Saturday, December 14, 2019

Wildcats 4, Mavericks 1

Freddy's three thoughts (from afar):

1. Berger Time: Jacob Berger made his college debut in goal on Saturday and got off to a good start. But two goals on six shots in the second period, combined with having to kill 13 minutes worth of penalties, made it a less-than-memorable experience for the sophomore. After giving up the game-winning power-play goal late in the second period, Dryden McKay returned and faced just four shots the rest of the way. Northern Michigan added two late empty-net goals.

2. Streak ends: Minnesota State's impressive 10-game winning streak came to an end with the series split at Marquette. Credit Wildcats goaltender Nolan Kent for his 30-save performance, along with some shut-down defense by Northern Michigan once it got the 2-1 lead. The Mavericks finished 0 for 4 on the power play, while the Wildcats were 1 for 5. The loss was MSU's first since Nov. 1 and just its second of the season. It was also the Mavericks' first road loss of the season.

3. Idle chat: The Mavericks will be off next week and return to play at the Mariucci Classic on Dec. 28-29 at Minnesota. They'll start that tournament against St. Cloud State and will play either host Minnesota or Bemidji State in the second game. The Mavericks are 15-2-1 at the halfway point of the season and will look to get their road game back on track in a couple of weeks. Including the games at the U, six of their next eight games will be away from Mankato.

Read my game story here.

Around the WCHA: Clarkson 4, Michigan Tech 2 ... Bowling Green 2, Lake Superior State 1 ... Alabama Huntsville at Ferris State.

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