DULUTH, Minn. – The Minnesota State Mavericks (11-18-2, 5-18-2 WCHA) fell to the No. 6 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (18-11-2, 13-10-2 WCHA) by a score of 8-2 in the first game of the WCHA series Friday afternoon at AMSOIL Arena.

The Bulldogs struck first, scoring a power-play goal in the fifth minute of the game. They added a second tally before the Mavericks responded in the 10th minute, when Claire Vekich found the back of the net, assisted from Alexis Paddington and Jamie Nelson. Minnesota Duluth extended its lead before the first intermission with another goal, making it 3-1 after one period.

Vekich notched her second goal of the game just 54 seconds into the second period on a power play, with assists from Nelson and JuliAnna Gazdik. However, the Bulldogs took control from there, scoring three unanswered goals in the second period and adding two more in the third to seal the victory.

Minnesota State looks to bounce back in game two of the series, set for Saturday at 1:02 p.m. at AMSOIL Arena. The game will be streamed live on FOX9+.