Box Score MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. --- Minnesota State trailed by one goal with two minutes left in the second period, but two Golden Gophers markers late in the stanza helped carry top-ranked Minnesota to a 4-0 victory before 6,623 fans in the 2014 Hockey City Classic at TCF Bank Stadium Friday evening.
 
The affair was the first modern-era NCAA Division I hockey game to be played outdoors in the state of Minnesota. The defeat drops MSU to 9-16-0 overall and 4-15-0 in Western College Hockey Association play, while Minnesota moves to 21-1-1 on the year and 15-1-1 within the conference.
 
The lone goal of the first period came on the only power-play opportunity of the frame. Minnesota senior Sarah Davis dished a backdoor feed to junior Meghan Lorence who buried a goal into the left side at 5:24 giving the Golden Gophers a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Senior netminder Danielle Butters (London, Ont.) withstood pressure for most of the period totaling 17 saves for the Mavericks.
 
Butters continued to hold her own between the pipes in the second period, totaling 16 additional saves in the frame, but Minnesota tacked on two more goals in the final two minutes of the stanza to claim a 3-0 lead. Junior Rachael Bona took a centering pass from Davis and slipped it between Butters' pads at 18:00, before Davis notched a power-play goal at 19:11 on a chance that deflected off the crossbar and across the goal line.
 
With 1:07 remaining in the contest, junior Jordyn Burns completed the 4-0 final when she picked up a loose puck in the slot and finished upstairs for her first goal of the season.
 
Butters racked up double-digit saves in each period and ended with a game-high 47 stops. Minnesota sophomore Amanda Leveille turned away all 19 shots she faced as the Golden Gophers converted on two-of-three power-play chances on the evening.
 
Minnesota State and Minnesota will take a day off before completing the home-and-home series Sunday in Mankato. The puck is set to drop at 1:07 p.m., inside All Seasons Arena.