Mankato, Minn.--- The sixth-seeded Minnesota State women’s hockey team travels to third-seeded North Dakota this weekend for the opening round of the WCHA playoffs looking to return to the WCHA Final Four for the first time since 2008-09.
|
N. Dakota (23-10-1) |
vs. |
Mavericks (10-19-5) |
|
44-of-156 (28.2%) |
Power-Play |
20-of-101 (19.8%) |
|
148-of-170 (87.1%) |
Penalty Kill |
117-of-143 (81.9%) |
|
3.7 |
Goals/Game |
2.0 |
|
33.7 |
Shots/Game |
23.8 |
|
13.5 |
Penalty Min./Game |
10.9 |
Jocelyne Lamoureux (32-39--71)
Monique Lamoureux (20-38--58)
Michelle Karvinen (16-26--42)
Josefine Jakobsen (14-23--37) |
Scoring Leaders |
Lauren Smith (24-13--37)
Tracy McCann (14-11--25)
Kathleen Rogan (6-14--20)
Emilia Andersson (3-16--19) |
|
Shelby Amsley-Benzie (2.26 GAA) |
Goaltending Leader |
Danielle Butters (3.00 GAA) |
Last Time on the Ice: The Mavericks could only muster one point last weekend in its regular-season finale with host Ohio State as the Buckeyes earned a 4-1 win Friday evening before the two teams battled to a 3-3 tie Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Casey Hirsch scored with 2:46 remaining in regulation to force overtime and an eventual five-round shootout OSU took by a margin of 1-0.
A Little Bit More On North Dakota: UND owns a 23-10-1 overall record including an 18-9-1 record in WCHA action and a 13-5-0 mark at home this season. The Green and White placed third in the league after dropping host UMD 4-1 and tying the Bulldogs, 2-2, in the series finale. North Dakota boasts the nation’s sixth-highest scoring offense at 3.7 goals/game and third-best power-play at 28.2%, but also leads the country with 13.5 penalty min./game.
Last Time Around: Minnesota State finished 1-3 against UND in regular-season play this year with its lone victory coming in
Grand Forks on Oct. 5 by a margin of 3-2. Senior Lauren Smith leads all Maverick skaters with 4-1--5 in four games played against North Dakota in 2012-13.
Minnesota State All-Time: The MSU women’s hockey program, started in 1998-99, is currently in its 15th season of competition and has compiled a 145-334-46 (.320) record in 525 total games played. The Mavericks are in their 14th year as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and boast an 82-252-38 (.271) mark in 372 league contests.
Strong Special Teams: As a team, Minnesota State is fifth in the country in combined special teams at 56.1%. The Mavericks boast the 12th-rated power-play (19.6%) and 22nd-best penalty-kill (81.9%). MSU limited Ohio State to two-of-eight on the power-play last week and finished two-of-five itself on the man advantage.
Standing Out: With one point last weekend, Minnesota State secured a sixth-place finish in the WCHA, which is its best finish since the Mavericks ended fifth in 2008-09. It is also the highest MSU as placed in the league under head coach
Eric Means.
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