Needham Tallies Four Points as MSU Sweeps Wayne State

WSU 2, MSU 3; WSU 1, MSU 5

by Dan Myers
November 15, 2005

Minnesota State women’s hockey sophomore Noelle Needham entered last weekend’s nonconference series against Wayne State with four career goals in 37 games. But after a three-goal weekend in which the forward tallied four points, Needham scored more points in 24 hours than she did all last season.

The Mavericks also gained a pair of wins, and capped an eight-day stretch with their third win in five games.

Needham’s goal and assist in Friday’s opening game of the series was key in the Mavericks’ 3-2 win. MSU jumped to 2-0 lead after a pair of second period goals by Kristina Bunker and Shera Vis. The goals were just 50 seconds apart, with Bunker’s coming on the power play. It was MSU’s sixth consecutive game with a goal on the power play.

Needham’s goal at 5:11 of the third cemented the victory despite a late charge by the Warriors. After an empty-net goal at 18:57 made the score 3-2, Maverick net minder Laura Brennan shut the door. The junior made 16 saves to earn the victory.

“I’m very proud of Noelle,” head coach Jeff Vizenor said. “I told her after the first game ‘Yesterday was great, but let’s respond with another one’ and she did. She had a couple beautiful goals.”

MSU played a better third period on Saturday and won, going away 5-1. Brittany Mackley was the only player to manage a goal in the first period, but the Mavs jumped to a 4-0 lead on a pair of goals by Needham and the first goal of the weekend by Felicia Nelson. For Nelson, it was her sixth goal of the weekend and the only goal of the weekend by a freshman — noteworthy because the Mavericks two leading scorers (Nelson and Maggie Fisher) were held in check for the first time all season.

“We have a good team this year. We have a great group of players,” Needham said. “[Going under the radar] doesn’t bother us. When everyone contributes, that just shows how good we really are.”

WSU got as close as 4-1 at the end of two but another goal by Bunker, her fourth of the season, rounded out the scoring and gave the Mavericks an important weekend sweep.

“I think [the weekend sweep] was huge for our confidence,” Vizenor said. “To come in and to win a couple games and do some things right and score eight goals — that’s a positive for us.”

MSU returns to conference action this weekend with a road trip to St. Cloud State to take on the Huskies. Face-off at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.