Mendota Heights, Minn. --- #2-rated Minnesota State got 80% of its goals from defensemen in rolling to a 5-1 win at St. Thomas Thursday night.
The win gives Minnesota State a 22-5-0 record on the season. The Mavericks continue their stay at the top the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings with a 16-3-0 league mark.
The host Tommies capitalized on a power play chance at 17:51 of the opening period on a blast from the point by
Joey Sofo and despite being outshot 11-1 held a 1-0 lead after the first 20 minutes of action.
The Mavericks responded by scoring a pair of unanswered second-period goals. Senior defenseman
Jack McNeely fired a wrist shot off the post for his first goal off the season at the 3:50 mark and sophomore blue liner
Akito Hirose got his second goal of the year with a power play goal at 6:51 in giving Minnesota State its first lead of the game (
note: official scoring on this goal was changed post-game to Borchardt from Hirose and Smith).
Junior forward
Nathan Smith, recently named to the U.S. Olympic Team, converted on a one-timer from the left circle at 9:05 of the third period for his 14
th of the year in extending the Maverick lead to 3-1.
Freshman defenseman
Bennett Zmolek picked up his second goal of the year when he went far side on UST netminder
Jacob Berger at 10:04 and junior defenseman
Jake Livingstone's cannonading drive from the left circle with Minnesota State on the power play at 17:29 made it a 5-1 game in closing out the scoring in the contest.
Senior netminder
Dryden McKay now stands 22-4-0 on the year after his 12-save performance in the game. With 97 career wins, McKay ranks fourth all-time in NCAA Division I men's hockey in victories, with only
Marty Turco (Michigan 1995-98, 127
wins), Steve Shields (Michigan, 1991-94, 111 wins) and Scott Clemmensen (Boston College, 1998-01, 99 wins) standing in front of the Downers Grove, Ill., native.
Next action for Minnesota State is the Hockey Day Minnesota matchup with St. Thomas at Blakeslee Stadium Saturday.
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