MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State split a weekend series against Merrimack College following a 4-1 victory Saturday night at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in non-conference men's hockey. Rhett Pitlick scored the game-winning goal and Will Hillman notched a multi-point night with a pair of assists in the win.
 
Luke Ashton started the Mavericks' first scoring play from the left point. Hillman also assisted as Brenden Olson turned and backhanded a shot from the hash mark past the glove of Max Lundgren for his first goal of the season.
 
Antonio Venuto evened the score ten minutes later for Merrimack College. Venuto blocked a shot, then carried the puck through the neutral zone and tapped in his rebound at 15:54, an unassisted marker.
 
Pitlick gave the lead back to Minnesota State on the power play at 17:38. Pitlick slid in from the top of the right circle and fired a low shot past Lundgren. Josh Groll and Evan Murr added their first assists of the year and the Mavericks led 2-1 after 20 minutes.
 
"He changes speeds," said head coach Luke Strand. "He's got a great shot and is an exceptional passer so when you guess pass, that's when his release becomes lethal. Rhett's come in and committed to playing a team game as well, and that makes everybody else on the ice more confident with the puck."
 
Luigi Benincasa made it 3-1 just 2:16 into the middle period, assisted by Luc Wilson and Zach Krajnik. Krajnik peeled the puck off the wall and drew a defender to set up Benincasa's one-timer in the high slot. Brian Carrabes made it 4-1 in the third period to seal it. Brett Moravec and Hillman assisted.
 
Goaltender Alex Tracy (2-2-0) made 18 saves for the Mavericks. Lundgren stopped 19 for the Warriors.

Luigi Benincasa won nine of 13 faceoffs and the Mavericks scored their first power play goal of the season and finished 1-3 after failing to score on seven chances against Michigan last week. Merrimack went 0-1 with the extra attacker and the Warriors also blocked 13 shots.
 
Minnesota State (2-2-0) continues its six-game homestand against North Dakota (1-0-0) of the NCHC next weekend.  The Mavericks lost and tied a two-game set at Ralph Engelstad Arena against UND last season. Merrimack (1-2-0) returns home to host New Hampshire and Massachusetts Lowell.
 
"A big thing tonight was just putting the pieces back together," reflected Strand. "We all felt lousy because you never want to lose your home opener. We didn't feel like we got to the interior very well last night but we did a better job today."
 
The Mavericks also honored former staff members Paul Allan and Mike Sullivan during the first intermission with the naming of the Paul Allan Press Box and Mike Sullivan Radio Booth respectively.