What's On Tap:  After losing two tight knit games to the No. 3 Minnesota Gophers last weekend, Minnesota State looks to improve against the Ohio State Buckeyes, a team who ranks seventh in the WCHA.

The Mavericks, now 3-19-2 (0-16-1 WCHA), take on the Buckeyes of Ohio State this Friday and Saturday in Mankato.  The first time around in the 2015-16 season, Ohio State (7-17-0, 3-15-0 WCHA) took the series by clips of 5-3 and 4-0 in Columbus Oct. 23-24.

Last Time on the Ice:  Last Saturday and Sunday, Minnesota State took on the third rated Minnesota Gophers in Minneapolis at Ridder Arena.  The Mavericks went down 3-0 in the first game, but made a push at the end of the game, eventually taking a loss at 3-2.  The Mavericks netted the second game's first goal and held that lead for two more periods, but allowed two third-period goals in a 2-1 loss.

In Saturday's matchup, it was Minnesota who got on the board first scoring all three of their goals in the second period.  Minnesota State had been called for two-soft penalties just 34 seconds apart from each other.  At 8:11 of the second stanza, Kelly Pannek notched a five-on-three goal and just 25 seconds later, with Minnesota still on the man advantage, Dani Cameranesi tallied her 22nd goal of the season putting the number one-rated offense in the country up 2-0.  Then at 13:09  of the second period, Megan Wolfe ripped a shot past Minnesota State goaltender, junior Brianna Quade (Newcastle, Ont.) who had been screened by what looked like 13 different players.  Through the first 40 minutes of action, Quade had made 25 saves and did not let another one by the rest of the way, giving Minnesota State a chance.

In the third period, sophomore defenseman Anna Keys (Cottage Grove, Minn.) was able to find the back of the net for the second time this season with freshman forwards Jordan McLaughlin (Grand Rapids, Minn.) and Emily Antony (Plymouth, Minn.) setting her up at 9:56 of the final period.  Then, with 2:09 remaining on the clock, sophomore Lindsey Coleman (Burnsville, Minn.) cut the Gopher lead to one when junior Anna Fiegert (Landshut, Germany) passed the puck up to a flying Antony who dished the puck to the slot for Coleman to finish off.  The second Maverick tally was not enough though as the final would end at 3-2 with Quade recording 32 saves.

On Sunday, Quade showed what she was made of as she stopped 18 shots in the first period, 15 in the second, and 17 in the final for a total of 48 (WCHA season high) in the game and a combined 80 over the weekend.

In the first period of action, Minnesota State took the lead early at the 6:26 mark as sophomore Hannah Davidson (Kincardine, Ont.) scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season on the power-play.  Minnesota State would hold the lead for two more periods as Quade mimicked a brick wall  in net throughout the afternoon.  

In the third and final period, Quade finally succumbed at the 6:22 mark when the Gophers were on the power-play for the fourth time on the day.  Kelly Pannek and Kate Schipper worked the puck down low in the Minnesota State zone and found Lee Stecklein on the back-door to put home, tying the game.  Then at the 12:27 mark, Megan Wolfe found the back of the net for the second time in the series off of a slapper from the point for what proved to be the game winner.

Along with the 80 saves that Quade recorded, she was also selected as the game's third star in both contests.

Scouting the Buckeyes:  Ohio State enters the weekend owning an overall record of 7-17-0 and a 3-15-0 record in WCHA play. Last week the Buckeyes lost a pair of matches to St. Cloud State, both 2-1 in Columbus.

Ohio State is led by first-year head coach Jenny Potter. Potter, enters this season as the third head coach in OSU program history. Potter recently completed her second season at the helm of the Trinity College women's hockey program. She led the Bantams to their first conference championship and second NCAA tournament berth in program history.

The Buckeyes are led by seniors Kendal Curtis and Cara Zubko who have tallied 17 and 14 points, respectively. Freshman Lauren Boyle and junior Claudia Kepler are tied for third on the team in scoring with 13 points each. Goaltender Alex LaMere has recorded a 3.45 goals against average and .885 save percentage along with a 4-11-0 record in 2015-16. The Buckeyes are averaging two goals per game while allowing 3.9 per game.

Last Time Around: Minnesota State traveled to Columbus in the first half of the 2015-16 season where the Buckeyes claimed two wins over MSU at scores of 5-3 and 4-0 October 23-24, 2015.

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 162-390-50 (.310) record in 604 total games played. The Mavericks are in their 17th year as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and hold an 83-296-40 (.246) mark in 418 league contests.

Defending The Wall:  Minnesota State goaltender Brianna Quade is a recent recipient of the WCHA Defensive Player of the week for recording 80 saves against the nation's top  offense in the Minnesota Gophers. Quade not has the second most saves on the season in the country with 682.  Minnesota State, as a team, ranks sixth in the country in blocked shots with 348, and combined for 56 last weekend against third-rated Minnesota.

Looking Ahead:  The Mavericks will travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to take on No. 8 North Dakota on Jan. 29-30 after hosting the Buckeyes in Mankato this weekend.