Box Score Duluth, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women’s hockey team dropped its first game to No. 10 Minnesota Duluth this season as it fell, 4-2, Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 1,333 fans in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play at AMSOIL Arena.
 
Coming off last night’s defensive battle, both squads’ special team units opened the contest’s scoring halfway through the opening period. Jenna McParland picked up a MSU defensive zone turnover and fed Pernilla Winberg who scored short-handed at 11:06 after a scramble in front of goaltender Erin Krichiver. The Mavericks drew an additional UMD penalty and sophomore Kathleen Rogan tallied a five-on-three power-play goal at 12:37 off helpers from seniors Lauren Smith and Emilia Andersson to knot the game at 1-1.
 
Brienna Gillanders put the Bulldogs back on top at the 7:09 mark of the second period by burying a rebound  from the left faceoff circle after a shot by Aleksandra Vafina and Jessica Wong made it a two-goal lead when she wristed a shot off the left post and in at 16:35.
 
Gillanders picked up her second goal of the afternoon at 10:37 of the third period with a backhand shot that flipped over the right skate of Krichiver and trickled across the goal line.  However, Smith provided an immediate answer for the Mavericks when she won the center-ice face off and went the distance beating UMD netminder Kayla Black high on the glove side to make it a 4-2 final.
 
Krichiver finished with 23 saves for the Mavericks and drops to 1-1-0 this season, while Black stopped 22 shots in the win.  MSU ended one-of-four on the power-play as UMD was held scoreless on its four power-play opportunities but outshot the Mavericks by a margin of 27-24.
 
Minnesota State drops to 10-17-3 overall and 5-15-3 in league play and will return to Mankato for its final home series of the season as it entertains St. Cloud State Feb. 16-17.