Mavericks shut out Gophers to reach 1st Frozen Four in program history
Minnesota State-Mankato Athletics
The Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time in program history as they shut out the top-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-0 in the West Regional Final.
Sunday night's matchup started with a flurry from the Mavericks as Sam Morton and Ryan Sandelin scored to give MSU-Mankato a 2-0 lead.
That advantage held up through the second period as Mavericks goaltender Dryden McKay kept the Gophers out of the net with 17 saves on the night.
As Minnesota struggled to find itself offensively, Nathan Smith scored in the third period and Dallas Gerads added an empty-net goal to begin the celebration for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks, who picked up their first NCAA tournament victory in program history on Saturday night, will join Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State in Pittsburgh for the Frozen Four. It will be the first time since 1992 that one state has had three schools in the Frozen Four.
The national semifinals will take place on Apr. 8 with the Mavericks taking on the Huskies while UMD will square off with Massachusetts.
