Due Up:
Minnesota State will hit the road for its first dance with #4/5 Minn. Duluth. who finished with a stellar 27-12-1 overall record on its 2021 campaign (19-8-1 WCHA). Face-offs are scheduled for 6:00 p.m., CST Friday and 3:00 p.m. Saturday at Amsoil Arena.

Last Time Out:
MSU got a huge test right out the gate hosting No. 1/1 Ohio State in its season opener. The Mavericks never let the Buckeyes get comfortable as both games came down to a difference of one, 2-1 and 5-4. The Mavericks received terrific goaltending from its platoon of Senior Alex Berg and Junior Lauren Barbro. The duo faced 71 Buckeye shots resulting in a combined .910 save percentage and a modest 3.56 goals-against average.

Several Mavericks stepped into the offensive spotlight over the week with three different forwards having multi-point weekends. Madison Mashuga, Kenedy Bobyck and Alexis Paddington are in a three-way tie for the team lead in points with two. Anna Wilgren demonstrated why she's a top defender in college hockey with 12 blocks on the weekend in efforts to protect Berg and Barbro from additional harassment.

Taking on #4/5 Minnesota Duluth:
In 103 all-time matchups between the Mavericks and Bulldogs, MSU is 12-82-9. The Bulldogs have won eight of their last 10 games in the series with their most recent victory coming last year on February 27th beating MSU 3-2 in Duluth. The Mavericks' most recent victory came that same weekend on the Friday game as MSU handled business 3-1. In games played in Duluth, MSU is 4-45-2 vs. UMD.

UMD owned a 27-12-1 overall record last season with a 19-8-1 mark in league games. The Bulldogs ranked fourth in the WCHA standings with a .714 win percentage. MSU owned a .393 win percentage in league games while checking in at fifth in the standings.