MANKATO, Minn. – No. 14 Minnesota State Mavericks (15-17-2, 9-17-2 WCHA) travel to AMSOIL Arena this weekend for the WCHA Quarterfinals, where they will face the No. 9 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (19-12-3, 15-10-3 WCHA) in a best-of-three series.
Game one is set for Friday at 2 p.m., followed by game two on Saturday at 1 p.m. If necessary, a decisive game three will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. All games will be streamed live on B1G+.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Minnesota Duluth enters the weekend ranked No. 9 in the national polls and No. 4 in the WCHA standings. The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive sweep of No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers, earning a 3-2 win on Friday and a 2-1 victory on Saturday.
Sophomore Caitlin Kramer leads the Bulldogs offensively with 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points. In net, Eve Gascon anchors between the posts with a .940 save percentage and a 1.87 goals-against average.
Last Time Out
The Mavericks closed out the regular season on a high note with a road sweep of St. Thomas Tommies.
On Friday, Minnesota State pulled away in the third period for a 5-2 victory at St. Thomas Ice Arena. After entering the final frame tied 2-2, the Mavericks scored three unanswered goals to secure the win. Sophie Stramel netted the go-ahead goal early in the third, while Mercury Bischoff extended the lead with her 18th goal of the season, tying the program record for goals by a freshman in a single season. Kamryn Van Batavia added a power-play goal to seal the victory. Hailey Hansen made 23 saves in net.
Saturday's matchup delivered even more drama. The Mavericks earned a 4-3 overtime win, capped by Kianna Roeske's game-winning goal just 18 seconds into overtime. Minnesota State received goals from Ayla Puppe, Sophie Stramel, and Mercury Bischoff in regulation before Roeske sealed the sweep.
Bischoff leads the Mavericks with 29 points, and her 19 goals rank seventh in the WCHA. Her even-strength tally on Saturday set a Minnesota State freshman record for goals in a season.
Series History
Minnesota State holds a 12-95-12 all-time record against Minnesota Duluth. The two teams last met earlier this season, skating to a 0-0 tie on Friday before the Bulldogs claimed a 3-0 win on Saturday.
