Mavericks 5, Huskies 4, OT

It's been awhile since the Mavericks have had the kind of good, come-from-behind win they've been known for.. Not once this season had Minnesota State won a game when trailing after two periods, nor had they won an overtime game.

Twenty seconds into OT, Kael Mouillierat scored to give MSU a 5-4 win as well as a leg up in the WCHA tournament's first-round series. It was Mouillierat's second goal of the game, as he also had a short-handed goal in third period that helped the Mavericks erase a 3-1 deficit in the final 20 minutes of regulation (the Huskies led 3-0 late in the second).

Geoff Irwin's amazing desperation goal with three-tenths of a second left in the third period sent it to overtime.

Irwin finished with a three-point game, and Jerad Stewart had two assists, giving the top line of seniors seven points.

"The seniors, obviously, stepped up big," coach Troy Jutting said. "I've said it a million times: I'm a firm believer that the old guys have to step up at this time of the year."

Evan Mosey scored a power-play goal with 28 seconds left in the second and Andrew Sackrison also had a goal for the Mavericks. Ben Youds had two assists, including a pretty, patient pass on Mouillierat's shorty. Goalie Phil Cook finished with 27 saves, including 12 in the first period when the Huskies were really buzzing.

Notes: The Mavericks are now 8-1-1 in their last 10 games at the National Hockey Center. ... Minnesota State has now won the first game of its first-round playoff series four times since its last trip to the Final Five in 2003. All of them have been in overtime. ... The Mavericks were the only road team in the WCHA to win tonight.

Read The Free Press' game story here.