Mankato, Minn. — #3 Minnesota State got three goals from junior forward
Cade Borchardt in rolling to a 9-2 win over Bowling Green in a Central Collegiate Hockey Association game played Friday in Mankato.
Borchardt added an assist in the game for a four-point night.
The Mavericks scored three times in the opening 20 minutes and never trailed in the game.
Borchardt, a Burnsville, Minn., native took a centering pass from sophomore defenseman Akito Hirose and went top shelf to take the 1-0 lead on a power pay goal at 1:30 of the opening period and the Mavericks were off and running. Junior forward Sam Morton got his first goal of the season at 6:12 in the first and the third goal of the period came by way of Borchardt, who was stationed at the right side of the crease.
The visiting Falcons pulled with in two goals when they got on the board with a power play goal from Sam Craggs at 8:10 of the second, but it didn't take long for the Mavericks to respond. A scant thirty seconds after BGSU's goal, Borchart found a loose puck in the slot and beat Zack Rose stick side in notching his first career hat trick. A power play goal on a shot from the point by Jake Livingstone at 13:44 made it 5-1. Nathan Smith took the puck through the neutral zone all the way to the net to pot is sixth goal of the season at 16:21 and Ryan Sandelin's goal at 16:48 gave Minnesota State a 7-1 lead at the end of two periods of play.
After a Falcon goal from Coale Norris on the right side of the crease at 3:26 of the third, sophomore forward David Silye got his second of the year 6:32 and increased the lead 8-2. Sandelin banked in his second goal of the night on a pass from Brendan Furry at 9:09 in closing out scoring in the game.
Senior goaltender Dryden McKay turned away 19 shots and now stands 8-3-0 for the season.
Smith, Minnesota State's leading scorer on the year with 6-10--16, had a goal and two assists in extending his point-scoring streak to seven games (3-7--10). Senior defenseman Andy Carroll, who put five shots on goal and was +3 in the win, finished with three assists. The nine goals scored tonight is the most scored by the Mavericks in a game since a 10-0 win over Alabama Huntsville Feb. 21, 2020.
Now, 8-3-0 and 4-1-0 in CCHA play, the Mavericks wrap up the weekend series against Bowling Green Saturday, with face-off slated for 6:07 p.m., at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
