MANKATO, Minn. — The Minnesota State Mavericks (6-7-1, 2-7-1 WCHA) are set for a home-and-home series with the No. 2 Minnesota Gophers (12-2, 8-2 WCHA) this weekend. Minnesota State opens the series on the road Friday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis with a 6 p.m. puck drop. The Mavericks then return home on Saturday to host the Gophers at the Mayo Clinic HSEC at 2 p.m. Friday's game will stream on B1G+, while Saturday's contest will air live on FOX9+.

Scouting the Gophers:

Minnesota enters the weekend with a 12-2 overall record after sweeping Bemidji State in decisive fashion, winning 6–2 and 9–2 last weekend. The Gophers sit third in the WCHA standings and second in both the USA Hockey and USCHO national rankings. Graduate student Abbey Murphy leads the Gophers offensively with 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points. In the crease, sophomore goaltender Hannah Clark has posted a 1.88 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.

Recap vs Ohio State:

Last weekend, Minnesota State battled through a challenging two-game road series against Ohio State. On Friday, the Mavericks competed throughout a physical matchup but ultimately fell 5–2, highlighted by an impressive 44-save performance from goaltender Hailey Hansen. Ava Guillemette tied the game in the first period with her lone shot of the night, and Kamryn Van Batavia added a power-play goal in the third. Despite generating consistent pressure, the Mavericks were unable to overcome Ohio State's early scoring bursts.

In Saturday's matchup, Minnesota State continued to show resilience in a 7–3 loss, rallying in the third period with goals from Makayla Moran, Kamryn Van Batavia, and Lauren Zawoyski. Zawoyski finished with a goal and an assist for a two-point game, and Hansen made 35 saves in the effort. The Mavericks created several strong scoring opportunities late but could not close the gap.

Zawoyski leads the Mavericks in points (10) this season collecting one goal and nine assists. Trailing behind her is sophomore Ayla Puppe and senior Taylor Otremba both with eight points. Puppe is a former Gopher, last year she played in all 30 games for the Gophers and collected two assists for two points. 

Series History:

The Mavericks and Gophers have played 123 times. Last season, Minnesota State pushed the Golden Gophers to three games in their WCHA Playoff Series, falling in the opener before bouncing back to beat Minnesota 5-4 on Madison Mashuga's game winner at the 19:55 mark of the second overtime. Minnesota would go onto win the series and holds an all-time record of 114-6-3 against Minnesota State.