DULUTH, Minn. —  Minnesota State junior Ava Guillemette broke a 1-1 tie by crashing the net off a faceoff at 8:28 of the second period to score her seventh goal of the year and propel Minnesota State to a 2-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth in the third and final game of the opening round of the WCHA Playoffs. 

The win – Minnesota State's 17th of the season – secured the Mavericks a spot in the 2026 Kwik Trip Final Faceoff next weekend in St. Paul, Minn., its first appearance in the event since 2009.  The 17 wins also establishes a new single-season record for Minnesota State.  

Senior Kianna Roeske struck first for the Mavericks as she found the back of the net at 3:41 of the first.  Minnesota Duluth tied the game at one in the waning minutes of the first period to knot the game at one.  

Junior goaltender Hailey Hansen turned in yet another outstanding performance in net as she stopped 41 of the 42 shots she faced.  Over the course of the three-game series, Hansen stopped 140 of the 144 shots she faced. 

"I am really proud of the way we competed today," said head coach Shari Dickerman. "Right off the opening faceoff we were pushing pace and playing our brand of hockey. Hailey was once again great in net and our defense did a good job of forcing plays to the outside and not giving up many second chance opportunities. I am grateful for another week with this group with the goal of winning a couple of games next weekend and extending our season into the NCAA tournament."  

Minnesota State heads to Lee & Penny Anderson Arena in St. Paul to face Wisconsin in the semifinals of the Kwik Trip Final Faceoff on Thursday March 5 for a puck drop at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed on B1G+ and Fox9+.