Mankato, Minn. ---   Junior defenseman Charlotte Akervik scored twice in helping lift Minnesota State to a 3-1 win over St. Thomas in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association contest played in Mankato Friday afternoon.

The win snaps an eight-game losing streak for the Mavericks.

Minnesota State took a 1-0 lead at 7:08 of the opening period when freshman center Alexis Paddington ripped a shot from between the dots for her third goal of the year.

It became a 2-0 Minnesota State lead after Charlotte Akervik's slapper along the ice from the point slid underneath Saskia Mauer's pads at 6:19 of the second period.  Jenna Hartung got St. Thomas on the board with a shot from the slot at 6:19 and Minnesota State held a 2-1 lead at the end of 40 minutes of action.

Akervik closed out the scoring in the game when she tallied an empty-netter at 19:23 of the third period. The Eau Claire, Wis., native, who was named the game's First Star, finished with five shots on goal and a +2 rating.

Junior netminder Calla Frank stopped 23 shots and upped her record on the season to 5-7-0 with the win.

Minnesota State (6-9-0, 2-9-0 WCHA) and St. Thomas close out the two-game league series tomorrow in Mendota Heights, Minn.

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