Mankato elementary students fill arena to support Mavericks

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - MSU women’s hockey had a few new fans cheering them on for Friday’s game against St. Thomas.

More than 1,300 elementary schoolers in the Mankato area spent the day watching the Mavericks.

The arena was filled with Mankato Area Public Schools students grades three through five in a partnership between the school district and MSU that aims to get kids interested in sports and their local colleges.

Teachers with the effort said that the partnership also gives kids the chance to see and relate to their local athletes, hoping to inspire them to follow their own dreams.

“I want them to take away that they can do anything, Jefferson Elementary fifth grade teacher Taylor Bargason said. ”This shows them what they can do when they grow up and that they can do these things and maybe they see someone out there that looks exactly like them and that they just know that they can achieve great things.“

The Mavericks would go on to lose to St. Thomas 2-1 in overtime.

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