Beaver Fever Friday – Claire Vekich – Womens Hockey

Beavers pause league play for non-conference bout at Lindenwood

Winless in its last six games (0-5-1), the Bemidji State University women’s hockey team hopes to end its losing skid by traveling to Lindenwood University for a non-conference series, Nov. 26-27. The Beavers (2-8-2, 1-8-1 WCHA) will travel to Maryland Heights, Mo., to face the Lions (1-11-0, 1-3-0 CHA) for a two-game, non-conference series beginning Friday, Nov. 26 and ending Saturday. Puck drop for game one is slated for 7:10 p.m., followed by game two at 2:10 p.m.

The Beavers hit the road after hosting No. 7/6 University of Minnesota Duluth this past weekend and were swept by the nationally ranked Bulldogs. Bemidji State was out-scored 13-1 in the series including a 9-0 loss in game one. The Beavers have lost their las three games and are winless in their last six (0-5-1).

Bemidji State’s last win was on Oct. 23, a 2-1 victory over Clarkson University. This weekend’s series will be the first series since the season-opening series at University of St. Thomas that BSU hasn’t played an opponent receiving votes in national ranking polls. Bemidji State begins a four-game road trip this weekend starting with its series against the Lions and followed by a road series at St. Cloud State University, Dec. 3-4.

This weekend’s series against the Lions will be the Beavers’ final non-conference series of the season. Junior Reece Hunt scored the lone goal for the Beavers this past weekend to bring her season total up to two. She is second on the team in scoring with seven points off of two goals and five assists. Senior Graysen Myers paces the team in points with eight (3g-5a) but has just two points (2a) during the month of November.

Fifth-year senior Paige Beebe leads the team with four goals this season and is third with six points (4g-2a).

Sophomore Taylor Nelson leads all underclassmen and is fourth on the team with four points (1g-3a) while freshmen Claire Vekich (1g-1a) and Makenna Deering (2a) each pace the Beavers’ freshmen with two points. Deering also leads Bemidji State blueliners in scoring while junior Kate Boland (1a) and freshman Adriana Van De Leest (1a) have each recorded one point. Five of the Beavers’ seven defensemen who have dressed this season are freshman.

Freshman Ella Anick leads the Beavers with 21 blocks and is ninth in the WCHA. She is followed by Deering with 20 and is tied for 10th while Beebe and Van De Leest are tied for 14th with 18. Sophomore Hannah Hogenson has started eight of the past nine games for the Beavers and leads BSU netminders with 487:09 minutes played. She has posted a 1-5-2 record, .921 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average in eight games. Hogenson is fourth in the WCHA in save percentage (.921) and seventh in goals against average (3.08).

Bemidji State is tied for seventh in the WCHA with four points in league play and have an 1-8-1 conference record.