Mankato, Minn.--- The Minnesota State women’s hockey team prepares to square-off with St. Cloud State for the first time this season inside the National Hockey Center with game times slated for 2:07 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.

Huskies (6-11-1, 2-10-0-0 WCHA)	vs.	Mavericks (5-10-3, 3-8-3-1 WCHA)
11-of-74 (14.9%)	Power-Play	12-of-64 (18.8%)
66-of-83 (79.5%)	Penalty-Kill	69-of-84 (82.1%)
1.9	Goals/Game	1.8
28.2	Shots/Game	24.6
10.1	Penalty Min./Game	11.2
Alex Nelson (5G, 8A) Haylea Schmid (6G, 6A) Molli Mott (5G, 7A) Audrey Hanmer (2G, 9A)	Scoring Leaders	Lauren Smith (11G, 6A) Tracy McCann (8G, 6A) Emilia Andersson (2G, 9A) Kathleen Rogan (2G, 8A)
Katie Fitzgerald (2.74 GAA)	Goaltender	Danielle Butters (2.79 GAA)

Last Time on the Ice:  The Mavericks were only able to garner one point a week ago as they closed out a four-game homestand against No. 10 Ohio State.  MSU battled the Buckeyes to a scoreless draw behind a career-high 45 saves from junior goaltender Danielle Butters before dropping the shootout, 3-1, in the series opener and came up one goal short, losing 4-3, in a back-and-forth contest in Saturday’s finale. Sophomore Kathleen Rogan tallied a goal and an assist, while senior Lauren Smith added two helpers of her own for the Purple and Gold.

A Little Bit More On the Huskies:  St. Cloud State owns a 6-11-1 overall record and 2-10-0 mark in the WCHA to date, including a 2-4-0 record at the National Hockey Center.The Huskies swept a non-conference affair at Lindenwood last weekend as they were victorious 3-1 and 3-2 over the Lady Lions.

SCSU boasts four skaters with double-digit points led by senior Alex Nelson (5-8--13).  The Huskies are the ninth-most penalized team in the country averaging 11.2 penalty minutes/game, while owning the 24th-best power-play (11-of-74, 14.9%) and 23rd-rated penalty-kill unit (66-of-84, 79.5%).

Mavericks vs. the Nation: Four Mavericks can be found in the top-25 nationally in a variety of statistical categories led by senior forward Lauren Smith who stands 23rd in goals/game (0.61), 16th in game-winning goals (2), 14th in power-play goals (4), and 7th in short-handed goals (1). Meanwhile, junior forward Tracy McCann is also 16th in game-winners (2) and 14th in power-play goals (4), while senior defense Emilia Andersson ranks 24th in points/game as a defenseman (0.61). Junior goaltender Danielle Butters ranks 16th in save percentage (.920) and her three shutouts tie her for 5th.

Special Team Success: Team-wise, Minnesota State boasts the nation’s 13th-best power-play (18.8%) and 20th-rated penalty-kill (82.2%). The Mavericks are 8th in the country in combined special teams at 54.7%.

Standing Out: Minnesota State sits sixth in the WCHA standings and is looking to pick up six points this weekend as it closes out the first-half of the conference season against eighth-place St. Cloud State.  The Mavericks will open the season’s second-half with a non-conference series at Lindenwood before preparing for their final six league series with three each in All Seasons Arena and away from Mankato.

Setting a New Standard:  This year’s Minnesota State squad has already equalled last year’s WCHA win total of three and is on pace for 12 overall victories, five more than 2011-12.

Individually, Andersson (2-9--11), Rogan (2-8--10) (left), and junior forward Melissa Klippenstein (2-2--4) have already eclipsed their point totals from a year ago, while Smith (11-6--17) and McCann (8-6--14) are both less than three points away.

Score Early, Score Often:  Whoever scores first could indicate the eventual winner this weekend as the Mavericks stand 4-1-1 to date when tallying the first goal and conversely, 1-9-1 when their opponents score first. Additionally, Minnesota State is 4-3-2 when scoring two or more goals and 5-1-2 when allowing two goals or less in 2012-13.

Third Period Magic:  MSU has made a habit of scoring late as 18 of its 32 goals (56.3%) this season have come in the third period.  The Mavericks are outscoring opponents 18-17 in the third period through 18 contests this season.

Carrying the Load: Top-line forwards Tracy McCann, Lauren Smith and Kathleen Rogan have netted 19 of the Mavericks’ 32 goals (59.3%) this season along with four of the squad’s five game-winners.  The trio has also accounted for 41 of MSU’s 85 points (48.2%), 160 total shots on goal, and eight-of-12 (66.7%) power-play markers to date.

What’s Trending: Keeping the contest close through two periods will be crucial for the Mavericks who boast a 3-0-0 record when leading after the first and second period and stand 1-0-1 when tied after two frames of action.  Minnesota State stands  5-1-1 when allowing two goals or fewer and 4-2-1 when scoring three or more goals to date.  Additionally, the Mavericks are 4-3-2 when shutting out opponents on the power-play and 3-0-0 when outshooting their counterparts.

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Climbing the Ranks: Senior Lauren Smith is now sixth all-time in point scoring at MSU with 74 career points and stands just four shy of the third spot.  She is tied for fifth in school history with 43 career assists and ranks fourth in career shots on goal at 382 with the Maverick career marks sitting at 52 and 483, respectively.