Mankato, Minn.--- The Minnesota State women’s hockey team heads north for its first road trip of the year.  The Mavericks will take on #5 North Dakota in a WCHA conference series beginning Friday at 7:07 p.m. and wrapping up at 2:07 p.m. Saturday afternoon with both games held at Ralph Engelstad Arena.  The will be the first series of the season for UND after MSU finished 0-1-1 against #4 Wisconsin last weekend in Mankato.  North Dakota returns it’s top-four scorers from last season who scored a combined 97 goals a year ago.

North Dakota (0-0-0)	vs.	Mavericks (0-1-1)
43-of-186 (23%)	Power-Play	1-of-3 (33%)
26-of-206 (13%)	Penalty-Kill	1-of-5 (20%)
155	Goals	64
1231	Shots	41
588	Penalty Minutes	25
Jocelyne Lamoureux (34G, 48A) Monique Lamoureux (26G, 45A) Michelle Karvinen (24G, 37A)	Scoring Leaders	Emilia Andersson (1G, 1A) Tracy McCann (1G, 1A) Lauren Zrust (0G, 2A)
Jorid Dagfinrud (1.95 GAA)	Goaltender	Danielle Butters (2.42 GAA)

*UND Final Statistics from 2011-12

North Dakota and MSU History:

• North Dakota finished 3-0-1 against Minnesota State a year ago, including winning 5-3 and 6-1 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
• The Mavericks fell 1-7 and drew a 3-3 tie in OT in two games at All Seasons Arena against UND last season.
• Over the past three seasons, MSU owns a 4-6-1 record against UND and has been outscored 30-46 over that time span.
• Minnesota State still holds the advantage all-time sporting a 21-11-6 record against UND in a series dating back to 2002-03.
• The last Maverick victory over North Dakota in Grand Forks was a 5-3 win on Jan, 29th, 2011.
• Senior forward Lauren Smith scored four of the eight goals MSU put up against the green and white a year ago.
• Minnesota State junior goaltender Danielle Butters collected 18 saves making one start against UND in Grand Forks last season.
• The UND trio of J. Lamoureux-M.  Lamoureux-Karvinen scored a combined 11 goals in four games against the Mavericks last season.
• MSU held the green and white to 5-of- 19 (26%) on the power-play last season, while going 3-for-13 (23%) on the power-play against UND in four games.
• North Dakota peppered the Mavericks 120-to-90 in shots on goal last year, while outscoring Minnesota State 21-8.
• UND returns to Mankato Feb. 1-2 for a two-game series at All Seasons Arena.
• Since 2009-10, four of the twelve games have been decided by a goal or less and eight of the twelve by two goals or less.

University of North Dakota Notes:

• North Dakota posted a 22-12-3 record last season while making it’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA postseason tournament.
• UND returns it’s top-four scorers from last season who collected 56% of the team’s goals last season.
• North Dakota was bounced in the first-round of the NCAA tournament falling to Minnesota 1-5.
• Three skaters recorded 60-plus points for UND last season, led by senior forward Jocelyne Lamoureux who posted 34-48--82.  Lamoureux earned the WCHA scoring title for her performance.
• Twin sister, senior defense Monique Lamoureux, led all North Dakota blue liners with 26-45--71 in the 2011-12 campaign.
• WCHA newcomer of the year, junior forward Michelle Karvinen,  netted 24-37--61 in 36 of 37 games last season.
• Senior goaltender Jorid Dagfinrud is the only UND netminder who has started a game in her collegiate career.  She went 6-4-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .926 save percentage in 13 appearances and nine starts last year.
• Sophomore forward Josefine Jakobsen led all UND freshman with 13-22--35 which also placed her fourth on the team in scoring.
• North Dakota boasts eight seniors and ten total upperclassmen in it’s 26 student-athlete roster.
• UND defeated Bemidji State 3-1, 2-0 in the first round of the WCHA playoffs last season
• Three different skaters helped North Dakota collect a total of eight hat tricks last season.
• UND was 43-of-186 (23%) on the man advantage and held opponents to 26-of-206 (13%) on the penalty kill in the 2011-12 campaign
• With 1,231 shots in 37 games, North Dakota averaged 33.3 shots/game and  limited opponents to 26.7 shots/game
• Inside Ralph Engelstad Arena, North Dakota earned a 15-3-1 record last year.
• UND averaged 6.9 penalties/game and 15.9 penalty minutes/game last season.

In the WCHA: Minnesota State sits second in the WCHA aftering one point in last weekend’s home series against Wisconsin.  MSU continues league play this weekend, while four more WCHA teams open their conference schedule.

What Lies Ahead:  After this weekend, the Mavericks return home for a four-game homestand, including WCHA action against Minnesota-Duluth 10/19-20.

Close, but No Cigar: MSU was 49 seconds away from earning its first home victory over Wisconsin last Friday (9/28) until Katy Josephs tied the game 2-2 as UW had pulled its goalie.  The game would end in a 2-2 tie, but the Badgers earned an additional WCHA point winning the post-overtime shootout 3-2.
 
Strong Out of the Gate: Senior defense Emilia Andersson and junior forward Tracy McCann each tallied a goal and an assist in last weekend’s series against Wisconsin.

Helpers Here, Helpers There:  Senior Lauren Zrust leads Minnesota State with two assists this year. She with Andersson and McCann for the team-lead with two points a piece.

Experience Required: Junior goaltender Danielle Butters is the only goaltender on the MSU roster to have played a collegiate game.  Butters played fantastic in the opening weekend recording 77 total saves including a career-high 41 in last Friday’s 2-2 tie vs. Wisconsin.

Climbing the Ranks: Senior Lauren Smith  is tied for seventh all-time at MSU with 37 career assists.  She needs 15 to tie the all-time record of 52 shared by Christina Lee and Maggie Fischer.  Smith is also eighth in all-time shots (321) and penalties (67) with the MSU career marks at 483 and 90, respectively.

First Time for Everything:  Junior forward Lauren Barnes scored the first Maverick goal of the season off a cross-ice pass form Lauren Smith at 11:48 in the first period of last Friday’s 2-2 tie. Senior defense Emilia Andersson took MSU’s first penalty a two-minute tripping charge at 5:21 in last Friday’s first period.

Statistically Speaking: The Mavericks have been outscored 4-5 in two games this year.  They are 1-of-3 (33%) on the power-play and are limiting opponents to 1-of-5 (20%) on the man advantage.  MSU has been outshot 41-82 up to this point in the seasons.

Strong Blue Line Club:  Minnesota State held #2 Wisconsin - the top scoring offense in the nation a year ago - to 2.5 goals/game in the opening weekend series.  MSU allowed  3.7 goals/game a year ago, while scoring 1.8 goals/game.

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