MANKATO, Minn. — No. 15 Minnesota State (2-2-0, 0-2-0) lost to No. 13 St. Cloud State (4-0-0, 2-0-0) 3-0 Saturday at Mayo Clinic HSEC. The Mavericks outshot St. Cloud State 33-23 but were held scoreless in a back and forth game. The two teams went blow for blow across the first two periods with both netminders standing firm before the Huskies scored three goals in the third to pull away and sweep the series. The Mavericks were unable to score on the power play.
Sophie Stramel won a team-high 13 faceoffs and put four shots on goal.
Audrey Garton went 9-for-15 on faceoffs and added two blocked shots, marking the third consecutive game she has blocked two or more shots.
Mika Cichosz recorded a team-high three blocked shots and has now recorded at least three blocked shots in two consecutive games.
Hailey Hansen finished with 20 saves in the losing effort.
The Mavericks generated repeated first-period chances and earned two early power plays, but the first period finished without a goal.
Mia Miller put the first shot on Alexis Ehrman, and the Mavericks followed with looks from
Lauren Zawoyski,
Ava Guillemette,
Zoe Lopez, Stramel,
Ayla Puppe and
Mercury Bischoff across their two advantages. St. Cloud State pushed back midway through the period, including a power play after Stramel's holding penalty at 11:15, but Hansen made the needed saves while Garton and Lopez blocked attempts during the kill. The Mavericks added another late flurry from
Bella Shipley,
Tori Anderson and Zawoyski in the final four minutes, but the teams went to intermission after a scoreless first period.
St. Cloud State opened the second period with early pressure, putting several attempts toward Hansen before Jasmine Hovda hit the pipe at 4:24. The Mavericks kept the period scoreless while recording 22 shot attempts and limiting St. Cloud State to 13, and Stramel later blocked a shot at 7:24. The Mavericks answered with a sustained middle stretch, putting five shots on goal before earning a power play at 10:24. Zawoyski hit the pipe during the skater advantage but they couldn't beat Ehrman. The Mavericks continued to create chances late, including attempts from Bischoff,
Neely Hawn and Miller in the final two minutes before the period ended 0-0. Through two periods the teams were evenly matched, leading to a critical third period in a game where it felt like whoever broke the ice would win the game.
St. Cloud State generated the early third-period pressure, hitting the pipe and having Marie Moran's shot blocked by Garton before the Mavericks went to the penalty kill on Anderson's interference minor. Maria Mikaelyan wasted little time and scored on the advantage at 5:48. The Mavericks challenged the play for offsides but it was an unsuccessful challenge. The Mavericks tilited the ice after the goal with a stretch of pressure that included shots from
Makayla Moran and Hawn saved by Ehrman. After an
Anika Stromme high-sticking penalty in the Maverick defensive zone, Alice Sauriol added another St. Cloud State power-play goal, finding a loose puck in the crease and putting it home. The Mavericks' ensuing power play opened the door for the Mavericks to get back in the game and produced two Stramel chances but no goal. Mikaelyan scored again for her fifth goal of the series at even strength at 17:06 to effectively end the game and the series.
Special teams was the story of the series as five of the Huskies eight goals came on the power play while the Mavericks only found the back of the net once on the skater advantage. The top line of Sauriol, Sofianna Sundelin, and Mikaelyan produced six of the eight goals and all three in the finale.
Up next, the Mavericks visit the reigning national champion Wisconsin on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin.
3 Stars of the Game:
1. SCSU #33 Alexis Ehrman
2. SCSU #44 Maria Mikaelyan
3. SCSU #4 Alice Sauriol
