Strong win after shaky start to series

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer

Minnesota State’s Women’s Hockey team played their last home series of the 2022-23 season this past weekend. The team concluded the weekend with a dominant 4-0 win over interstate rival, Bemidji State, after coming out with a sloppy 3-2 win Friday night.

A lot was on the line in this series for the Mavericks, who needed as many points as they could get in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) standings with just four conference games left in the season. The Mavs wanted to settle for nothing less than two wins, considering they were five points behind St. Cloud State at the beginning of the week.

With their two regulation wins and the Huskies only earning one point against Minnesota Duluth this past weekend, Minnesota State now controls their own destiny while locked at 30 points with St. Cloud. As for this past weekend, the Mavericks dug deep and got it done.

Junior forward, Madison Mashuga, got the Mavs rolling Friday night with an early goal just four minutes into the contest. Mashuga entered the zone on a two-on-one chance with senior defenseman,

Charlotte Akervik. With back and forth passing the two tapped one home to earn a 1-0 lead. Minnesota State would eventually go down in the game, and would look to climb out of a one goal deficit heading into the third period.

Knowing they had to score early and often, senior forward, Kelsey King, got the ball rolling for the Mavericks, scoring her team-leading 12th goal of the season just over three minutes into the frame. It did not take long for MSU to score again, as Mashuga tallied her second goal of the night to give the Mavericks a 3-2 lead. Minnesota State held onto that lead for the remainder of the contest, earning a crucial three points toward the WCHA standings. Saturday’s contest was an entirely different story for the Mavs, who dominated from beginning to end on their Senior Day. Despite not scoring in the first or third periods, a four-goal second frame propelled the Mavericks to a series sweep over Bemidji and six points in the standings.

King commented on the Mavericks’ success Saturday, stating, “I feel like we learned a lot from yesterday and that had a part to do with our success. We reassessed, reevaluated, and kept each other accountable.”

Saturday also marked Senior Day for Minnesota State, a celebration of the team’s seniors who are unsure or do not plan on returning to the team next season. King was quick to say that Saturday’s performance, “brought extra motivation to play for the people next to you.”

Fellow team member and one of the “three stars of the game,” Shelbi Guttormson, said she was playing for King that day.

With both teams coming up empty in the first period of play, it paved the way for a big second period for the Mavericks. Guttormson got things going for the Mavs, scoring a beautiful top-shelf shot from the right circle.

Guttormson’s goal lit the Mavericks on fire for the remainder of the period, as they would continue to put up three more goals before the second expired. The sophomore defenseman explained after the game that despite being a defenseman, her experience as a forward helped her bury the first goal of the game.

If you did not watch the Super Bowl, first, I will ask you: what were you doing instead? And second, I am sorry, because this year’s game was incredible. Being someone who watched the 13-3 abomination that was Patriots vs. Rams in 2019, having such a high-scoring game with a lot of offense was all I wanted.

However, I did not think that the Eagles’ elite defense would allow that to happen. The Chiefs’ offensive line is very good, but if you told me that they were not going to allow a sack in the Super Bowl, I would have laughed in your face. But that is just what they did. The Chiefs’ offensive line DOMINATED the Super Bowl, keeping their banged up quarterback safe and allowing him to pick apart the Eagles secondary as needed.

The biggest thing that made this Chiefs victory possible was the fact that this game became a shootout. As my great colleague Luke Jackson once said, “Don’t be surprised when the Eagles only allow one score once again.” Well, my friend, I am APPALLED. The Eagles’ defense allowed their second-highest point total of the year when it mattered the most, and it killed them. Darius was slain, and their defensive line crumbled along with their hopes of raising the Lombardi trophy.

Before I get to the Super Bowl MVP, I need to at least mention Isiah Pacheco. He led both teams in rushing, with 76 yards, and even added a touchdown in the third quarter. Aside from Pacheco, Travis Kelce made his presence felt too, catching six passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, and winning the Kelce Bowl. Juju Smith-Schuster also decided to contribute to the group project, and actually earned his A