MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State Mavericks (4-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) are set to host St. Thomas (4-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) this weekend for their first WCHA matchup of the season at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. Puck drop is scheduled for noon on Friday for ISD Elementary Day and 2 p.m. on Saturday for Alumni Day.

Scouting the Tommies

The Tommies enter the 2025-26 season with a 4-0 overall record following matchups against Post and Lindenwood. Last season, St. Thomas finished with a 9-25-2 overall record (6-21-1 WCHA), placing seventh in league play—one spot behind the Mavericks.

This year's roster features 10 new players, including former Mavericks Jenessa and JuliAnna Gazdik. The Tommies' bench also includes a familiar face in Assistant Coach Alli Altmann, who joins St. Thomas for her first season after playing goaltender for Minnesota State from 2008–2012.

Junior Rylee Bartz leads the Tommies with four goals and three assists for seven points. Between the pipes, Julia Minotti has posted a 1.30 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.

Mavericks Recap vs. Lindenwood

The Mavericks are coming off a weekend sweep over Lindenwood.

On Friday, Minnesota State earned a 4-0 victory behind a two-goal performance from Ayla Puppe. Zoe Lopez added a goal and an assist, while Taylor Otremba also found the back of the net. Hailey Hansen stopped all 17 shots faced to record her sixth career shutout.

On Saturday, Minnesota State battled to a 3-2 win to complete the sweep. Lauren Goldsworthy opened the scoring with a power-play goal early in the first period, assisted by Whitney Tuttle and Ayla Puppe. After Lindenwood tied it in the second, Mercury Bischoff reclaimed the lead with her second goal of the season. The Lions tied it again early in the third, but Makayla Moran netted the game-winner—her first of the season—off a setup from Lauren Zawoyski.

Goaltender Kaydence Roeske made her first appearance of the year, making several key saves to preserve the win as Lindenwood pressed late. The Mavericks finished 1-for-5 on the power play and continued to show balanced scoring depth with eight players contributing points.

Series History

Minnesota State and St. Thomas are well-acquainted WCHA foes. The Mavericks hold a 13-5 advantage in the all-time series. Last season, the teams played a home-and-home series, with Minnesota State winning both contests by scores of 3-0 and 8-3.

Watch Live

Both games will be streamed live on B1G+ (bigtenplustv.com).