The Bemidji State University women’s hockey team opened its final regular road series with St. Cloud State University by defeating the Huskies (10-22-2, 5-18-0-0 WCHA) 4-2 Friday night in St. Cloud. Sophomores Clair DeGeorge (1g-1a), Mak Langei (0g-2a) and junior Jacqueline Kaasa (1g-1a) each posted two points for the Beavers (12-17-2, 9-10-2-0 WCHA) in the win.
With the win, the Beavers garnered three points in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings and trail fourth place University of Minnesota Duluth by just two points for home playoff seeding.
The Huskies didn’t take long to strike first when Laura Kluge was left open in the slot and scored her fourth goal of the season just 1:48 into the opening period. The Beavers answered quickly however, when Kaasa cleverly shot the puck off the back of SCSU netminder Janine Alder from below the net at 7:36. The goal was Kaasa’s eighth goal of the season and briefly tied her for the team lead. As the period neared its end, BSU took a 2-1 lead when junior Haley Mack cut to the slot and beat Alder low glove in her first game back from injury since Jan. 11. For Mack it was her sixth goal of the season and fifth against St. Cloud State after scoring four goals in the Beavers and Huskies first series Nov. 30-Dec. 1.
Each team would score during the second period with St. Cloud State tying the game off the stick of Kayla Friesen at 8:35 of the frame. The Beavers didn’t waste any time to regain the lead when DeGeorge one-timed a back-door feed from Kaasa just 1:11 after. The goal was DeGeorge’s ninth of the season to jump back into the team lead. Bemidji State would head into the final intermission with the one-goal lead.
The Beavers dominated play in their offensive zone for most of the game and used that to their advantage to seal the victory in the third period. Bemidji State outshot the Huskies 9-5 in the final period and 30-12 in the game. BSU relied on that pressure in the final period and held SCUS off the scoreboard in the frame while junior Abby Halluska scored an empty-net goal, her sixth of the season, with 48 seconds left to seal the 4-2 win.
Redshirt sophomore Lauren Bench earned her eighth win of the season in the crease to improve to 8-8-2 after she stopped 10-of-12 shots by the Huskies while Alder falls to 4-13-1.
Bemidji State and St. Cloud State will play the series finale Saturday with puck drop slated to begin at 3:07 p.m. from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Tune in to our pregame coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. on 1300 AM & 94.3 FM The Legends.
Pregame Open Pregame Open
Jim Scanlan Pregame Coach Pregame
Clair DeGeorge Pregame Player Pregame
Bemidji State Lines
Abby Halluska – Emily Bergland – Paige Beebe
Jacqueline Kaasa – Kiki Radke – Lindsey Featherstone
Haley Mack – Clair DeGeorge – Lydia Passolt
Claudia Verkerke – Graysen Myers – Ellie Moser
Extra Skater – Abby Ecker
Briana Jorde – Mak Langei
Melissa Hunt – Tina Kampa
Kara Werth – Heather Olson
Lauren Bench
Kerigan Dowhy
Lexi Baker
Opponent Lines
Laura Kluge – – Julia Tylke
Hallie Theodosopoulos – Kayla Friesen – Hannah Potrykus
Ivy Dynek – Janna Haeg – Suvi Ollikainen
Emma Bigham – Brook Kudirka – Jordan Stewart
Taytum Geier – Hannah Bates
Rachel Herzog – Taylor Wemple
Kenzie Wylie – Abby Thiessen
Emma Polusny
Janine Alder
Karlie Ries
Beaver Radio Network Three Stars
1 – Lydia Passolt
2 – Lauren Bench
3 – Jacqueline Kaasa
Jim Scanlan Postgame Jim Scanlan Postgame
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Boxscore provided by http://collegehockeystats.net