The Bemidji State University Women’s Hockey team returns to Sanford Center this weekend and begins a four-game homestand by hosting Minnesota State University, Mankato Oct. 28-29. The Beavers (2-7-1, 0-6-0 WCHA) face their first unranked opponent since Sept. 24 after an arduous stretch the past four series. BSU first hosts the Mavericks (2-6-0, 2-6-0 WCHA) at Sanford Center Friday, Oct. 28 for game one and then Saturday for game two. Both games are scheduled to begin at 3:01 p.m.

Bemidji State enters the fifth week of WCHA play after falling in two games at No. 5/4 University of Wisconsin this past weekend.

The Beavers have now dropped their last six games and are 0-7-1 in their last eight after starting the season 2-0-0.

Bemidji State has faced a top-10 opponent in four of its five series to start the season including series against No. 1 Ohio State University, at No. 2 University of Minnesota and at No. 5/4 Wisconsin.

The Beavers were outscored 15-1 in their series at Wisconsin this past weekend and lone goal of the series was scored with 1:03 to play by junior Gabbie Smith.

Junior goaltender Hannah Hogenson saw a total of 60 shots over the weekend and made 37 saves while sophomore Abbie Thompson saw 24 shots and made 22 saves in 37 minutes.

Hogenson leads the WCHA and is third in the nation with 280 saves this season. She has a save percentage of .878 on the season which is 10th in the league.

Bemidji State averages 1.50 goals per game which is seventh in the WCHA and allows 4.60 goals per game for eighth. The Beavers are last in the league with a -3.10 scoring margin.

The Beavers have scored four power-play goals this season which is sixth in the league and have a power-play percentage of .200 (4-20) to rank fifth.

The Beavers’ penalty kill has allowed six power-play goals this season and is eighth in the league with a penalty kill of .813 (26-of-32). The Beavers have allowed the most power-play opportunities of any WCHA opponent this season.

BSU averages 3.50 penalties per game, third-most in the WCHA and have had 35 penalties called against them, most in the league.

Bemidji State is fifth in the WCHA with a face-off percentage of .497 and have won 270-of-543 draws. That number is also good for 20th in Division I.

Bemidji State leads the WCHA with 178 blocked shots this season.

Bemidji State is led on offense by sophomore defenseman Adriana Van De Leest who has totaled five points (5a) despite missing three games due to injury.

She is followed by Gabbie Smith who has posted four points (2g-2a) in 10 games while Raeley Carney (2g-1a), Taylor Nelson (2g-1a), Kendra Fortin (1g-2a) and Paige Anderson (3a) all follow with three points

Smith, Nelson, Geno Hendrickson, Carney and Claire Vekich all lead the team with two goals with Carney pacing the team with two power-play goals.

Gabbie Smith is fourth in the WCHA with 86 face-off wins and owns a .515 win percentage on the draw. She is followed by Paige Anderson with 79 wins (.491) and Raeley Carney with 77 (.517).

Senior Abby DeLaRosa is second in the WCHA with 22 blocked shots. She is followed by sophomore Taylor Larson in third (20), Makenna Deering in fifth (17), Ella Anick in eighth (15) and Kendra Fortin in 10th (13).

Bemidji State is 45-35-15 when playing the Mavericks and are 22-15-10 when playing in Bemidji.

The Beavers are currently on a two-game losing streak to the Mavericks after being swept in Mankato at the end of last season. BSU went 1-0-1 against the Mavericks at home last season for a 1-2-1 record on the season.

Bemidji State’s last win against the Mavericks was Dec. 17, 2021, a 3-2 victory at Sanford Center.

Senior Reece Hunt leads active skaters with five points (5a) in 12 career games against Minnesota State while Taylor Nelson (1g-1a) and Claire Vekich (1g-1a) have each added two points. Nelson and Vekich are the lone skaters on the 2022-23 roster to have scored against MSU.

In three career games against Minnesota State, junior Hannah Hogenson has posted a 1-1-1 record with a .908 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average. She is the lone netminder to have seen action between the pipes versus the Mavericks.

Head coach Jim Scanlan is 18-12-5 in his nine seasons at the helm of the Bemidji State Women’s Hockey program.