MANKATO — The scoring chances weren’t plentiful early.
The Minnesota State men’s hockey team was spending a lot of time on the puck, but most of that was outside the dots, as Lake Superior State did a good job of clogging up the middle.
“You’re going to have to pay a price against those trees to get inside and make a play,” MSU coach Mike Hastings said.
The Mavericks were able to generate just enough offense in the second half of the game to secure a 3-1 CCHA victory over the Lakers in front of 4,913 fans at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center Saturday night.
MSU won Game 1 of the series 2-1 in overtime Friday night and has won six straight games to start the second half.
After getting only one shot on goal in the first period, Jack Jeffers got the Lakers on the board first early in the second at 2:32. The Mavericks have surrendered the first goal of the game four times during their winning streak.
They were unfazed yet again Saturday and had a much better net-front presence late in the game.
David Silye broke through on the power play at 18:32 of the second to tie it 1-1. Akito Hirose fired a shot from the point that was tipped first by Ryan Sandelin, and then Silye, before going in.
“We’ve matured that way,” Silye said. “In the first half, they would score first, we’d get a little rattled and get off our game. This might be four or five games that they’ve scored first, but we’ve kept our cool and found a way to come back. Happy we’re trending in that direction.”
Added Hastings: “Whether it’s in the locker room or whether it’s on the bench, I haven’t seen our guys get rattled. … Early in the year, we had some bumps in the road dealing with adversity, because it’s something that some of the guys hadn’t experienced in their roles previously.”
Hirose scored the eventual game-winner at 3:46 of the third, a point shot that made it through with the help of a screen from Ondrej Pavel.
Hirose, who scored the overtime winner Friday, has scored in three straight games. He finished with four points on the weekend.
“Whether he has it or he doesn’t have it, he seems to be playing with the same purpose,” Hastings said of Hirose. “He’s got a special hockey sense. Those guys are fun to be around.”
Silye secured the win with an empty-net goal at 19:52.
Shots on goal favored MSU 33-17. Keenan Rancier made 16 saves to get his 10th victory of the season. Rancier has started all six games of the winning streak.
“Keenan’s provided us some stability back there,” Hastings said. “He’s had a good run here in these last six games in the second half.”
The Mavericks (16-9-1, 11-6-1 in CCHA) will travel to Ferris State for a CCHA series next weekend.
Follow Kevin Dudley on Twitter @Dudley7Kevin.