MANKATO, Minn. — Hannah Davidson scored the winning goal at 14:21 of the third period to push Minnesota State past visiting Lindenwood 3-2 on Sunday.
It was the first win since October for MSU (3-15-1) and broke a string of four straight losses.
“We started well,” Mavericks coach John Harrington said. “For having not played for over a month, I was encouraged by the way we came out and the way we did things. Certainly to win a game as we start the second half of the season was exciting for our girls.”
The sophomore from Kincardine, Ontario, camped out in front of Lions goalie Nicole Hensley and got her stick on a Megan Hinze shot from the point for her fifth goal of the season.
“We got caught on a couple of icings there and got hemmed in,” Lindenwood coach Scott Spencer said. “They had a good two or three minutes there where they strung a couple good shifts together.”
Hensley finished with 26 saves for the Lions (4-13-4), but had little chance on any of the goals allowed. Brianna Quade earned her third win of the season while making 25 stops.
The Mavericks went ahead with two goals a minute apart midway through the first period. Captain Katie Johnson opened the scoring, and Savannah Quandt’s first tally of the year doubled the lead.
“We can talk about the offensive zone and winning those puck battles in front of the net; it’s the same at the other end,” Spencer said. “We’ve got to win those ones as well. I think the first one was a tip that snuck through people — that should be blocked. The game-winner was a lost battle in front of the net. The second one was us backing in and setting up about five screens for the kid to pick her spot, and she made good on her chance.”
The Lions fought back with a couple of quick strikes of their own in the middle frame. Shara Jasper got her team on the board when she popped in a rebound for her 13th goal of the season. Just 51 seconds later, Brittania Gillanders went in alone on Quade and slipped the puck through the five hole.
“I thought we sagged a little in the second period,” Harrington said. “I think we got a little bit full of ourselves after that first period with a 2-0 lead and let them get back into the game. But we kept working hard at it.”
Eventually, his team’s top line came through.
“It was a game that could have gone either way, and we got the great goal to win it there close to the end,” Harrington said.
The teams complete their series with a rematch at 2:07 p.m. CST on Monday.
“We really do have to be grittier in those dirty areas to start winning some hockey games,” Spencer said.
