Beavers resume league play against top-ranked Badgers

After having its program record nine-game winning streak snapped at the Minnesota Cup to No. 10 University of Minnesota Duluth, the Bemidji State University women’s hockey team resumes Western Collegiate Hockey Association play by hosting No. 1 University of Wisconsin. The Beavers (12-9-1, 6-6-0-0 WCHA) return home for the first time since Dec. 6-7 to host the top-ranked Badgers (20-1-1, 10-1-1-0 WCHA) for a two-game, league series, Jan. 10-11. Puck drop for game one of the series is scheduled for 6:07 p.m., Friday followed by game two at 3:07 p.m., Saturday.

The Beavers and Badgers will meet for the 87th and 88th meeting in the all-time series this weekend, a series that dates back to Nov. 13, 1999. Wisconsin has dominated the series and owns a 76-6-4 record against Bemidji State. The two teams met earlier this season in Madison, Wis., where the top-ranked Badgers earned two 4-1 victories at LaBahn Arena.

Bemidji State is on a three-game losing streak against Wisconsin with its last win coming in a 2-1 upset Feb. 1, 2019. Junior Paige Beebe leads all active skaters with five points off of three goals and two assists in 11 career games against the Badgers while senior Jacqueline Kaasa (2g-2a) and junior Clair DeGeorge (1g-3a) each follow with four points. Goaltenders Lauren Bench and Kerigan Dowhy each have faced the Badgers five times in their careers with Bench posting a 1-4-0 record and Dowhy a 0-4-1 record.

Dowhy leads the team with a 3.24 goals against average and .909 save percentage while Bench follows with a 3.40 goals against average and .899 save percentage. BSU head coach Jim Scanlan is 2-21-1 when facing Wisconsin while Mark Johnson is 63-5-4 when facing the Beavers.