MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State Mavericks (10-11-1, 4-11-1 WCHA) are gearing up for an exciting weekend as they face the No. 3 ranked University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in a home-and-home series. The action begins Friday night at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, with puck drop scheduled for 6:02 p.m. On Saturday, the Mavericks will host the Golden Gophers at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, with the game set for 2:02 p.m. Fans can catch Saturday's game streamed live on Fox9+.

Last Time Out:
The Mavericks are coming off a challenging weekend series against top-ranked Wisconsin in Madison. On Friday, Minnesota State fell 6-2, with goals from Claire Vekich and Madison Mashuga. In Saturday's contest, the Mavericks put up a strong fight but ultimately lost 3-1, with Alexis Paddington scoring in the third period.

Goaltender Hailey Hansen stood out over the weekend, making a career-high 50 saves on 53 shots in Saturday's game. Hansen's stellar performance improved her season save percentage to .919.

Scouting the Golden Gophers:
The University of Minnesota (17-5-1, 11-4-1 WCHA) enters the series following a dominant weekend against St. Thomas, winning 4-2 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday.

Offensively, the Golden Gophers are powered by Abbey Murphy, who leads the team with 18 goals and 21 assists, totaling 39 points this season. In goal, Hannah Clark has been reliable, boasting a .916 save percentage and a 1.86 goals-against average.

The Mavericks record against the Golden Gophers stands at 5-110-3. The most recent matchup between the two teams earlier this season was a thrilling overtime contest, where Minnesota State fell 3-2.