Mankato, Minn.--- The Minnesota State women’s hockey team will open the 2013 portion of its schedule against College Hockey America member Lindenwood University - the only team MSU has swept to date - in its final non-conference tune up of the regular season.

Lady Lions (1-14-1)	vs.	Mavericks (6-11-3)
10-of-74 (13.5%)	Power-Play	13-of-69 (18.8%)
54-of-80 (67.5%)	Penalty-Kill	75-of-93 (80.6%)
1.3	Goals/Game	1.8
24.6	Shots/Game	24.8
12.2	Penalty Min./Game	11.0
Alison Wickenheiser (3G, 5A) Chelsea Witwicke (1G, 6A) Lyndsay Kirkham (4G, 2A) Allyson Arcibal (4G, 1A)	Scoring Leaders	Lauren Smith (12G, 7A) Tracy McCann (9G, 6A) Emilia Andersson (2G, 9A) Kathleen Rogan (2G, 8A)
Nicole Hensley (3.86 GAA)	Goaltending Leader	Danielle Butters (2.76 GAA)

Last Time on the Ice:  Minnesota State captured one of two games for a series split with host St. Cloud State on Dec. 7-8 to wrap up the first-half of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association season.  The Mavericks used two third-period goals to pick up a come-from-behind 2-1 win over  the Huskies on Friday before dropping a 5-2 decision on Saturday afternoon.

A Little Bit More On the Lady Lions:  Lindenwood holds a 1-14-1 overall record and 1-4-1 mark in College Hockey America play with a 1-7-0 record inside the Lindenwood Ice Arena. Last time out, the Lady Lions fell 5-2 to host RIT before garnering a 1-1 tie in the series finale.

LU is led in scoring by sophomore Alison Wickenheiser (3-5--8) with junior Chelsea Witwicke (1-6--7) and freshman Lyndsay Kirkham (4-2--6) right behind.  Freshman goaltender Nicole Hensley has started 13 of 16 contest between the pipes for the Lady Lions accumulating a 1-10-1 record and 3.86 GAA.


Mavericks vs. the Nation: Four Mavericks can be found in the top-30 nationally in a variety of statistical categories led by senior forward Lauren Smith who stands 23rd in goals/game (0.60), 18th in power-play goals (4), 10th in game-winning goals (3), and 9th in short-handed goals (1). Meanwhile, junior forward Tracy McCann sits 19th in game-winners (2) and 18th in power-play goals (4), while senior Emilia Andersson is 28th in points/game by a defenseman (0.55). Junior goaltender Danielle Butters ranks 17th in save percentage (.921) and her three shutouts tie her for 5th nationally.

Special Team Success: Team-wise, Minnesota State boasts the nation’s 13th-best power-play (18.8%) and 22nd-rated penalty-kill (80.6%). The Mavericks are 7th in the country in combined special teams at 54.3%.

Standing Out: After the first half of the regular season, Minnesota State sits sixth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings.  The Mavericks stand three points shy of fifth-place Minnesota Duluth and eight points out of the top half of the league.  MSU will play every team in the conference, except Wisconsin, in its 12 remaining league games.

First Time for Everything:  On Dec. 7-8, sophomore defenseman Shelby Moteyunas scored the first two goals of her collegiate career in back-to-back games against host St. Cloud State.  In the series opener, the Cicero, N.Y. native’s slap shot from the point ricocheted off the crossbar and past Huskie goaltender Julie Friend to tie the contest for the Mavericks who went onto a 2-1 victory. She scored the second goal of her career on a nearly identical shot a day later to tally the first MSU goal in an eventual 5-2 defeat.

Additionally, junior Kelsie Scott recorded a career-high two assists for the Purple and Gold in Friday’s win.

Score Early, Score Often:  Whoever scores first could indicate the eventual winner in this series as the Mavericks stand 4-1-1 to date when tallying the first goal and conversely, 2-10-1 when their opponents score first. Additionally, Minnesota State is 5-4-2 when scoring two or more goals and 6-1-2 when allowing two goals or less in 2012-13.

Carrying the Load: Forwards Tracy McCann, Lauren Smith and Kathleen Rogan have netted 23 of the Mavericks’ 36 goals (63.8%) this season along with five of the squad’s six game-winners.  The trio has also accounted for 44 of MSU’s 97 points (45.3%), 181 total shots on goal, and 8-of-13 (61.5%) power-play markers to date.

Climbing the Ranks: Senior Lauren Smith is now tied for fourth all-time in point scoring at MSU with 76 career points and stands just two shy of the third spot.  She ranks fifth in school history with 44 career assists and fourth in career shots on goal at 397 with the Maverick career marks sitting at 52 and 483, respectively.

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