McMahon caps off Bulldogs rally for 4-3 overtime win at Minnesota State

MANKATO — No. 7-ranked Minnesota Duluth rallied from a two-goal deficit, scoring three unanswered goals to defeat Minnesota State 4-3 in overtime in WCHA play Friday in Makanto.

Mannon McMahon, Gabbie Hughes, Mary Kate O’Brien and Gabby Krause scored for the Bulldogs, who fell behind 3-1 midway through the second period.

Resilient would be the name of the game,” Bulldogs coach Maura Crowell said. “We faced adversity right off the hop with them scoring early. It felt like we were chasing it the whole time. I love the way we came into that third period, in particular. That's a good amount of pressure, and we've been dealing with pressure for weeks now. Staring it in the eye there, I like the way we attack that period with some big plays.”

O’Brien, a sophomore center, pulled UMD within one via a snipe before the second intermission, but Hughes didn’t tie the game until there was just 3:53 left in regulation. The fifth-year senior center scored unassisted off an MSU turnover, beating Mavs junior goaltender Lauren Barbro one-on-one in front of the net.

McMahon, a senior center, scored the game-winner 3:04 into the 3-on-3 overtime period. She registered her ninth goal of the season by putting away a rebound that came off an initial chance by junior wing Clara Van Wieren.

“Really happy to get the win in overtime,” Crowell said. “This is a tough place to play. That's a tough team to play against. You can look at the shot chart and say, ‘Wow, UMD must have had the puck the whole time.’ When they get their opportunities, they're really good looks. A lot of them were coming off of odd-man rushes, which we need to clean up.”

Senior forward Claire Butorac and senior forward Kelsey King scored in the first period while senior defenseman Charlotte St. Akervik gave the Mavericks a two-goal lead in the second.

Barbro made 37 saves on 41 shots for the Mavericks while Hailey MacLeod stopped 15 of the 18 shots she faced, getting the start Friday over fifth-year senior starter and national goaltender of the year semifinalist Emma Soderberg.

The Bulldogs were without fifth-year senior center Kylie Hanley for the second consecutive game due to a lower body injury. Crowell said Hanley continues to be day-to-day for UMD and has not been ruled out for the season after pulling up and leaving the ice against Minnesota a week ago.