Bemidji, Minn. --- Freshman goaltender
Chloe Crosby made 41 saves to earn her first career collegiate win as Minnesota State women's hockey defeated Bemidji State 3-1 in its final Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season game of 2016-17 at Sanford Center on Saturday afternoon.
Crosby (1-1-0) – making her second career collegiate start – stopped 41 shots to help the Mavericks (7-24-4, 4-21-3-1 WCHA) overcome a 42-24 shot deficit, and goals by Junior defenseman
Anna Keys (3-8--11), junior forward
Amanda Martin (1-1--2) and junior forward
Amanda Conway (2-1--3) provided the Mavericks all the offense they needed.
After neither team scored in the first 20:00 of play, the Mavericks netted two second period goals – scored by Keys at 0:15 and Martin at 4:11 – on the power play – to go up 2-0. Keys' goal, which gives her 30 career points, was assisted by junior forward
Hannah Davidson (4-8--12). Martin's goal – her first of the season and the third of her collegiate career – was assisted by sophomore
Corbin Boyd (2-11--13), who leads the Mavericks in assists in 2016-17, and sophomore defenseman
Megan Hinze (5-2--7).
However, the Beavers (11-18-3, 7-18-3-1 WCHA) fought back and pulled within one – scoring their lone goal of the evening at 17:37 of the second period to cut the Maverick lead to one, with the score 2-1 at the second intermission. Bemidji State's goal was scored by sophomore forward
Emily Bergland (16-9--25), and assisted by junior defenseman
Alexis Joyce (4-16--20) and junior forward
Emma Terres (6-8--14).
The Mavericks responded in the third period – increasing their lead to 3-1 – when Conway scored at 4:14. Sophomore forward
Steph Keryluk (1-2--3) assisted on the play.
Crosby and the Maverick defense did the rest as the Mavericks held on for the 3-1 victory.
Senior goaltender
Brittni Mowat (10-17-3) made 21 saves for Bemidji State.
The Mavericks finished 1-of-6 on the power play and the Beavers finished 0-for-5 with the man advantage.
The Mavericks seven wins in 2016-17 are their most since the 2013-14 season when they won 13 games. Their win total this season surpasses their win totals from 2014-15 and 2015-16 combined (6).
Minnesota State, which enters the 2017 WCHA Playoffs as the eighth seed, faces top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Wisconsin in the quarterfinal round next weekend at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wis. The schedule of games is TBA.
Listen to Minnesota State women's hockey head coach
John Harrington's postgame comments below.
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