Red-shirt sophomore Emily Erickson (Fwd., Coleraine, Minn.) scored three goals in the span of 17 minutes to help lift the Bemidji State University women’s hockey team to a 5-1 exhibition win against the Minnesota Whitecaps on Saturday night in the Bemidji Regional Event Center.

After dropping a 3-1 decision the night before, the Beavers scored five unaswered goals to even the weekend series.

The Whitecaps got on the board first, scoring on their first shot of the game at 8:59 into the first period. Four minutes later the Beavers responded as sophomore forward MacKenzie Thurston (Ottawa, Ontario) scored on a play started by fellow sophomore Canadian Jamie Hatheway (Fwd., Trenton, Ontario). The Whitecaps ended up out-shooting the Beavers in the period 9-7.

Following up in the second period, the Whitecaps would again out-shoot the Beavers, 15-13, but it would be Bemidji State that would find the back of the net. Erickson scored two back-to-back goals halfway through the period to bring the score to 3-1. Erickson’s second goal was the result of a great individual effort as she stole the puck in the neutral zone and scored on the resulting breakaway. Erin Cody (Sr., Fwd., Roseville, Minn.) scored a third goal for the Beavers just under 30 seconds later on her own unassisted play.

The Whitecaps fatigue caught up with them in the third period as BSU would out-shoot them 14-2 in the period. Erickson completed her hat trick at the 6:38 mark of the third period. Her goal would be the only one scored in the period.

Erickson and Cody’s linemate, Sadie Lundquist (So., Fwd., Cloquet, Minn.), picked up two assists in the game, while defender Kimberly Lieder (Jr., Eagan, Minn.) also picked up one assist.

Marlee Wheelhouse (Jr., Def., Crookston, Minn.) compiled seven blocked shots in the game as the team totaled 19.

Zuzana Tomcikova (Jr., G., Bratislava, Slovakia) got the stat in between the pipes for the Beavers and made 25 saves in the contest.