Box Score Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women’s hockey team fell behind early and could not overcome the deficit as it fell to top-ranked Minnesota, 8-1, in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association match up Friday night at All Seasons Arena.
 
MSU senior Lauren Smith - who scored the only Maverick goal on the evening - is now just one goal shy of the single season record.
 
Minnesota opened the scoring barrage just 65 seconds in the game when Rachel Bona deflected a centering pass from Kelly Terry past Maverick netminder junior Danielle Butters, but MSU would respond a minute later on a goal from Smith who took a breakout pass and lifted a backhand shot by UM goaltender Noora Raty to knot the match at 1-1.  However, the Golden Gophers would take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission as Rachel Ramsey and Becky Kortum tallied at 3:46 and 15:39, respectively, for UM.
 
It was all Minnesota in the second period - specifically Amanda Kessel - who collected a natural hat trick with a short-handed, power-play, and even-strength goal - all less than five minutes apart - to provide the Golden Gophers will a five-goal advantage after 40 minutes of play.
 
The Golden Gophers scored twice more in the third period as Meghan Lorence netted one at the 1:53 mark and Bona earned her second of the contest at 7:59 to close out the game’s scoring.
 
Butters finished with a game-high 20 saves in the defeat and Raty stopped three shots in only 20 minutes of play to pick up the win.  MSU ended zero-of three on the power-play, while Minnesota was one-of-five in its power-play opportunities
 
Minnesota State drops to 9-13-3 overall and 5-11-3-1 in the WCHA.  The two teams will do battle once more tomorrow afternoon at 3:07 p.m. inside All Seasons Arena.