal from Nick Leddy at 6:22 and then Josh Birkholz tallied his first two career goals, one at 8:35 and the other at 14-20 in jumping out to a 3-0 first-period lead. MSU freshman Tyler Pitlick’s deflection of a shot from Ben Youds shot past Alex Kangas at 15:49 made it 3-1 before the end of the period.

 

Pitlick scored his second goal of the game at 11:11 of the second period when Kangas was fooled by a soft shot from 30 feet out as the Mavericks cut the lead to 4-2.

 

Third period goals by Nico Siacchetti, Patrick White and Taylor Matson completed the Gopher scoring.

 

Minnesota, which went zero-for-three in power plays on the night, outshot MSU by a 32-22 margin. The Mavericks were zero-for-four with the man advantage in the loss.

 

Minnesota ups its record to 6-9-1 overall, 4-7-1 WCHA, while the Mavericks fall to 7-8-1 overall, 5-8-1 WCHA.

 

MSU plays at Bemidji State next Friday and Saturday in a pair of nonconference contests in its next action.

 

 

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