Box Score Duluth, Minn.—  Minnesota State dropped the opening game of its final WCHA regular season series Friday night at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn., to Minnesota Duluth 4-1. UMD’s three-goal first period was the difference maker in the contest.
 
It wasn’t the start Minnesota State was looking for when UMD’s Audrey Cournoyer put a rebound away from the goal line past MSU’s Alli Altmann 45 seconds into the game.
 
The Mavericks picked up the intensity minutes later creating multiple scoring chances before MSU’s Kari Lundberg split the Bulldog defense on a three-on-two and then scored five-hole on UMD’s Jennifer Harss. Lundberg’s ninth goal of the season came from Tracy McCann and Lauren Zrust.
 
Minnesota Duluth pounded two more goals away in the opening period a minute and 38 second apart to go up 3-1 in the Mavericks. Bulldogs Shara Jasper put a rebound away after a scrum in front of the Minnesota State net for the Bulldogs second goal.
 
UMD’s Cournoyer one-timed her second goal of the game on a back door pass from senior Haley Irwin at 16:42 into the first period. Minnesota State swapped goaltenders and put in Danielle Butters after the goal. MSU found itself down 3-1 and outshot 15-8 after 20 minutes of play.
 
Minnesota State earned a power-play in the opening moments of the period but was unable to convert. Bulldog forward Haley Irwin scored her 12th from the bottom of the circle on UMD’s fourth shot of the period at the 7:29 marker of the second period. In the second period, Minnesota State went 0-for-2 on the power-play as UMD went 0-of-1.
 
In total, UMD outshot the Mavericks 32-25 in the game. MSU’s Lauren Smith received a game misconduct checking from behind at the end of the game that will sideline her tomorrow night.
 
Minnesota State (7-25-1, 3-23-1 WCHA) and Minnesota Duluth (17-13-1, 14-12-1 WCHA) meet again tomorrow at 6:07 p.m., at AMSOIL Arena.