The No. 8 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team extended its current win streak to four games Friday night with a 5-4 triumph over Minnesota State University, Mankato in Mankato, Minn. at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.

Two players logged two points, including Kylie Hanley, who had a goal and an assist and Kailee Skinner with two assists, while five different players scored a goal for the Bulldogs.   UMD has now netted five goals for a second time in three games and has scored four or more goals over their past three skates.  With the win, the Bulldogs also took over third place in Western Collegiate Hockey Association and now have a two point lead over Ohio State University, who faces Wisconsin in a Saturday-Sunday series this weekend in Madison, Wisc.

The Bulldogs flexed familiar first period offense Friday night, this time in the form of Ryleigh Houston's third goal of the year at 8:59, and 35 seconds later, McKenzie Hewett tipped Hanley's shot to push UMD's lead to 2-0.

MSU's Kelsey King got on the board in the second period at 5:38 mark, capitalizing on Bulldog turnover along the boards.  Hanley responded again with another blast from the point that found the twine all on its own at the 10:49, and UMD took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.

The furious third period saw five goals registered, starting with Sydney Brodt forcing a turnover and burying the effort shorthanded at 2:51 -- Brodt's second shorthanded goal in as many games.  The Mavericks did pull out a goal on the end of the same power play 34 seconds later, and struck again when Brooke Bryant finished off a 3-on-1 at 8:22 to cut UMD's lead to a single goal at 4-3.  But Gabbie Hughes backhanded the puck past MSU goaltender Abigail Levy at 10:50 to notch the Bulldogs' fifth goal of the night, her team-leading 18th tally in the process.

Jessica Kondas scored one last goal at 14:24 to round out the offensively explosive period, but UMD picked up the win, and the PairWise rise, in the end.

Maddie Rooney had 24 saves in the contest for UMD, who had the slight shots on goal advantage of 29-28.  Levy had 24 stops for the Mavericks, who went 1-of-3 on the power play but fall to 11-15-5 and 4-14-3 in WCHA.

UMD -- 16-9-4 overall and 11-7-3 in league action -- will try to earn the series sweep tomorrow afternoon.  The puck is scheduled to drop at 3:07 p.m.