The Bemidji State women’s hockey team returns to action this weekend against No. 1 Minnesota. This series will be the first WCHA series for Bemidji State this season.The Beavers are coming into the weekend with a 3-2-1 record. BSU is coming off of a weekend sweep over Lindenwood University last weekend by scores of 5-0, 4-1.
About the Beavers:
-The Beavers improve to 4-0-1 all-time against Lindenwood University with its sweep last weekend.
-Head Coach Steve Sertich’s nonconference record is now 19-17-6.
-BSU’s nine-goal output in the series against Lindenwood was more than it had in the previous four games combined (five).
-Brittni Mowat (Fr., G, Glenboro, Manitoba) recorded her first collegiate shutout last Friday in the 5-0 win over LU. She had 14 saves during for the shutout. Mowat turned away 33 shots and allowed just one goal last weekend. The freshman had a save percentage of .970 over the weekend couple with a .504 goals against average.
-The series sweep over Lindenwood was the first for the Beavers since it swept St. Cloud State University Feb. 17-18, 2012.
-Sophomore Hanna Moher (F, Milton, Ontario) recorded two goals in one of the victories against LU. It was the first two-goal game since Kaitlyn Tougas (F, So., Thunder Bay, Ontario) accomplished it in a game against the University of Minnesota Feb. 16, 2013
-Bemidji State had a pair of two-assist performances last weekend as Alex Citrowske (F, Jr., Savage, Minn.) and Ivana Bilic (D, So., Coquitlam, British Columbia) each accomplished the feat. It was the first two-assist game for a BSU player since Sadie Lundquist had two helpers in a Feb. 8, 2013 contest at North Dakota.
-After going all of last season without any shorthanded goals, the Beavers had two in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Lindenwood. Just 35 seconds separated short-handed goals scored by Hanna Moher and Kaitlyn Tougas.
-The Beavers have had nine different players score a goal this season including three newcomers.
-Thirteen different Bemidji State players have registered points in six games this season.
-This weekend, the Beavers host No. 1 University of Minnesota at the Sanford Center. The Golden Gophers have a 54-4-6 record against the Beavers all-time.
-Last season Minnesota won all six meetings between the two schools including two victories over the Beavers in the WCHA playoffs. The last win for BSU in the series came on Oct. 29, 2011 at home by a 2-1 score.
About the Golden Gophers
Minnesota arrives at the Sanford Center having not lost in over a year. The two-time defending national champions have won 55 straight contests coming into this weekend. The Golden Gophers have outscored their opponents during the streak 271-48. Minnesota is coming off a weekend when it swept conference rival University of Minnesota Duluth by scores of 4-0 and 6-3. Individually the Golden Gophers are led by Rachael Bona who has 10 points (5g, 5a) and Hannah Brandt has eight assists. Both players lead the WCHA in those particular categories.
Brad Frost is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Golden Gopher women’s hockey program and he has brought the program to the pinnacle of the collegiate hockey world by winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. After joining the program in 2001 as an assistant coach and later holding the interim head coach title during the 2007-08, Frost was named the program’s second head coach on April 16, 2008. With six years of experience under his belt, the Bethel University graduate has guided the Gophers to two NCAA National Championships, four NCAA Frozen Four appearances, three WCHA regular season titles and two WCHA Final Face-Off Championships. Frost has a career record of 186-36-16 (.815) and has not had a team finish lower than second in the WCHA.