MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State Mavericks (13-19-2, 7-19-2 WCHA) are set to face the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (25-9-1, 19-8-1 WCHA) in the WCHA Quarterfinals at Ridder Arena. The best-of-three series begins Friday at 6 p.m., followed by game two on Saturday at 2 p.m. If necessary, a decisive game three will take place on Sunday at 3 p.m. All games will be streamed live on FOX9+.

This week's matchup features a rematch from 2023-24, in which Minnesota prevailed in three games at Ridder Arena to advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff. The Mavericks took game one of the series 5-4, then fell 7-1 and 3-0 to end their season.

Last Time Out:
The Mavericks closed out their regular season on a high note, sweeping St. Thomas in a home-and-home series.

On Friday, MSU dominated with an 8-3 victory in Mankato. Madison Mashuga, Claire Vekich, Sydney Langseth, Kamryn Van Batavia, Bella Shipley, Alexis Paddington, and Taylor Otremba all found the back of the net.

The Mavericks carried their momentum into Saturday, securing a 3-0 win in St. Paul. Mashuga, Vekich, and Kianna Roeske scored, while Jamie Nelson reached a career milestone with her 100th point.

Goaltender Hailey Hansen was stellar in net, making 41 saves over the weekend with a .931 save percentage.

Scouting the Gophers:
Minnesota enters the series following a sweep over Minnesota Duluth, winning 3-2 on Friday and 1-0 on Saturday.

Offensively, the Gophers are led by Abbey Murphy, who has recorded 25 goals and 27 assists for 52 points this season.

Between the pipes, Hannah Clark has posted a .905 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average.

The last meeting between these two teams took place in Mankato, where the Mavericks fell 5-2. JuliAnna Gazdik and Paddington each scored for MSU in the matchup.