Men’s hockey splits versus Bowling Green, women’s sweeps Merrimack
Mel Stramm
Staff Writer
The Minnesota State men’s hockey team dropped their first game of the season, but they quickly recovered and split the series with a 5-1 win Nov. 2 against No. 18 Bowling Green.
Last week’s top scorer, senior winger Charlie Gerard, opened the game up on a powerplay goal three minutes into the first period. Seniors Parker Tuomie and Marc Michaelis were credited with an assist.
Junior winger Reggie Lutz received a pass from junior Connor Mackey and sophomore Julian Napravnik and shot a backhander into the net, extending the lead to 2-0.
The Falcons cut the lead in half by the end of the first period and eventually evened it out five minutes into the second period.
Neither team was able to score in the third period, forcing the game into overtime. Overall, shots between both teams stayed even with 33 each.
In overtime, The Falcons took advantage of the Mackey tripping powerplay and managed to score at the 3:15 mark, leading to the first loss at home for the Mavericks since Jan. 19.
Sophomore Dryden McKay saved 30 shots but was handed his first loss of the season.
Tensions were high going into Saturday’s game and MSU surely delivered.
Mackey finished a three-on-two rush with a goal nine minutes into the first period.
The Falcons then answered with a short-handed goal and tied up the score.
Before the end of the first, the German duo of senior captain Marc Michaelis and Tuomie connected on the powerplay. This goal was Michaelis’ fifth goal of the season and put MSU up 2-1. This was also Tuomie’s 100th career point at Minnesota State.
After a scoreless second period, the Mavericks scored three times in the third.
Junior Jared Spooner scored his first goal of the season at the 9:06 mark, followed that was a goal from Napravnik, who picked up a loose puck at mid-ice and shot it top shelf.
The final goal of the weekend was shot by Gerard on a Maverick power play, making this his fifth goal of the season and fifth within these last four games.
McKay made 23 saves throughout this game and MSU outshot the Falcons by a 30-24 margin. Junior winger Dallas Gerads finished the night with a career-high three assists.
Minnesota State is now 6-1-1 overall and 3-1-0 WCHA. They will travel to Houghton, Michigan to take on the Michigan Tech Huskies on Nov. 8-9 in its next action.
The women took the series against Merrimack College, extending their winning streak to four games.
On Friday, the first period remained scoreless until the warriors scored twice in the second period.
The Mavericks tied the game up with two goals within a minute span.
First, sophomore winger Brooke Bryant hit a slap shot from the right face-off circle, followed by forward Mariah Gardner, who gathered a loose puck and scored her fourth goal of the season.
MSU then took the lead in the third period, scoring two more goals.
Assisted by senior Emily Anthony, freshman Kelsey King shot the puck right into the top shelf at 7:49 minutes.
Gardner then extended that lead, scoring her second goal of the game.
Merrimack scored another goal by the end of the third, but the Mavericks eventually won the game 4-3 – outshooting the Warriors by a 39-22 margin.
The first 20 minutes of the Saturday game were packed with action, with four total goals.
The Warriors opened the scoring, but the Mavericks did not wait long to respond.
Sophomore winger Madison Oelkers picked up the puck deep in the defensive zone and eventually put it into the net.
Then, sophomore blueliner Anna Wilgren extended the lead to 2-1.
Merrimack would score on the power play right before the end of the first, tying it up 2-2 going into second.
MSU scored once in the second period, as sophomore Claire Butorac put the puck into the net for the fourth time this season.
The second half of the last period saw some more action, as three goals were scored – two from MSU.
Minnesota State stayed on top with goals from Wilgren and King, putting the final score at 5-3.
Freshman goalie Calla Frank tallied her second consecutive win and made 20 saves throughout the game.
The Mavericks improved their record to 6-4-2 (2-4-2 WCHA) and will enjoy a week off before traveling to play No. 1 Wisconsin on Nov. 16-17 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Header photo: Minnesota State forward Mariah Gardner (16) takes the puck down the ice during a hockey game against Merrimack College at the Mankato Civic Center Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Kjerstin Hall/MSU Reporter)