What's On Tap: Minnesota State women's hockey wraps up Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season play with a two-game series against Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Saturday at Verizon Center. Both games are scheduled for 2:07 p.m.
Last Time on the Ice: The Mavericks (5-24-1, 3-19-0-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) split a two-game WCHA series with then-No. 5 ranked Ohio State last weekend at Verizon Center. The Mavericks stunned the Buckeyes 4-1 on Friday before getting edged 3-2 in Saturday's series finale.
Recipe for an Upset: In the Mavericks' 4-1 win over the then-No. 5 ranked Buckeyes on Friday, senior forward Lindsey Coleman (5-5--10) scored twice, including the first goal of the game 28 seconds into the first period. Senior forward Amanda Conway (5-2--7) scored the game-winning goal and junior forward Rebekah Kolstad (3-4--7) added insurance with the Mavericks' final goal of the game, while sophomore goaltender Chloe Crosby stopped 35-of-36 shots faced for a .972 save percentage. In addition, Minnesota State blocked 25 shots – led by senior defenseman Anna Keys' seven and junior defenseman Megan Hinze's five.
WCHA Defensive Player of the Week: Sophomore goaltender Chloe Crosby is the reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, powered by GoodWood Hockey. She earned the honor after making a WCHA-leading 71 saves (fourth most in NCAA DI last week) over the weekend — 10 more saves than the next-highest save total by a WCHA netminder. Crosby made 35 saves, including 15 in the third period, and recorded a .972 save percentage as Minnesota State upset then-No. 5 ranked Ohio State 4-1 on Friday at Verizon Center. In addition, her .947 save percentage ranked second in the WCHA over the weekend. It is the second time that Crosby has earned a WCHA weekly honor. She was previously named WCHA Rookie of the Week for her performance during Feb. 17-19, 2017.
Senior Day: Minnesota State is celebrating Senior Day on Saturday. Seven Mavericks will be recognized for their contributions to the program. They are forwards Sara Bustad, Lindsey Coleman, Amanda Conway, Hannah Davidson and Amanda Martin, and defensemen Anna Keys and Emma Wittchow.
All-Time Maverick: Senior defenseman Anna Keys (1-6--7) moved into sole possession of third place in program history for points by a defenseman when she tallied an assist for her 34th career point at St. Cloud State on Jan. 6. With her three-point game, which included the game-winning goal and two assists, against Bemidji State on Feb. 2, Keys increased her career point total to 37.
Reaching 50: Senior forward Hannah Davidson (5-5--10) became the 18th student-athlete in program history to reach the 50-point plateau when she scored against Lindenwood on Dec. 9. With her two assists against former-No. 5 ranked Ohio State on Saturday, Davidson now has 54 career points (23-31--54) – tied with Lauren Barnes (2011-14) for 15th most in program history. Davidson is one point behind Kari Lundberg (2010-14) for 14th place and four points behind Emmi Leinonen (2008-12) for 13th place.
Phenomenal Freshman: Freshman center Brittyn Fleming (4-15--19) is the Mavericks' team leader in both assists (15) and points (19). Fleming is the team leader in power-play points with five (1-4--5) in 2017-18. Fleming's 19 points this season has surpassed last season's team-high point total of 14, which was achieved by junior forward Emily Antony. Fleming enters the weekend in a four-way tie for the eighth-most points by a freshman in program history. She is also tied for fourth among WCHA freshmen in assists and ninth in points in 2017-18.
Power-Play Scoring Touch: Junior defenseman Megan Hinze (2-7--9) has scored seven of her eight collegiate goals on the power play with her latest power-play goal coming in the Mavericks' 3-1 win over Bemidji State on Feb. 2.
Multi-Goal Games: Senior forward Lindsey Coleman (5-5--10) became the fourth Maverick to record a multi-goal game This season when she scored twice in the Mavericks' 4-1 win over then-No. 5 ranked Ohio State on Friday. The game was the first multi-goal performance of Coleman's collegiate career. Junior forward Jordan McLaughlin (8-7--15), senior forward Amanda Conway (5-2--7) and freshman forward Tristen Truax (4-1--5) have also recorded multi-goal games this season. McLaughlin and Conway scored two goals each at Lindenwood on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30, respectively. Truax scored twice at then-No. 7 ranked Minnesota on Jan. 26
Balanced Attack: Seventeen different Mavericks have scored a goal this season, including 14 who have scored multiple goals. Junior forward Jordan McLaughlin (8-7--15) leads the team with six goals, while senior forwards Amanda Conway (5-2--7), Lindsey Coleman (5-5--10) and Hannah Davidson (5-3--8) are tied for second with five.
Double Digits: Five Mavericks have garnered double-digit point totals this season. They are freshman forward Brittyn Fleming (4-15--19), junior forwards Jordan McLaughlin (8-7--15) and Corbin Boyd (3-10--13), and senior forwards Hannah Davidson (5-5--10) and Lindsey Coleman (5-5--10).
Clogging the Shooting Lanes: The Mavericks lead the WCHA and are second in NCAA DI in both blocked shots (484) and blocked shots per game (16.13). Anna Keys, senior defenseman and team captain, is sixth in the nation with 73 blocked shots after tallying 10 in last weekend's series with former-No. 5 ranked Ohio State – with seven coming in the Mavericks 4-1 win on Friday.
Scouting Minnesota Duluth: The Bulldogs (12-14-4, 8-11-3-2 WCHA) are coming off a 0-1-1 weekend against No. 1 Wisconsin. The Bulldogs lost the first game of the series 5-0 on Friday before playing to a 3-3 tie in Saturday's series finale. The Bulldogs lost the shootout 1-0.
The Minnesota Duluth offense features freshman forwards Naomi Rogge (15-7--22) and Ashton Bell (11-11--22), who share the team lead with 22 points.
In net, Jessica Convery (12-12-3) has a 2.38 goals against average and .915 save percentage.
Earlier this season, Minnesota State was swept in a two-game series at Minnesota Duluth by scores of 2-1 and 3-2 on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, respectively.
Looking Ahead: The Mavericks begin the WCHA playoffs with a best-of-three quarterfinal series at a yet-to-be determined opponent on Feb. 23-25.
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