Beavers return home to host No. 11 Huskies at Sanford Center
BSU Women’s Hockey returns home and resumes WCHA play against St. Cloud State
The Bemidji State University Women’s Hockey team returns from its first road trip of the season and resumes Western Collegiate Hockey Association play by hosting No. 11 St. Cloud State University this weekend at Sanford Center.
The Beavers (0-4-0, 0-2-0 WCHA) battle the ranked Huskies (4-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) begin their series Friday, Oct. 11 at 6:01 p.m., followed by game two Saturday at 2:01 p.m.
Bemidji State returns to Sanford Center after its first road trip of the season at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pa.
The Beavers were stymied by the Colonials falling in both games by scores of 2-0 and 4-3 in overtime.
Despite the two losses, Bemidji State had some of its best offensive performances in recent history and out-shot the Colonials 76-49 but ran into a hot goaltender who denied the Beavers of their first victory of the season.
In game two, the Beavers trailed 3-0 midway through the game but didn’t quick and rallied back to tie the game 3-3 and push it to overtime.
Isa Goettl, Riley Reeves and senior captain Alyssa Watkins scored the game-tying, power-play goal in the game.
Freshman Autumn Cooper earned her first career points in the game with an assist while fellow freshman Morgan Smith paced the Beavers over the series totaling 12 shots on goal.
St. Cloud State is making the trip north to Bemidji after hosting No. 15 Mercyhurst University last weekend.
The Huskies earned a pair of close victories by scores of 2-1 and 2-0.
St. Cloud State enters the weekend action ranked No. 11 in both the USA Hockey/The Rink Live and USCHO.com top-15 national polls.
The Beavers are 51-52-10 all-time against the Huskies but have lost their last eight matchups dating back to Jan. 22, 2022.
At home, BSU is 26-24-4 versus the SCSU.
Seniors Makenna Deering and Alyssa Watkins lead all Beaver skaters with three career points versus the Huskies while sophomore Hailey Armstrong leads the team with two career goals.
Sophomore Eva Filippova is the lone BSU netminder to face St. Cloud State and in one game is 0-1-0 with a 5.00 goals against average and .815 save percentage.
Redshirt freshman Isa Goettle paces the Beavers’ attack to start the season and in four games, she has scored two goals.
Hailey Armstrong and Riley Reeves follow with a goal and assist each while freshman Morgan Smith has collected tow assists.
11 total Beavers have collected a points so far this season.
Head coach Amber Fryklund has split time in net between graduate transfer Josie Bothun and freshman Kaitlin Groess who have each made two starts.
Groess has posted a 2.52 goals against average and .932 save percentage while Bothun has a 5.88 goals against average and .813 save percentage.
Bemidji State is one of the top teams in DI women’s hockey in blocked shots and sits fourth in the nation with 69 blocked shots.
Sophomore Riley Reeves paces the team, WCHA and is third in the nation with 14 blocks. Senior Kendra Fortin is close behind and tied for ninth in the nation with 10.
Bemidji State’s penalty kill has been strong for the Beavers to start the season. They are sixth in the conference with a penalty kill percentage of .857 (12-of-14) but that number is good for 11th best in DI.
The Beavers’ penalty kill will be put to the test this weekend as St. Cloud State enters the weekend with the third best power-play percentage in the nation (45.5).
The Amber Fryklund era is underway for the BSU Women’s Hockey team after she was hired as the sixth head coach in the Beaver women’s hockey program in April of 2024.
She has served on the Beaver coaching staff for 10 seasons including five as an Associate Head Coach.
In her first season as head coach, Fryklund has welcomed back 15 returners from the 2023-24 season while adding 12 newcomers to the squad.
The Beavers will have one graduate and six seniors lead the team followed by three juniors, eight sophomores, and nine freshmen.
The Beavers’ roster consists of 15 forwards, eight defensemen and four goaltenders.
Senior Alyssa Watkins was voted by her peers to captain the team during the season and is the 40th team captain in the program’s history. She is joined by senior Genevieve Hendrickson and junior Mya Headrick who will serve as alternate captains.