Get to know: Minnesota State women's hockey

In preparation for Hockey Day Minnesota 2019 presented by Wells Fargo, Wild.com will highlight each of the nine teams participating in this year's festivities Jan. 19 in Bemidji. Today, we take a look at the Minnesota State Mavericks Women's hockey team.

The town

Located in the counties of Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur, Mankato is the fift- largest city in Minnesota. Originally named Mahkato, a spelling error was never corrected and soon became Mankato. Now, Mankato is known as the soybean capital of the world and for its Minnesota Stone which is used around the world.
[Hockey Day Minnesota schedule, tickets and more info]

The team

Under the direction of John Harrington, the Mavericks have already won more games this season than they did during any of the head coach's first three campaigns, beginning in 2015. Between a mixture of leadership from upperclassmen and hard work from incoming freshmen, Minnesota State was 8-8-4 heading into this weekend's series against No. 2 Minnesota.

The matchup

The Mavericks will face off against the hometown Bemidji State Beavers in Hockey Day 2019's first afternoon game. This will be the first of three clashes in a row between Minnesota State and Bemidji State, as the two teams will meet in Mankato the weekend following Hockey Day. With the Beavers sporting a 7-13-1 record heading into the weekend, an even WCHA affair is expected on Hockey Day. The Mavericks have lost their past five games, with two ending in shootouts. The Beavers have won four of their last five games.
It'll be Minnesota State's second Hockey Day appearance but first on outdoor ice; two years ago, the Mavericks lost 4-3 at St. Cloud State.

Players to watch

Senior forward Corbin Boyd leads the Mavericks with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 20 games played and is tied for 19th in the conference in scoring . Senior forward Rebekah Kolstad has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 20 games played this season. Abigail Levy, Minnesota State's lone goaltender to play this season, has made 580 saves, has a .948 save percentage and limits Maverick opponents to 1.57 goals per game in her freshman debut.
Related:
- Full circle: Sargent enjoys retirement in Bemidji, where it all began - Get to know: Andover boys hockey - For Serratore brothers, every day is Hockey Day