Box Score Marquette, Mich. --- Third-rated Minnesota State opened the second half of its 2014-15 schedule with a convincing 4-1 victory at Northern Michigan in men's college hockey Friday.
After taking a nice pass from
Matt Leitner, junior forward
Bryce Gervais beat NMU netminder
Michael Doan at 12:43 of the opening period to put the Mavericks up 1-0.
Northern Michigan knotted the score at 5:34 of the second when
Ryan Kesti grabbed a loose puck in front of MSU's net before shoveling it past Maverick sophomore netminder
Cole Huggins. Then, with both teams having a player in the penalty box, Minnesota State struck twice within a nine-second span. Senior defenseman
Brett Stern collected a rebound in the Northern Michigan zone and blasted the puck past Doan at 8:32. Shortly after the ensuing face-off at center ice, junior center
Teddy Blueger gathered the puck from below the goal line before walking out to tallied his eighth goal of the season with a shot along the ice on the stick side at 8:41. It became a 4-1 Minnesota State lead at 14:57 on a one-timer from 20 feet out by sophomore blueliner
Casey Nelson with the Mavericks on the power play.
The teams then played through a scoreless third period as the Mavericks skated to their ninth win in the last ten games. Nelson extended his point-scoring streak to seven games with tonight's goal and Brett Stern's second-period marker is his third career game-winning tally.
Now 14-4-0 (11-2-0 WCHA) for the season, the Mavericks posted the 800
th win in program history with tonight's result. Minnesota State, which iced a varsity program for the first time during the 1969-70 season, stand 800-605-138 all-time.
The Mavericks outshot Northern Michigan by a 37-20 margin in the contest, marking the 16
th time Minnesota State has outshot its opponents this year.
The Mavericks and the Wildcats close out the two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series Saturday with a 7:07 p.m. EST face-off scheduled at Berry Events Center.
Head coach
Mike Hastings commented following the win.
