Skip To Main Content
Skip to Navigation

Scoreboard

Minnesota State University - Mankato Athletics

The Official Website of The Minnesota State Mavericks

Scoreboard

Team

Mavericks Travel East for Top-10 Clash with #5 Mercyhurst

10/23/2012 2:26:00 PM

Mankato, Minn.--- The tenth-ranked Minnesota State women’s hockey team embarks on a six-game road trip beginning this weekend in Erie, Pa. with a non-conference showdown against the fifth-rated Lakers of Mercyhurst University.  The Mavericks finished 3-0-1 after wrapping up a four-game homestand last weekend with a 3-3 tie Friday night and 1-0 victory Saturday afternoon against the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs at All Seasons Arena.  MSU is nationally ranked for the first time since November 28, 2005.

Lakers (6-1-1) VS. Mavericks 4-2-2
12-of-42 (28.6%) Power-Play 7-of-28 (25.0%)
9-of-45 (20.0%) Penalty-Kill 5-of-34 (14.7%)
4.5 Goals/Game 2.4
34.1 Shots/Game 27.1
12.5 Penalty Minutes/Game 12.2
Christine Bestland (6G, 13A)
Emily Janiga (6G, 7A)
Molly Byrne (4G, 7A)		 Scoring Leaders Tracy McCann (6G, 5A)
Lauren Smith (4G, 2A)
Emilia Andersson (2G, 4A)
Stephanie Ciampa (1.50 GAA) Goaltender Danielle Butters (1.84 GAA)


Inside the MSU/MU Series:  
  • Minnesota State is 2-10-0 all-time against Mercyhurst in a series dating back to 2000...MSU split with the Lakers a year ago in Mankato winning 3-2 in overtime before falling 5-4 in the series finale.
  • The Mavericks are 1-3-1 in Erie against the Lakers with their lone victory a 2-0 season-opening win on October 7th, 2005.
  • That win marks the largest MSU margin of victory in the series, while Mercyhurst’s  largest margin of victory was a 8-2 win on January 2nd, 2010.
  • Last year, junior Kari Lundberg tallied two goal in both games against Mercyhurst, while seniors Lauren Smith and Lauren Zrust amassed three assists a piece in the series.
  • Junior Danielle Butters made 24 saves in last season’s 5-4 loss to the Lakers.
  • Junior Christine Bestland recorded a goal and two helpers in last year’s series for MU.
  • The Maverick power-play fired off at 4-of-11 against Mercyhurst last season, while holding the Lakers to 0-of-5 with their penalty-kill.
A Little Bit More On the Lakers:  
  • Mercyhurst boasts a 6-1-0 overall record and 2-0 mark in the CHA, including a 3-1 mark at home this season.
  • The Lakers are coming off a series split with #4 Clarkson falling to the Golden Knights 3-0 before capturing a 4-3 win in the weekend finale.
  • Mercyhurst has three players with double-digit points this year in junior Christine Beckland (6-13--19), freshman Emily Janiga (6-7--13), and sophomore Molly Byrne (4-7--11).
  • Laker netminders senior Stephanie Ciampa and sophomore Amanda Makela have earned GAA of 1.50 and 2.94, respectively, with each making four starts between the pipes.
  • MU’s offense is averagine 4.5 goals/game, while its defense is allowing 2.2 goals/game on average.
  • The Laker power-play is clicking at 12-of-42 (29%), while their penalty-kill sits at 9-of-45 (20%) through eight contests.
MSU vs. the Rest of the Nation:  Individually, junior Tracy McCann sits 23rd in points/game (1.38),15th in goals/game (0.75), and fourth in power-play goals (3)...Senior Lauren Smith and sophomore Casey Hirsch are tied for 33rd in goals/game (0.50), while Smith rates fourth in game-winners (2)...Senior Emilia Andersson stands 13th in points/game for defensemen (0.75) and ninth
Butters
in power-play markers (2)...Junior Danielle Butters (right) stacks up eighth in goals against average (1.95), seventh in save percentage (.942), and second in shutouts (2).  Team-wise, Minnesota State ranks 19th in scoring offense, seventh in scoring defense, and boasts the nation’s seventh-best power-play.

Standing Out: Minnesota State sits tied for third in the WCHA with nine points in six games as teams 3-7 are separated by three points or less.  The Mavericks take a break from conference play this week as they travel to CHA-member Mercyhurst.

What Lies Ahead:  Minnesota State will not play in Mankato until after Thanksgiving as the Mavericks begin a six-game road trip this weekend in Erie, Pa.  MSU travels to Wisconsin and Minnesota in the final two weekends of the road stretch.

All for One and One for All: MSU is 1-1 in shootouts this season falling to Wisconsin and topping Minnesota Duluth.  Sophomore Kathleen Rogan and junior Tracy McCann both scored in the Maverick shootout victory over UMD last weekend.

Smooth as Butters: Junior goaltender Danielle Butters earned the first conference honors of the season for the Mavericks being named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 3rd.  On Sept. 28th, she recorded a career-high 41 saves in a 2-2 tie with #2 Wisconsin and 77 total in the series.  The junior has amassed a .942 save percentage and 1.84 GAA while starting all eight games for MSU.

Twice as Nice:  Senior forward Lauren Smith made it two straight weeks a Maverick had received WCHA accolades after being named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10th.  She scored two of three MSU goals in the final ten minutes to overcome a 2-0 deficit and upset #5 North Dakota in Grand Forks on Oct. 5th.  She added an assist in Saturday’s series finale. Smith stands second on the MSU scoring chart with 4-2--6 this season with two game-winning goals.
 
Strong Out of the Gate: Junior forward Tracy McCann leads all Maverick skaters with eleven points this year having been on the scoresheet in six of eight games for the Mavericks.

How We Stack Up Against the Rest:  Minnesota State cracked the USCHO.com poll for the first time in nearly seven years this week as it was ranked #10.  MSU received votes two weeks ago in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll.

Lauren_Smith
Climbing the Ranks: Senior Lauren Smith is sixth all-time at MSU with 39 career assists.  She needs 13 to tie the all-time record of 52 shared by Christina Lee and Maggie  Fischer.  Smith is also sixth all-time shots (339) and tied for eighth in points (63) with the MSU career marks sitting at 483 and 109 respectively.

Beat the Best to Be the Best:  Minnesota State owns a 1-2-1 record this season against ranked opponents with its lone win coming at #5 North Dakota, 3-2, on Oct. 5th.

Third Period Magic:  MSU has made a habit out of scoring late as 14 of its 19 (74%) goals have come in the third period, inlcuding all four in last weekend’s series vs. Minnesota Duluth.  The Mavericks have tallied three goals and two goals in the first and second periods respectively this year.

Statistically Speaking: The Mavericks have outscored counterparts 19-15 through eight games.  They are 7-of-28 (25.0%) on the power-play and are limiting opponents to 5-of-34 (14.7%) on the man advantage.  MSU has been outshot 217-259 at this point in the season.

Eastern State of Mind:  The Mavericks went 1-3-0 a year ago in games played in the Eastern Time Zone.  MSU split with Robert Morris in Pittsburgh, Pa. and was swept by Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio last season.  It heads to Erie, Pa. to take on Mercyhurst this weekend and will conclude the regular-season Feb. 22-23 in WCHA action at OSU.

How We are Trending: The Mavericks boast a 2-0-0 record when leading after the first and second period, and a 1-0-1 mark when tied after the first and second period. MSU is also 2-1-0 in one-goal games and 3-0-1 when scoring the first goal.

Takin’ the Advantage: Junior Tracy McCann leads the Mavericks with three power-play goals on the year followed by senior Emilia Andersson with two. MSU has tallied seven of its nineteen markers this year on the man advantage.

Making a Splash: Sophomore forward Casey Hirsch has collected three goals in her first six games at MSU, including two in a 4-1 victory over Lindenwood (10/12).  Hirsch, a Maple Grove, Minn. native, is in her first season with the Mavericks after transferring from Syracuse University.

To view complete release, click HERE
Print Friendly Version