Mankato,  Minn.  ---  #1-rated Minnesota State trailed twice in the game, but rallied with a pair of goals in the third period to claim a 3-2 win over St. Thomas in the first game of a Central Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinal series.

The Mavericks have now won 12 games in a row and 21 of their last 22 outings.

Minnesota State outshot the Tommies by an 11-5 margin in the first period, but it was St. Thomas that got on the board first when Ethan Gauer capitalized on a power play opportunity on a rebound chance at 3:49. The score stood 1-0 at the end of the first 20 minutes of action.
 
The Mavericks made it a 1-1 game after taking control of the puck on an offensive faceoff win and Sam Morton found a loose puck in front of the net for his sixth goal of the year at the 3:12 mark of the second stanza. Then, on a five-on-three power play chance late in the period, Luke Manning tipped a pass from Trevor Zins past Dryden McKay at 18:09.  St. Thomas held a 2-1 lead after two periods of action.
 
Morton's second goal of game, which came on the power play just 49 seconds into the third period when he chipped the puck past Peter Thome on the stickside, made it a 2-2 game. Junior forward Lucas Sower gave the Mavericks their first lead after he converted on a breakaway at 14:27 for his sixth goal of the year and that's how the game ended with Minnesota State gaining the 3-2 victory.
 
Senior netminder Dryden McKay, who finished with 11 saves, stands 32-4-0 on the season with the win. His 32 victories on the season moves him into a tie for fifth on the NCAA Division I men's hockey single-season list (the NCAA men's hockey record for wins in a season is 34 and is shared by Marty Turco (Michigan, 1995-96) and Robb Stauber (Minnesota in 1987-88)).
 
The win is the 32^nd of the year for Minnesota State and ties the school record for most wins in a season (the Mavericks also had 32 wins in 2018-19).

The Mavericks (32-5-0) and the Tommies (3-31-1) square-off again Saturday with a 6:07 p.m. face-off scheduled for Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.

- 30 -