Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's hockey team will begin the back part of the WCHA schedule on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The puck will drop at 6:07 p.m. ET and 3:07 p.m. ET on Jan. 10-11 at the OSU Ice Rink.
 
Minnesota State All-Time: The MSU women's hockey program, which started in 1998-99, is currently in its 22nd season of competition and has compiled a 190-493-68 (.298) record in 751 total games played. The Mavericks are in their 21st year as members in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and hold a 116-391-53 (.254) record in 560 games played.

Last Time on the Ice: Minnesota State (7-10-4, 2-8-2-2 WCHA) took third place in the Minnesota Cup, played at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. The Mavericks tied both #10 Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State 2-2 with UMD scoring a goal in the 3-on-3 overtime period the first game and then MSU scoring in the second.

In the first game, the Bulldogs went up 2-0 over the Mavericks after sophomore Taylor Anderson was credited with the first goal 4:48 into the game after she pushed the puck into the net in a scrum in front of the net. Then, sophomore Gabbie Hughes extended the UMD lead at the 9:35 mark, shooting from just inside the right face-off circle to the low left corner of the net. Minnesota State came back to score two in the third period, starting by converting on a power play opportunity at the 7:07 mark when junior Jessica Kondas got the puck off a face-off win by sophomore Brooke Bryant and buried a wrister from the blue line to the low left corner. Bryant then gathered a rebound off a saved shot from senior McKenzie Sederberg on an open net at the 18:33 mark. The Bulldogs got a second goal from Hughes to advance to the championship game against Bemidji State in the 3-on-3 overtime period.

In game two, the Huskies struck first at the 11:27 mark in the first period as freshman Olivia Cvar took a Maverick turnover deep in the defensive zone and went top shelf. Sophomore Claire Butorac answered for the Mavericks as she blocked a shot on the defensive end and converted on the partial breakaway, going five-hole on the SCSU netminder at the 17:23 mark. SCSU took a 2-1 advantage, scoring the only goal of the second period at the 13:19 mark with senior Dana Rasmussen scoring from the right dot. Kondas tied the game up 11:13 into the third period after hitting a slap shot near the blue line by the right boards that made it through traffic to the low left corner of the net. Junior Tristen Truax scored in the 3-on-3 overtime period to clinch third place in the Minnesota Cup.

In net, sophomore Abigail Levy (3-7-2) made 37 saves against UMD, while freshman Calla Frank (4-3-2) made 21 against SCSU.

All-Tournament Team: Jessica Kondas and Claire Butorac both found themselves named to the Minnesota Cup All-Tournament Team after their play last weekend, Kondas scored two goals, while Butorac put away one goal for the Mavericks.

Scouting #5 Ohio State: The Buckeyes (11-5-4, 6-3-3-1 WCHA) currently sit in third place in the conference with 22 points on the season. OSU last played Princeton before the break, dropping the first game 4-2 before winning the second 5-2 in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 14-15.

The Buckeyes' offense is led by junior forward Emma Maltais, who leads the team with 31 points on 13 goals scored and 18 assists on the season. Junior forward Liz Schepers leads the team in goals scored with 15 and also has 12 assists for 27 points on the season.

In net, Ohio State features sophomore Andrea Braendli (8-4-4) who has started 16 of the 20 games. She has a 2.38 goals against average, .909 save percentage and 379 saves on the season.

Facing #5 Ohio State: The Mavericks have an all-time record of 14-66-10 against the Buckeyes, dating back to 1999. In the most recent match-up this season, the Mavericks tied in both games in a home series for MSU. Minnesota State took both extra conference points in the 1-1 and 3-3 ties after scoring in a 3-on-3 overtime and winning a shootout.

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State will return home for the first time since Nov. 22-23 to play the St. Cloud State Huskies. The Mavericks and Huskies will play on Jan. 17-18 at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center here in Mankato, Minn. The puck will drop at 7:07 p.m. and 3:07 p.m., respectively.