GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Bemidji State University women’s hockey team dropped the first game in a best-of-three series in the first round of the WCHA playoffs to No. 8 North Dakota 3-2 on Friday night at Purpur Arena.
The first period started off with both teams looking a bit nervous. Luckily for Bemidji State, the Beavers seemed to calm their nerves first and had solid eight minutes of offense to close out the period. Out-shooting the Sioux 11-8 the Beavers looked to get on the board first, but couldn’t and the two sides retired to their locker rooms for the intermission with a scoreless draw.
In the second period, the Sioux would jump on the score board first behind a short-handed goal by Jocelyne Lamoureux. In a complete individual effort, Lamoureux created her own two-on-one before deking her way to the back of the net. After carrying the momentum from the first period, the Beavers looked a bit sluggish after giving up the goal. In good Beaver hockey fashion, Bemidji State didn’t give up and slowly took back the swing of the game.
At the 17:35 mark of the period, BSU would finally put one past UND’s tender Stephanie Ney on a flurry of shots. Sadie Lundquist (So., Fwd., Cloquet, Minn.) had a shot that rebounded out to the high slot to Annie Bauerfeld (Sr., Fwd., Woodbury, Minn.). Bauerfeld’s shot was then saved by Ney, but landed at the back door where Erin Johnson (Sr., Fwd., Farmington, Minn.) tapped it in to tie the game.
Just under thirty seconds later, the Beavers would strike again to take the lead. Erin Cody (Sr., Fwd., Roseville, Minn.) had a great individual effort winning a 50-50 battle in the corner and then centered it to Emily Erickson (R-So., Fwd., Coleraine, Minn.). Unattested, Erickson got off a point-blank shot on goal and put it past Ney to give the Beavers the lead heading into the third period.
However, two defensive breakdowns by the BSU defense in the third period resulted in the North Dakota gaining back the lead. Bemidji State was caught in their own zone giving up a 2-on-0 which resulted in Roy scoring a back-door goal. With five minute remaining in the period, Lamoureux cycled through the top of the zone getting a shot off on net, but an uncleared rebound resulted in Roy finding her second goal of the period.
Looking to get back in the game with the final minutes ticking away, BSU opted for an extra attacker. With just seconds remaining, Cody found herself with a great opportunity; however, a well-timed stick lift by the Sioux defense broke up the shot by Cody.
Zuzana Tomcikova (Jr., G., Bratislava, Slovakia) ended the game with 23 saves, while Ney turned away 27.
The Beavers and Sioux will return for game two of the series tomorrow night back at Purpur Arena at 7:37 p.m. Bemidji State will need to win to continue the series and force a game three.
— bsu —