Mankato, Minn.--- The Minnesota State women’s hockey team hosts last season’s national runner-up, the University of Wisconsin Badgers, in the season opener for both teams.  The weekend series kicks off at 7:07 p.m. Friday at All Seasons Arena with the opening-weekend finale set for 3:07 p.m. on Saturday.  The Mavericks return 17 players from last season, including seven of their top ten scorers.  The Badgers return six of their top ten scorers from their 2011-12 campaign
* Final Statistics from 2011-12

Wisconsin and MSU History:
- Wisconsin was 6-0 last season against the Mavericks, including defeating MSU 0-7 and 0-4 in the first round of the WCHA playoffs
- Senior forward Lauren Smith scored two of the three Maverick goals against the Badgers last season with junior forward Nicole Germaine scoring the other goal.
- Minnesota State junior goaltender Danielle Butters collected 54 saves in four games last year against UW.
- In the last eleven games between the two teams, Wisconsin has shutout Minnesota State six times, and only twice in that span has MSU scored more than one goal in a game (Nov. 29, 2010 and Feb. 3, 2012).
- The all-time series sits at 1-53-2 in favor of Wisconsin in the 56 games played between the schools dating back to 1999.
- Last season the Mavericks lost 0-4  in the first meeting, then lost 1-5, 2-5, 0-6, 0-7, and 0-4 to the Badgers.
-MSU’s only win against the Badgers came in the 2009-10 season, earning a 5-3 victory in Madision.
- Minnesota State is currently on an eleven-game losing streak to UW and has never defeated the Badgers in Mankato.
- Senior Badger forward Brianna Decker netted five goals ans added six assist in six games against MSU last season.
- MSU held the Badgers to 6-of 29 (.207) on the power-play last season, while going 0-for-15 on the power-play against UW in six games.
- Wisconsin peppered the Mavericks 250-to-142 in shots on goal last year, while outscoring Minnesota State 31-3.
- The Mavericks played four of their final eight contests against the Badgers in Madison last year.
- In the all-time series between the two schools, six games have been decided by one goal or less and 14 games the teams have been within two goals or less.

University of Wisconsin Notes:
- Wisconsin lost 4-2 to the University of Minnesota in the 2012 National Championship game
- UW graduated three of it’s top four scorers and 91 of the team’s 181 goals from the 2011-12 season
- The Badgers were bounced in their first game of the 2012 WCHA Final Face-off last season - a 3-1 loss to Minnesota-Duluth -  after defeating Minnesota State in the first round of the WCHA playoffs
- Senior forward Brianna Decker received the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the nation’s top women’s college hockey player. She was also named WCHA Player of the Year for her efforts.
- Decker was the Badgers’ top scorer last season recording 37-45--82 while playing all 40 games for the nation’s runner-up
- Junior goaltender Alex Rigsby was named All-WCHA Second Team after posting a sparkling 1.43 goals against average and earning a .949 save percentage.  She tallied nine shutouts and a 33-5-2 record between the pipes last season.
- Rigsby’s spectacular season also earned her WCHA goaltending champion honors.
- Junior forward Brittany Ammerman is Wisconsin’s second-leading returning scorer after recording 30 points off 13 goals and 17 assists in her sophomore campaign.
- The Badgers have a balance of 12 upperclassmen and 12 underclassmen, including six seniors, making up their 24 student-athlete roster.
- UW has been crowned WCHA regular-season champions the past two seasons and WCHA playoff champions two of the last four years.
- Senior defense Stefanie McKeough was selected as WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 posting five goals and 18 assists and the Badgers’ sixth-leading scorer.
- Head Coach Mark Johnson was named WCHA Coach of the Year for 2011-12.
- Johnson is the winningest coach in Wisconsin women’s hockey history earning a 280-46-26 (.832) record in nine seasons at the helm.
- Four different skaters helped the Badgers earn a total of nine hat tricks last season.
- Wisconsin owned the best power-play and penalty-kill units in the conference last year. The 25.5% on the power-play finished second nationally, while the 88.6% on the penalty-kill ranked third.
- With 1,555 shots in 40 games last season, the Badgers averaged 38.9 shots/game good for third in the nation.
- Wisconsin led the country in attendance in 2011-12, averaging 2,615 fans per home contest.
- UW had a women’s collegiate hockey record crowd of 12,402 watch the Badgers take on Bemidji State at the Kohl Center on Jan. 28th

In the WCHA: Senior forwards Lauren Smith and Lauren Zrust finished 36th in points in the WCHA last year with 19 a piece. Junior forward Lauren Barnes has 18 points and is tied for 38th in the WCHA. Barnes is also ranked 30th in assists with 14.
 
Close, but No Cigar: MSU was 4-6-1 in one-goal games in 2011-12. In games decided by two goals or less the Mavericks were 5-12-1, with three games decided in overtime.
 
Strong at the Finish Line: Junior forward Tracy McCann collected nine points in the last ten games of 2011-12, while senior Lauren Zrust tallied two goals and an assist in the final five games for MSU.

Climbing the Ranks: Senior Lauren Smith is tied for seventh all-time at MSU with 37 career assists.  She needs 15 to tie the all-time record of 52 shared by Christina Lee and Maggie Fischer.  Smith is also eighth in all-time shots (315) and penalties (66) with the MSU career mark at 483 and 90, respectively.

Shots, Shots and more Shots: The Mavericks averaged 27.7 shots per game in 2011-12. Minnesota State collected over 40 shots in four games and more than 25 shots in 23 of 36 games last season.   MSU recorded a game-high of 62 in a 10-2 win over Lindenwood on Oct. 1. Opponents averaged 32.3 shots per game with the Mavericks facing 40+ shots in eight games.

First on the Board: The Mavericks were 6-5-1 after scoring the first goal and 6-1-1 when leading after two periods of action last year.

Takin’ the Advantage: Senior Lauren Smith and senior defense Emilia Andersson were a part of a three-way tie for the team lead with three power-play goals last season. MSU scored 18 total goals on the advantage in 2011-12 in 111 chances for a .162 conversion percentage good for 17th in the nation. Senior Lauren Zrust along with juniors Kari Lundberg and Kathleen Rogan added two power-play goals a piece.

There’s Something About Lauren: Minnesota State returns it’s top-three scorers from last season and will look for Lauren Smith (9-10--12), Lauren Zrust (6-13--19), and Lauren Barnes (4-14--18) to continue to lead the way in 2012-13.  Juniors Kari Lundberg (9-8--17) and Tracy McCann (5-10--15) finished fourth and sixth, respectively on the Maverick scoring chart.

Back on the Ice: Sophomore Kathleen Rogan returned to the 2011-12 season as one of the top two players in points, assists and shots from the previous year. Rogan went 12-9--21 with 86 shots in her 2010-11 campaign. Rogan  scored five goals in the first two games last season before she had a season-ending injury against the Gophers (10/8).  Rogan, Smith and Barnes each scored four points in the Saturday contest against LU (10/1), landing them tied for second at MSU in most points in a game. Rogan finished the 2011-12 year with (6-1--7) in only nine games and will retain her status as a freshman after receiving a medical redshirt for last season.

Protecting Our House: MSU went 4-13-1 in the friendly confines of All Seasons Arena last year and is 72-118-21 all-time at home.  The Mavericks have call the arena home since their inception in 1998.

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