What's On Tap:  The Minnesota State women's hockey team will make its final road trip of the regular season this weekend when the Mavericks head north for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association set with No. 4 North Dakota this Saturday and Sunday. Both games are scheduled for 2:07 p.m.
 
Minnesota State (10-19-1, 5-18-1 WCHA) claimed four of six points from visiting St. Cloud State last weekend to snap what had been a seven-game losing streak. UND (17-7-3, 14-6-4 WCHA) enters the weekend with a strong grasp on third place in the conference and owns a 2-2-2 ledger in its last six contests.
 
Last Time on the Ice:  Minnesota State found itself in a 2-0 hole entering the second intermission of last Friday's series opener with St. Cloud State, but the Mavericks responded with a pair of unassisted goals - one each by junior Kathleen Rogan (Vancouver, B.C.) and senior Tracy McCann (Lakewood, Ohio) - mid way through the third period to pull even with 7:50 left in regulation. Rogan struck again at the 16:40 with a perfect wrist shot into the top-left corner over the shoulder of SCSU junior Julie Friend for what proved to be her fourth game-winning goal of the year, and McCann cemented the 4-2 victory with an empty-net marker on a shot from the defensive zone at 19:10.
 
MSU jumped in front 1-0 in the second contest on senior Kelsie Scott's (Souris, Man.) fourth goal of the year. Both the Huskies and Mavericks struck on the power-play in the second period with senior Kari Lundberg (Woodbury, Minn.) converting on the advantage for MSU which owned a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes. In the third period, SCSU senior Molli Mott scored twice for the Huskies, including the game-tying goal with 1:35 left in regulation, to bookend a MSU goal by senior Nicole Germaine (Mississauga, Ont.) and produced a 3-3 tie. With neither squad scoring in overtime, SCSU earned an extra point with a 1-0 shootout victory.
 
Scouting North Dakota:  UND stands 17-7-4 overall and 14-6-4 in the WCHA after besting Minnesota Duluth 4-3 and battling to a 2-2 draw with the Bulldogs at AMSOIL Arena last weekend. Offensively, North Dakota averages 2.96 goals and 34.4 shots per game while allowing 2.04 goals and 22.9 shots per game to its opponents. The UND power-play owns a 16.7% (16/96) conversion rate, and the penalty-kill holds an 81.9% (95/116) success rate.
 
Head coach Brian Idalski is in his seventh season leading the Green and White and has amassed a 110-111-25 career record with UND. Junior Josefine Jakobsen (F, 5-7, Aalborg, Denmark) has produced 13-17=30 thus far to lead the team in assists and points with sophomore Meghan Dufault (F, 5-3, Winnipeg, Man.) right behind having generated 8-14=22 to date. UND's other two players averaging near a point per game, senior Michelle Karvinen and freshman Susanna Tapani, will both miss this weekend due to their commitments with Team Finland at the Olympics. Freshman Gracen Hirschy (D, 5-9, Fort Wayne, Ind.) leads all UND blue liners with 7-9=16, and sophomore Becca Kohler (F, 6-0, St. Thomas, Ont.)has totaled 5-9=14. Between the pipes, sophomore Shelby Amsley-Benzie (G, 5-7, Warroad, Minn.) carries a 2.11 goals against average and .906 saves percentage in 17 starts, while freshman Lexie Shaw (G, 5-7, Troy, Mich.) holds a 1.82 goals against average and .922 saves percentage in 11 starts.
 
Inside the MSU-UND Series: Minnesota State stands 22-18-6 all-time against North Dakota after dropping a pair of home contests with UND back in December.  The Mavericks went 1-1 during the regular season at Ralph Engelstad Arena a year ago.
 
Minnesota State All-Time: The MSU women's hockey program - started in 1998-99 - is currently in its 16th season of competition and has compiled a 155-355-47 (.320) record in 557 total games played.  The Mavericks are in their 15th year as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and hold an 87-270-39 (.269) mark in 396 league contests.

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