GRAND FORKS, N.D. - On a day when Brooke Collins (Sr., D, Pilot Mound, Manitoba) broke the school record for the most consecutive games played in a career and coach Steve Sertich manned the helm for the 100th time, Erin Cody (So., LW, Roseville, Minn.) and Erin Johnson (So., RW, Farmington, Minn.) stole the show as they notched shootout goals to give the Bemidji State University women’s hockey team its first-ever shootout win in Western Collegiate Hockey Assocation play in a 0-0 tie with the University of North Dakota Saturday afternoon at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

After a scoreless three periods and a goalless extra session, the two teams entered a shootout.

Bemidji State (6-18-4, 3-17-2-1 WCHA) participated in its fourth shootout of the season and its second against a conference opponent (Ohio State, Jan. 23).

North Dakota’s Susanne Fellner went first and was denied by Bemidji State netminder Zuzana Tomcikova (Fr., Bratislava, Slovakia), who was on top of her game after allowing five goals during Friday’s 6-3 loss.

Cody then put BSU ahead after she beat Stephanie Roy top shelf glove side. Another UND player failed to score as Tomcikova stopped a shot by Casie Hanson, and Johnson gave BSU the two-round shootout victory and two more points in the conference after she sent a backhand topshelf. The Beavers now have nine WCHA points, and are three behind OSU and four behind Minnesota State University.

BSU is now 3-1 in shootouts this season and 1-1 against WCHA opponents.

Tomcikova recorded her third shutout of the season and her first against a WCHA opponent, saving 24 shots and moving her record to 5-15-3. Her shutout moves her into a tie with Bre Dedrickson (1999-03) for second place on the all-time list for career shutouts by a Beaver goalie, and is now three behind the all-time record held by Emily Brookshaw (2004-08).

Collins broke the school record for consecutive games played with her 136th-career game, passing the old mark set by Kerri McEwen (1999-03), Lill Raynard (1999-03) and Jenny Schnickel (2001-05). She is also on the verge of another BSU career record, as she currently stands just eight games shy of the record for most career games played. The current mark of 143 career games was set last season by both Tara Hiscock (2004-08) and Haley Balcom (2004-08). Barring injury, Collins will break the record Feb. 28 in the second game of the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Bemidji State came out of the gates with a little more fight and determination than in Friday’s loss, and it showed as the road team was able to keep the Fighting Sioux (13-11-4, 9-10-3-0 WCHA) off the scoreboard for the first two periods after allowing four goals in the first two frames of the first game.

Despite 24 shots by UND and 20 by the Beavers, neither team was able to score a goal in the 65 minutes of action. Bemidji State allowed 96 shots to North Dakota in the first series, but played much better this weekend in only allowing 44 shots in the two games. BSU forced UND to go 0-for-5 on the power play, and the road squad was 0-for-1 with a man advantage.

Bemidji State didn’t allow a power-play for the second-straight game, and have now shutout WCHA opponents on the power play four times this season.

UND goalie Stephanie Ney saved 20 shots and moved to 6-5-1 on the year.

Annie Bauerfeld (So., LW, Woodbury, Minn.) went 8-0 in faceoffs and Erin Babineau (Fr., C, St. Paul, Minn.) was 7-2. For the weekend the Beavers won draws 64-41

The Beavers return to the friendly confines of John Glas Fieldhouse next weekend (Feb. 6-7) when they play host to the University of Minnesota Duluth with both game times set for 2:07 p.m.

 

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