Due Up

Coming off a home-and-home weekend sweep over St. Thomas, Minnesota State (7-9-0, 3-9-0 WCHA) plays host to St. Cloud State (6-9-1, 2-9-1 WCHA) this weekend in Western Collegiate Hockey Association action. Face-offs are scheduled for 6:01 p.m., CST Friday and 3:01 p.m., CST Saturday at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato.


Last Action

In MSU's last action, the Mavericks swept St. Thomas in a home-and-home series. MSU took game one of the series, Friday in Mankato, 3-1, prior to recording a 3-0 win in St. Paul, Saturday.

Senior defenseman Jessica Kondas secured WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors after her effort in last week's sweep for the Mavericks. Kondas logged one assist in Friday's win before notching a pair of helpers in Saturday's victory. She blocked a team-high six shots in the series. The weekly honor is the first of Kondas' career.


Taking on St. Cloud State

In the all-time series vs. the Huskies, the Mavericks are 37-47-13. After splitting the four-game season series with SCSU last year, the Mavericks fell victim of a sweep in their first meeting against the Huskies this season. In the first game of the series, SCSU defeated MSU 3-2 in overtime (Nov. 5) before stunning the Mavericks 4-2 in Saturday's affair (Nov. 6). Both games were played at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. When SCSU comes to Mankato, MSU holds a 33-46-11 record all-time.

The Huskies own a 6-9-1 overall record this season and are currently seventh in the WCHA standings with a 2-9-1 record in conference action. Their only wins in WCHA action this season were both against the Mavericks (Nov. 5-6).


Minnesota State All-Time

Minnesota State, which began play in 1998-99, is in its 24th season of competition. The Mavericks have compiled a 210-524-71 (.305) record in 805 games played. MSU is in its 23rd year as members of the WCHA and hold a 128-420-56 (.258) record in 604 conference games played. 

In last season's shortened and pandemic-impacted slate of games, the Mavericks closed out the season with a 7-12-1 record for fifth in the WCHA standings.


The Captains

Currently with the USA Hockey Residency Program, senior defenseman Anna Wilgren is serving as captain of the Mavericks this year.

Jessica Kondas and Brittyn Fleming were renamed alternate captains prior to the season while Claire Butorac was named the Mavericks' newest alternate captain in the offseason. The senior trio is combining to assume Wilgren's role as head captain while she is away for the foreseeable future.


Fleming Finesses

Senior forward Brittyn Fleming returned to Minnesota State's roster this season after cashing in on her extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to last year's student athletes who had seasons impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In last weekend's series against St. Thomas, the Oregon, Wis., native upped her all-time assists record at MSU to 61 with with a pair of assists in the Mavericks' 3-0 victory, Saturday. Also with a goal in the last game for a three-point weekend, She remains MSU's leading point-scorer this season with 21 points and a team-high 16 assists over 16 games. Fleming also leads the Mavericks with a +4 rating.

Fleming is also MSU's active career scoring leader with 29-61--90 and ranks tied for fourth all-time at MSU in games played (142). On the list of all-time Maverick scoring, Fleming is first in assists (61), fourth in points (90) and 10th in goal scoring (29).


The Kinger

Junior forward Kelsey King had one goal last time out vs. UST in the Mavericks' 3-0 win and leads MSU in goal-scoring while remaining second on the team points with 9-5--14 in 16 contests. She scored a career-high four goals and had three assists for a seven-point series against Lindenwood, Oct. 8-9. In the first game of the series, King tied a pair of school records with four goals in a game, becoming the sixth player in program history to do so and the first since Kathleen Rogan (10-2 win over Lindenwood on Sept. 30, 2011), and by posting five points, which put her in a tie as the second athlete to do so alongside Kim Corona (11-0 win over Augsburg on Jan 23, 1999). King's third goal in the game was the eventual game-winner and marked the Mavericks' first natural hat trick since Corona accomplished the feat, which also last occurred on Jan 23, 1999, when MSU defeated Augsburg 11-0. King finished the big weekend with two more assists in the series finale, where the Mavericks won 7-6 in overtime.

As a result, King was named WCHA Forward of the Week on Oct. 11, marking her fifth time receiving a WCHA weekly honor and first since being named the Rookie of the Week four times during the 2019-20 campaign (Sept. 27-29, Nov. 1-2, Nov. 22-23 and Jan. 31-Feb. 1).


Padding the Stats

Freshman forward Alexis Paddington leads Maverick rookies with 3-5--8 in 16 games this season. She collected her first goal when she opened the scoring in the Mavericks' 6-2 loss to #1 Wisconsin, Oct. 30.

The Maverick rookie has five assists this season after providing three in her first series dawning the purple and goal at Merrimack (Sept. 24-25) before collecting two more in MSU's series hosting Lindenwood (Oct. 8-9). As a result of her efforts in both series sweeps for MSU, Paddington was twice named WCHA Rookie of the Week (Sept. 27 and Oct. 11).


More Than Apples for Akervik

Junior Charlotte Akervik scored twice, including the eventual game-winning goal, in the Mavericks' 3-1 victory over St. Thomas, last Friday, to up her scoring lead for Maverick defenseman to 4-9--13 in 16 games. She is also second on the team and leads MSU blueliners with 46 shots on goal. The Eau Claire, Wis., native sports the best plus-minus rating of any defender on the roster at +1.


To be Frank...

Sophomore goaltender Calla Frank has appeared and started in all but three games for the Mavericks this season. Last time out, she recorded her second shutout of the season and sixth of her career with 12 saves in the Mavericks' 3-0 win at St. Thomas. This year, Frank owns a 6-7 record with a 3.15 goals-against average and .894 save percentage.

As a Maverick, Frank has appeared in 49 games and made 47 starts with a career record of 18-25-4 with a .906 Sv% and 2.81 goals-against average.


Minnesota State's Special Teams

The Mavericks' power-play unit is among the best in the nation so far this season with 11 goals in 16 games. In terms of percentage, MSU is second in the conference and third in the nation with an 11-for-38 (.289) success rate on the man advantage.

Despite their penalty-kill unit being a step slower compared to last year, the Mavericks have also been among the most productive offensive units while shorthanded. As a team, Minnesota State is third in the conference and fifth in the nation with a pair of shorthanded goals, both have come off Kelsey King's stick (two vs. Merrimack Sept. 24-25). Among the individual standings, King is second in the WCHA and NCAA with a pair of short-handed goals.


Looking Ahead

Next weekend, the Mavericks travel to Bemidji State, Dec. 17-18, to close out the 2021 portion of their schedule. MSU opens the new year hosting Syracuse, Jan. 7-8, at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato.

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