What's On Tap:  Minnesota State now carries a 2-1-1 overall record in the 2015-16 season and will look to pick up a couple more wins as they open WCHA action vs. #6 UND.  The series will be played Friday, October 9th and Saturday, October 10th.  Both games will start at 2:07 p.m. at Verizon Wireless Center.

Looking Back at Last Weekend:   Last weekend, the Mavericks played their first road series of the 2015-16 campaign as they traveled to Rochester, N.Y.  In Friday evening's game vs. the Tigers, both teams were unable to hit the twine until the 5:50 mark of the third period.  Sophomore forward Elin Johansson (Hudiksval, Sweden) grabbed the go-ahead goal for the Mavericks late in the game for her first of the year.  RIT then tied the game up two minutes later at one apiece.  It looked like the game was going to go into extra time as the clock was winding down, but RIT's Lindsay Stenason was able to sneak one by MSU goaltender Brianna Quade (Newcastle, Ont.) to seal the game for RIT at 2-1.  Saturday afternoons contest proved to be more in favor of MSU as the Mavericks were able to put away three goals in the first period of play.  Freshman Emily Harris (Littleton, Colo.) and sophomore Hannah Davidson (Kincardine, Ont.) along with Johansson accounted for the three first period goals.  Freshman Jordan McLaughlin (Grand Rapids, Minn.) tacked on one more netter to cement the 4-2 win for MSU with Quade improving her record to 2-1-1 on the year.

Catalysts:  Through the first four games on the season, senior Katie Johnson (Anoka, Minn.) and sophomore Hannah Davidson have tallied six points each.  They both are good for one goal and five assists, respectively. Johnson has recorded 14 shots on goal and a plus-4 rating with Davidson on her heals producing 13 shots on goal and a plus-3 rating.   Along with the offense, there also comes a defensive platform.  Goaltender Brianna Quade has allowed just six goals on the season stopping 98 of 104 shots, respectively.  The Newcastle, Ont., native also bolsters a 1.47 goals against average and 0.942 save percentage.

A Look at North Dakota: UND is coming of a 2014-15 campaign in which they finished with a record of 22-12-3 overall and a 16-9-3 record in the WCHA.  UND's postseason bid was short lived as they were upended by Wisconsin in the first round of the WCHA Final Face-Off.  Last weekend, UND opened the season with a series sweep of Rensselaer in Troy, N.Y., by scores of 4-3 and 4-1.
North Dakota  is led by head coach Brian Idalski who is entering his ninth season at the helm of the program and owns a 88-49-11 overall record and a 64-38-10 conference record over the past four seasons. UND's top scorers in the first two games of the season include:  Jr. Amy Menke (0-4--4), and Sr. Sam LaSchomb (2-1--3). Between the pipes for UND, Jr. Lexi Shaw is 1-0-0 and has recorded a 1.00 GA and a 0.955 save% while Sr. Shelby Amsley-Benzie is 1-0-0 and has produced a 3.00 GA and a 0.786 save%.

Inside the MSU-UND Series: This weekend's series between North Dakota and Minnesota State will mark the 53rd and 54th meetings of the programs.  MSU holds a 24-20-6 record all-time vs. UND. Out of the last 10 matches, North Dakota holds a 8-2 record.

Minnesota State All-Time:  The MSU women's hockey program - started in 1998-99 - is currently in its 18th season of competition and has compiled a 163-372-49 (.321) record in 584 total games played. The Mavericks are in their 17th year as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and boast an 83-278-39 (.256) mark in 400 league contests.

New Digs: Minnesota State will now call Verizon Wireless their new home. After playing at All Seasons Arena, the Mavericks have played 284 games (93-161-30) at the venue.  MSU won their final home game at All Seasons Arena as they defeated Union College 3-0 Sept. 26, 2015.  The last time MSU's womens hockey team played at Verizon Wireless Center from 1998-2001, claiming a record of 12-27-3 all-time at the facility.

Road Warriors:  The Mavericks will play 18 road games this 2015-16 season, that features 16 WCHA games as well as a trip to the state of New York, where MSU split with RIT in Rochester, N.Y.  Oct. 2-3, 2015.

Beat the Best to Be the Best:  18 of Minnesota State's 36 games last season came against opponents ranked in the top-ten nationally, and four came against teams receiving votes. In total, MSU possessed a 0-20 record in those contests and will look to redeem themselves as a competitor in the Western Collegiate Hockey Conference.

New Look Mavs: Along with the addition of 10 freshman this season, Minnesota State hired head coach John Harrington to take the reigns of the team and brought on Jeff Giesen as an associate.  With the help of sixth-year assistant coach Shari Dickerman, the Mavericks will look to turn things around in 2015-16.

The Look Ahead:  After this weekend's series with UND, Minnesota State treks North as they take on the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth Oct. 16-17 in Duluth, Minn., for a pair of WCHA tilts. Both games are scheduled for 2:07 p.m.