Mavericks 4, Seawolves 0

Anchorage Daily News

It might be a tad early to call Saturday's game a must-win, but it certainly was an important one, as Minnesota State left Anchorage with three points.

The victory was a nice rebound from a tough tie on Friday in which MSU blew a two-goal lead late in the third period. It also snapped a four-game WCHA winless streak.

Zach Palmquist scored two goals, and Matt Leitner had a two-point game, including a goal, for the Mavericks. Evan Mosey scored the other MSU goal.

Freshman goaltender Stephon Williams stopped 18 shots for his fourth shutout of the season.

The Mavericks led 1-0 after the first period and open things up with three goals in the second when they also outshot the Seawolves 14-3. For the game, they outshot UAA 28-18.

MSU scored two power-play goals and held the Seawolves scoreless on six power plays, including four in the first period. Anchorage had a first-period goal disallowed after video review determined that an Anchorage player was in the crease and interfered with Williams — a good break for the Mavericks,  considering the bad one they got on the replay a week earlier in Mankato.

The win moved MSU up to a tie for sixth place in the WCHA standings and within three points of first place in a crazy-tight race.

Here's Minnesota State's recap, which includes video of Mike Hastings' postgame comments. Read the Anchorage Daily News coverage here.

WCHA standings

1. Minnesota 22 points

1. St. Cloud State 22

3. Nebraska Omaha 20

3. Denver 20
3. North Dakota 20

6. Minnesota Duluth 19

6. Minnesota State 19

7. Wisconsin 17

9. Colorado College 15
10. Bemidji State 12
10. Michigan Tech 12
12. Alaska Anchorage 6