Beavers road trip to No. 1 Golden Gophers
The Bemidji State University women’s hockey team travels to Ridder Arena to take on No. 1 University of Minnesota. The Beavers and Golden Gophers will close out their season series in Minneapolis and are slated for a 6:00 p.m. matchup Feb. 4 and 4:00 p.m. Feb. 5.
Bemidji State travels to Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. to take on No. 1 University of Minnesota. The Beavers hold a 10-13-3 overall record this season with seven wins, 13 losses, and two ties in WCHA play. At home, BSU has played in 14 games, hosting a 5-7-2 record. Most recently, the Beavers hosted University of St. Thomas on Jan. 28 and 28, sweeping the Tommies 4-3 Jan. 28 and 4-0 Jan. 29.
The last time the Beavers and Golden Gophers met, the then No. 3 Gophers took home the series sweep, 5-2 and 3-2, on Oct. 29 and 30.
Following this weekend’s series, the Beavers will host No. 2 Ohio State University at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn.
Bemidji State averages 1.8 goals per game and allow opponents 3.1 goals per game.
The Beavers are led in points by Reece Hunt. Hunt has totaled 17 points from six goals and 11 assists over her full season of 26 games. Fifth-year senior Paige Beebe takes up the second-place spot for the Beavers, marking eight goals and seven assists for fifteen points. Beebe has also set two program records this season, most games played and most consecutive games played.
The top three points scorers have totaled 221 shots on goal this season, Hunt with 80, Beebe with 73 and Graysen Myers with 68.
Senior captain Claudia Verkerke tallied her first career goal during the Beavers’ 4-0 shutout over St. Thomas on Jan. 29, 2022. Verkerke has now marked a goal and an assist this season.
After her performance against St. Thomas, freshman forward Claire Vekich earned the WCHA Rookie of the Week award on Jan. 31. The Coleraine, Minn. native also brought home the WCHA Rookie of the Month honors for her work in January. Vekich sits in fourth place on the Beaver points standings, marking seven goals and five assists for 12 points in her inaugural season. Three of those goals came during the month of January, one assist also came during this period. The freshman currently holds a .108 shooting percentage, hitting 65 shots and finding the back of the net on seven.
The Beavers are sixth in the WCHA standings with 22 points (7-13-2) and trail fifth-place Minnesota State by four points.
Bemidji State has won just nine of the 100 games versus Minnesota, tying seven. The Gophers are on a 12-game win streak against the Beavers, three games away from tying their longest running win record against BSU, 15 games.
Paige Beebe leads the Beavers’ point scorers with eight points in 16 games (3g-5a). Following Beebe is classmate Lydia Passolt with four points off two goals and two assists in 14 games.
Hannah Hogenson leads the Beavers’ goaltending lines with a .882 save percentage in three games played. She has marked 131:45 minutes in net against the Gophers, making 90 saves and allowing 12 goals for a 5.45 goals against average.
Senior Kerigan Dowhy sits just behind Hogenson in the statistical lineup, holding a .867 save percentage in five games versus the Gophers. Dowhy has made 124 saves and has allowed 19 goals for a goals against average of 4.67. She has seen 244:13 minutes of playing time while in net against Minnesota.