DULUTH, Minn. -- Minnesota State (7-11-1, 7-11-1 WCHA) dropped a 2-1 decision to #7 Minnesota Duluth (9-4-0, 9-4-0 WCHA) after the Bulldogs scored a pair of goals in the final period of Western Collegiate Hockey Association game, Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs scored two goals five minutes apart in the third period to claim the game one of two in the weekend series at AMSOIL Arena. McKenzie Hewett scored the game-winning goal off a net-front feed from Maggie Flaherty at the 10:08 mark of the third period.
Freshman forward Jamie Nelson scored the Mavericks' first goal 5:48 into the first period when she intercepted the puck off the right wall, drove the high slot and ripped the puck under the blocker of UMD's Emma Soderberg to give MSU the lead, 1-0.
MSU's sophomore goaltender Calla Frank maintained the Mavericks' 1-0 lead in the second period with a 13-save middle period. After two periods, MSU led 1-0 with UMD up 22-18 in shots on net.
In the third period, Gabbie Hughes got the Bulldogs on the board when she stole the puck in the neutral zone and drove down the middle of the ice before making a move around a Maverick defender and chipping the puck off Frank's shoulder and into the net. With the goal that came at the 10:53 mark, the Bulldogs and Mavericks were tied 1-1. Five minutes later at the 10:08 mark, Hewett scored the game-winning goal for UMD when she tapped in a net-front pass from the corner by Flaherty. Down 2-1, the Mavericks pushed back with their net empty and an extra attacker in the waning minutes but struggled to get one past Soderberg.
The Bulldogs won the shot-department battle 34-22 and saw the only pair of power play opportunities, in which they went zero-for-two with the man advantage.
In net for UMD, Soderberg (9-4-0) made 21 saves on 22 shots to claim the win in the contest. For MSU, Frank (6-9-1) stopped 32 of 34 shots while taking the loss.Â
The Mavericks close out their 2020-21 season when they play the Bulldogs again tomorrow with another 3:07 p.m. start at AMSOIL Arena.
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