MANKATO, Minn.--- Minnesota State (9-12-0, 3-11-0 WCHA) will take on No. 8 St. Cloud State (13-6-1, 8-5-1 WCHA) with action scheduled to start at 6 p.m. from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.  

Last Time Out:
Minnesota State opened the calendar year with its first home sweep since February 10-11, 2023 by finals of 6-1 and 4-3 this past weekend against Lindenwood.

On Friday, ten different Mavericks found the score sheet seeing 17 total points accumulated by MSU. Sophomores Whitney Tuttle, Taylor Otremba, and freshman JuliAnna Gazdik each delivered three-point performances against the Lions. 

Freshman JuliAnna Gazdik opened the scoring for the purple and gold at the 11:47 mark of the first period with her second goal on the season. Just four minutes later, senior Sydney Langseth collects her ninth on the season off breakout passes from Tuttle and senior Charlotte Akervik. On the play, Akervik notched her 51st point accumulating the most career points by an MSU defender.

At the 7:52 mark of the second period, LU garnered a holding penalty allowing MSU goaltender Lauren Barbro to reach the bench creating a six-on-five opportunity. Freshman Jenessa Gazdik wasted no time launching her shot over the glove of Lindenwood's goaltender for her second tally on the season.

In the final minutes of the second period, MSU special teams struck again as senior Jamie Nelson netted her twelfth goal on the season giving the Mavericks a four-goal cushion. On the play, senior Kennedy Bobyck and freshman JuliAnna Gazdik both registered assists.

With just 14 seconds into the final period, sophomore Whitney Tuttle netted a breakaway opportunity for her seventh tally on the season.  After LU notched its own breakaway tally, Akervik sent the Lions packing with her third goal on the year at the 12:05 mark of the third period.

On Saturday, Minnesota State fought back after giving up two early first-period goals. Senior Charlotte Akervik notched her fourth tally of the season to jump-start the MSU offense. Seniors Sydney Langseth and Kennedy Bobyck followed suit to take the lead in the third period. 

At the 12:30 mark of the final period, Lindenwood stole one back on a penalty shot knotting the game at three. Just 57 seconds later, junior Alexis Paddington found the back of the net for her first tally of the season while notching her third career game-winning goal.

Taking on SCSU:  
St. Cloud State (13-6-1, 8-5-1 WCHA) holds fourth place in the WCHA standings with 26 points this season. The Huskies boast a 50-28 scoring margin as they hold the second best goals-against total in conference behind No. 1 Ohio State (27). 

Offensively, the Huskies find themselves behind MSU holding the fifth spot in the conference with 2.50 goals scored per game compared to the Maverick with a 2.90 GS/G. The SCSU offensive is led by seniors Klara Hymlarova and Katie Kaufman who have combined for 29 points in 20 games.

With an average penalty-killing percentage (.831) among WCHA teams, the Huskies are tied for second in the conference with Bemidji State for most penalties accumulated with 73 this season averaging 3.65 penalties per game.

St. Could State has relied on its elite goaltending from seniors Sanni Ahola and Jojo Chobak who combine for a 1.25 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage. Among national rankings, Ahola is currently first in save percentage (.967) and second in goals-against average (0.797) while Chobak is currently 18th in save percentage (.931) and 15th in goals-against average (1.712).  MSU's Lauren Barbro is currently ranked 47th save percentage (.904).