What's On Tap: The Minnesota State women's hockey team will continue its season with three road contests against the Lady Lions of Lindenwood University this week.

The Mavericks (0-16-1, 0-13-1 WCHA) and Lady Lions (6-11-1, 4-5-1 CHA) will square off Wednesday and Friday at 7:00 p.m. with the series finale set for Saturday at 3:00 p.m. inside Lindenwood Ice Arena.

Last Time on the Ice: Minnesota State saw its first action of the new year last Saturday as they fell to St. Lawrence University, 3-1, at All Seasons Arena.

After a scoreless first period, the Saints scored early on in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Midway through the same period SLU struck again to increase its lead to 2-0. Senior Kathleen Rogan cut the lead in half at 6:50 of the third period as she was able to hammer one home off a rebound in front. The score would remain 2-1 until the Saints added an empty netter in the final minute to seal the victory. Junior Erin Krichiver made 30 saves in the loss for the Purple and Gold.

Looking at the Lady Lions: Lindenwood University has compiled a record of 6-11-1 and are 4-5-1 in College Hockey America play. Most recently the Lady Lions split a series with Western Collegiate Hockey Association member Bemidji State. They defeated the Beavers 1-0 last Friday before losing the series finale 6-0 on Saturday.

Lindenwood University is led by head coach Scott Spencer who is in his first year at the helm of the program. Junior Shara Jasper (F, 5-5, Aurora, Colo.) is the leading scorer for LU totaling 7-8--15 in 18 games. Senior Alyssa West (F, 5-4, Macomb, Mich.) ranks second on the team in scoring with three goals and eight assists for 11 points while senior Jordyn Constance (Calgary, Alberta) is tied for the team lead in goals with seven and has contributed three assists for 10 points. Junior Nicole Hensley (GK, 5-6, Lakewood, Colo.) has played in 16 games in goal for the Lady Lions and owns a record of 6-8-1. She boasts a 0.923 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.66.

The Saints area averaging 1.56 goals per game while allowing 3.11 per game. They are also killing off penalties at a 75.4 percent clip and have gone 6 of 65 with the extra man advantage.

Last Time Around: The Mavericks have never lost to the Lady Lions boasting a 10-0-0 record in a series that dates back to 2011.

Minnesota State All-Time: The MSU women's hockey program - started in 1998-99 - is currently in its 17th season of competition and has compiled a 158-365-48 (.319) record in 571 total games played. The Mavericks are in their 16th year as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and boast an 89-287-40 (.263) mark in 414 league contests.

Freshman Impact: Eight different freshman have scored a point so for this season for the Purple and Gold. Elin Johansson scored the Mavericks first goal of the season against UND. Hannah Davidson leads the team with six assists and two goals for eight points. Nicole Schammel leads the team with four goals and has added two assists for six points. Anna Keys has a goal and an assist while Lindsey Coleman, Emma Wittchow, Amanda Conway and Amanda Martin each have totaled at least one assist on the season.

Maverick Special Teams: The Mavericks are killing off penalties at a clip of 77.9 percent while going 2 of 39 with the extra skater this season.

MSU vs. Opponents: Minnesota State is averaging 1.00 goals per game this season while allowing 4.18. They are also being outshot and are averaging 18.2 shots compared  to their opponents 44.6 shots per game.

Immediate Impact: Senior Kathleen Rogan returned after playing just four games in the first half of the season due to injury and made an immediate impact. She scored the Mavericks only goal on Saturday marking her first of the season and her 36th career goal. She ranks eight in career points at Minnesota State with 70.

Welcome to Mankato: The Mavericks bring in 12 freshman to this seasons squad including eight forwards, three defenseman, and one goalie. Five of the newcomers will continue to play in their home state of Minnesota. Three other players come to the Mavericks from Arizona, Colorado and Illinois. The final four come from outside the United States with two coming from Ontario, Canada and the other two from Sweden and Norway.

Protecting Our House: MSU dropped its first series at home to start the season against North Dakota at all Seasons Arena and most recently were swept by Ohio State. The Mavericks now stand 91-156-29 all-time at home.  The Mavericks  have called the arena home since their inception in 1998.

Road Warriors: The Purple and Gold are 0-9-1 on the road so far this season as they dropped a pair of games against #9 Bemidji State last time out. The Mavericks owned a 6-13-0 record on the road last season.

Beat the Best to Be the Best:  Four teams in the WCHA are ranked in the top-ten of either the USCHO or USA Today/USA Hockey polls this week. Minnesota comes in at No. 2, Wisconsin is No. 3, Minnesota-Duluth comes in at No. 7 while Bemidji State is No. 9.

The Mavericks are 0-12-0 against top-ten ranked opponents this season losing a couple of games against North Dakota to start the season and dropping a pair of contests against Mercyhurst, Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin, Minnesota and most recently Bemidji State.

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