Box Score MADISON, Wis. --- The Minnesota State women's hockey team took a loss Friday night in Madison, Wis. against the No. 3 Badgers of Wisconsin in the first game of the best-of-three WCHA first-round playoff.

The third-rated Badgers took the game's first lead at the 18:15 mark of the first frame. After MSU was whistled for a body-checking call, Badger forward Emily Clark swatted at a loose puck in the crease for her 21st of the season.  At the end of the first 20 minutes, Minnesota State goaltender, junior, Brianna Quade collected 18 stops on 19 Badger shots while Quade's opposite, Ann-Renee Desbiens saved all eight Maverick shots she was challenged with. 

Neither team was able to break the puck past their opposing netminder in the second period as Quade added 23 more saves for a total of 41 through 40 minutes while Desbiens stopped one more Maverick shot in the second for a total of nine.

The Badgers netted two goals in the first five minutes of the third period and carried the tasking lead the rest of the way. Fifty one seconds into the frame, Mellissa Channell took a shot  from the top of the left circle on a screened Quade. The puck found the back of the, putting UW ahead 2-0. A couple of minutes later, Sarah Nurse skated the puck down the left side into the Maverick's end. Nurse wristed the puck past Quade at 4:42 for a 3-0 lead. Wisconsin added on more tally at 14:12 as Sam Cogan wristed a shot stick side for her ninth of the season.

By the time the final horn sounded, Quade had tallied a career-high 52 saves in the match while the Mavericks generated 13 shots of their own.

Minnesota State will play again Saturday night in the second game of the best-of-three playoff series. The Mavericks are scheduled to faceoff at 4:07 p.m. against the Badgers at LaBahn Arena.