MANDAN, ND – It might not have been a win on the scoreboard but the turnaround from the previous night had to feel like a victory. One night after suffering a sizeable defeat on the road to open a home and home series, the University of Mary hockey team earned a 1-1 draw on the Marauders home ice against Minot State University.
The Marauders, the top-ranked team in the ACHA Division II West region in their inaugural season of play, suffered an 8-1 loss Friday against the Beavers, an ACHA Division I national tournament semifinalist the previous two seasons. It was the first-ever matchup between the two schools.
Outstanding defense and the play of
Aaron Nelson in net keyed the dramatic turnaround for the Marauders. Nelson made 29 saves on the night in what is the Marauders second tie of the season.
UMary was outshot 30-20 in the game and was 0-for-2 on the power play. Minot State failed to score on its lone power play attempt.
Minot State took the upper hand early on. Just 2:45 into the contest Dylan Gejdos opened the scoring for a 1-0 Beavers lead.
Immediately the Marauders buckled down defensively and eventually pulled even.
Ben Kottmeier scored unassisted at 16:54 to knot the score at 1-1.
Those two goals would stand the rest of the game, including a scoreless overtime session.
The Marauders are 24-2-2 this season. UMary next visits Montana State University on Dec. 7-8 before returning home for three straight games on Dec. 13-15.
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