MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State Mavericks (10-13-1, 4-13-1 WCHA) are preparing to face No. 2 Ohio State (35-4, 26-2 WCHA) in a key weekend series in Columbus, Ohio. The action begins on Friday night at 5:02 p.m. CT with the series concluding on Saturday at 2:02 p.m. CT Saturday's game will be available to watch on FOX9+.

Last Time Out:
The Mavericks are coming off a challenging weekend in a home-and-home series against the No. 3 University of Minnesota. On Friday, the Gophers defeated MSU 8-3, with goals coming from Bella Shipley, Kianna Roeske, and Alexis Paddington. On Saturday, the Mavericks fell again, 5-2, despite contributions from Paddington and JuliAnna Gazdik.

Scouting the Buckeyes:
Ohio State enters the series fresh off a successful weekend, defeating Minnesota Duluth. The Buckeyes won 3-1 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday. Offensively, senior Hannah Bilka leads Ohio State with 22 goals and 26 assists, totaling 48 points this season. In net, goaltender Raygan Kirk has been stellar, with a .945 save percentage and a 1.05 goals against average.

The Mavericks' all-time record against Ohio State stands at 15-84-11. The last meeting between the two teams came earlier this season when Minnesota State defeated Ohio State 4-1.