After a 20-win campaign, the Bemidji State University women’s hockey team was honored with multiple postseason awards Wednesday. Goaltender Brittni Mowat, defenseman Alexis Joyce and head coach Jim Scanlan were all awarded postseason accolades. Mowat and Joyce were named to the All-WCHA First and All-WCHA Rookie Teams, respectively, while Scanlan received the WCHA Coach of the Year award.
A member of the All-WCHA Rookie Team last season, Mowat has made another leap forward in 2014-15. The Glenboro, Manitoba native is 18-12-1 with an 1.66 goals against average and .945 save percentage this season. All three marks (wins, goals against average and save percentage) rank in the top four in the WCHA and top 10 nationally. She has also been instrumental in BSU’ penalty-killing unit, which ranks second in the WCHA and third nationally with .912 success rate this season.
In just her second season at BSU, she has set new school records for most wins in a season (18) and most shutouts in a season (6, T-1st). She also looks poised to set the record for highest single-season save percentage at the completion. In addition, Mowat was honored as WCHA Defensive Player of the Week twice this season.
Joyce has been BSU’s top rookie after leading her class with 18 points (4g, 14a) from her blue line position. She also tallied 112 blocked shots, which ranks second nationally and leads all freshmen. Her 18 points are the second-most by a freshman defenseman in program history trailing only Lisa Peters, who notched 27 points in 1999-00.
Scanlan was named WCHA Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm of the program. Scanlan has led the Beavers to a program record 20 victories and their second ever appearance in the WCHA Final Faceoff. He has also led BSU to 13 conference wins, which also sets a new program record.
Bemidji State was also honored with 14 of its players making the WCHA All-Academic Team. Student-athletes must have completed one year of eligibility at their present institution, prior to the current academic year, and have a grade point average of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters or three quarters. The honorees from BSU include: Kayleigh Chapman, Erin Deters, Carley Esse, Kristine Grenier, Kristin Huber, Madison Hutchinson, Rachael Kelly, Megan Lushanko, Lauren Miller, Hanna Moher, Brittini Mowat, Ciscely Nelson, Kaitlyn Tougas and Whitney Wivoda.
The Beavers, now 20-16-1 overall, will take on No. 2 Minnesota at 2:07 p.m. Saturday in the first WCHA semifinal game at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. The winner will advance to championship game Sunday and face the winner of the University of North Dakota and University of Wisconsin semifinal game for the WCHA’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.