A little bit of puck luck put a lot of bucks in the pocket of a Minnesota State University student whose long shot on the ice between periods of a Mavericks home game last week earned her a cool $30,000.

Morgan Ward stood in her winter boots behind the far blue line Friday night on the Mavericks' home ice in downtown Mankato, gripped the stick and let the puck slide from more than 110 feet and through a gap in a tiny net barely bigger than the puck itself.

The 20-year-old from St. Clair, Minn., got free tickets to the game at the Verizon Center and texted a promotional code for the chance to give the challenge a shot.

"I was there with my boyfriend, and he made me text in," Ward, a junior studying business management, said during an interview with KEYC-TV, Channel 12, in Mankato.

Ward added that she wanted her boyfriend to shoot in her place, but "he's like 'Morgan, there's 30 grand on the line, what do you got to lose?' "

Nick Lewis, director of marketing and community engagement for the university's athletic department, said it was the first time for the one-shot challenge.

Howard Sinker, Star Tribune

The city-owne Verizon Center sponsored the contest, but it will be its insurance company that will pay Ward her winnings, Lewis said.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482