No. 3 Mavericks split at Ferris State

Coming off a historic weekend for the Minnesota State men’s hockey team, the Mavericks slipped up and managed to split against Ferris State on the road.

In Friday’s contest, goaltender Dryden McKay was peppered with shots, facing the most shots he has all season with 30.

Despite a slow first period, the Bulldogs wasted little time in the second period, scoring just 51 seconds into the period.

The Mavericks turned the puck over in an offensive rush that led to a Ferris State odd man rush, with Bradley Marek scoring on the one-timer.

Ferris State struck again at the 8:12 marker, when Marek gobbled up a rebound for his second goal of the game.

Just a few minutes later, Nathan Smith brought the Mavericks within one with when he split the defenders following a give and go from Sam Morton for Smith’s fifth goal of the season.

That’s all that the Mavericks were able to manage against the Bulldogs, dropping their first contest to Ferris State since 2016 and snapping the 16 game winning streak.

Minnesota State wasn’t going to let that slow them down on Saturday, coming out and looking much more like the Maverick team we all know.

Although Ferris State struck first three minutes into the second period, the Mavericks rallied back and fought their way back in it.

Cade Borchardt tied the game up for the Mavericks when he grabbed the rebound right in front of the crease, lifting it over the Ferris State netminder on the powerplay.

Reggie Lutz was the next to find the back of the net on the powerplay, firing from the slot and earning him the eventual game-winning goal.

Less than 20 seconds later, David Silye made a diving effort in front of the net to score his first goal of the year and first as a Maverick.

Borchardt went on to score his second goal of the game, and Ondrej Pavel sealed the game for the Mavericks with a goal at the 18:39 mark in the third period.

McKay made 19 saves throughout the night, seeing the bulk of work in the second period facing 11 shots and 10 saves.

The bounce back game was needed for the Mavericks to keep their spot in the top five in the nation, although they have dropped down to No. 3 behind No. 2 Michigan, and No. 1 St. Cloud State.