chance efforts not enough as Mavs fall to Huskies

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By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer

A rough series on the defensive front paved the way for the Minnesota State Women’s Hockey team to lose 3-6 and 2-5 this past weekend against St. Cloud State. Tied at 30 points in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) standings, the two women’s hockey programs dueled it out for the WCHA’s fifth seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

Minnesota State got the best of St. Cloud earlier in the year, winning 3-1 and 4-1 at home to earn the season series edge on the Huskies. Coming into this past weekend, all the Mavericks had to do was win once in regulation and they would’ve clinched the fifth seed.

With the No. 12 Huskies de- fending home ice and looking to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Mavericks, SCSU spoiled MSU’s hopes of topping off one of their best regular seasons in program history.

Minnesota State got on the board first Friday night, off the stick of junior forward Jamie Nelson. After the Mavericks won a faceoff in the offensive zone, the puck slid out to Nelson’s stick and with a swift motion, Nelson buried it for the first goal of the series.

After that, it was all Huskies who rattled off five straight goals before MSU found one of their own. St. Cloud State’s Klára Hymlárová boosted the charge for the Huskies along the way, tallying two of the team’s five goals.

Despite a power play goal to start the third period for St. Cloud State, the Mavericks found