Minnesota Vs. Minnesota State: For the third time this season, the Gophers will face an in-state rival when Minnesota State comes to town on Friday and Saturday. The Mavericks swept Minnesota in Mankato last year, dropping the Gophers out of the national rankings. That series also marked the last time Minnesota was swept in the regular season. This weekend, the Gophers will look to earn their first home win against Minnesota State since Nov. 10, 2007. The Mavericks have not played a two-game series at Mariucci Arena since Oct. 21-22, 2005. Though Minnesota is 29-8-6 with a 13-3-6 home record all-time against Minnesota State, the Gophers' current senior class is only 2-5-1 against the Mavericks with an 0-2-1 record at home.
About The Mavericks: Looking to end of a three-year string of losing seasons, injury-riddled Minnesota State has gotten off to a 3-10-1 start overall with a 2-7-1 WCHA record. Without the services of top 2010-11 rookie Chase Grant since Oct. 21 after the sophomore was lost for the year with a torn labrum, the Mavericks earned series splits at Michigan Tech and at home against St. Cloud before being swept at red-hot Minnesota-Duluth.
Just like Minnesota, the Mavericks lost a one-goal game last Friday before rallying for a tie on Saturday against Alaska Anchorage. Minnesota State, though, erased a 5-1 deficit in the final 28:30 of regulation to tie the score. The Mavericks are led in scoring by freshmen Jean-Paul Lafontaine (7g-3a) and Matt Leitner (4g-6a), who each have 10 points. Eriah Hayes leads Minnesota State, the fifth-most penalized team in the country, in penalty minutes with 44, but is also third on the team with nine points (4g-5a). Redshirt senior netminder Austin Lee is 3-7-0 with a 3.33 goals against average and a .907 save percentage in goal for the Mavericks. Junior Phil Cook, who saved 79 of 82 shots in two wins against the Gophers last year and freshman Evan Karambelas have also seen time between the pipes.
