BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Women's Hockey team faces its fourth consecutive nationally ranked opponent this weekend and hosts No. 2 Ohio State University Friday and Saturday at Sanford Center.
 
The Beavers (0-9-1, 0-6-0 WCHA) host the Buckeyes (7-1-0, 6-0-0 WCHA) for a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series beginning Friday, Nov. 3 at 6:01 p.m., and concluding Saturday at 3:01 p.m.
 
Each game of the series will be streamed online at B1G+ with play-by-play provided the Beaver Radio Network. A Beaver Radio Network broadcast will also be available for each game on the radio dial at 94.3 FM or online at www.beaverradionetwork.com.
 
Bemidji State Notes

• The Beavers remain at home for the second consecutive weekend and hosts their third home series of the 2023-24 season.
• Bemidji State faces another nationally ranked opponent in the second-ranked Buckeyes for the fourth consecutive series.
• Of the Beavers' six opponents so far this season, four have been ranked in the top-15 national polls including having faced the No. 1 and No. 2 teams.
• Five of the eight member teams in the WCHA are ranked in the national top-15 polls.
• The Beavers look to upset the Buckeyes this weekend pick up their first win of the season.
• BSU has started 0-9-1 through the first 10 games and has not won since Feb. 4, 2023 (0-15-1).
• Bemidji State is coming off a 0-2-0 series against No. 7/8 University of Minnesota Duluth last weekend at Sanford Center.
• The Beavers were outscored 8-1 in the series with senior captain Taylor Nelson scoring the lone goal in Friday's 2-1 loss.
• Bemidji State is fueled by its top line of Nelson, senior Gabbie Smith and freshman Hailey Armstrong.
• The three have combined for 15 of the team's 25 points this season and eight of the team's nine goals.
• Smith center's the line of Nelson on the left and Armstrong on the right and is third on the team with four points off one goal and three assists.
• Armstrong has had a quick start to her collegiate career scoring in four of the first 10 games and leads the team with five goals. Although she didn't score last weekend, she is tied for eighth in the WCHA in goals.
• Nelson paces the team with six points off two goals and four assists while Armstrong follows with five points (5g).
• Junior Makenna Deering powers the Beavers' blueline leading the group with three points off three assists and is tied for eighth in the league with 16 blocked shots.
• Smith anchors the Beavers in the face-off circle and has seen the second most face-offs in the WCHA (218). She has won 43.1 percent of her face-offs, eighth best in the league.
• Junior Abbie Thompson has been the workhorse in between the pipes for the Beavers starting eight of the Beavers' 10 games this season.
• She has stopped the most shots in the WCHA (250) and ranks 10th in all of Division I.
• The Forest Lake, Minn., native is 0-7-1 on the season and has posted a .903 save percentage and 3.57 goals against average.
• Ohio State comes to Bemidji as the No. 2 ranked team in both the USA Hockey/The Rink Live and USCHO.com national polls.
• The Buckeyes are 7-1-0 to start the season and sit second in the WCHA standings with 17 league points (6-0-0).
• The two teams will meet for the 99th and 100th meetings in the all-time series this weekend with Ohio State holding a 56-29-13 record in the series.
• In Bemidji, the Buckeyes are 22-17-7.
• The Buckeyes have won the last seven meetings between the two teams, the longest winning streak in the series.
• Head coach Jim Scanlan is 11-23-2 in 10 seasons coaching against the Buckeyes.
• 2023-24 is the 26th season of Bemidji State Women's Hockey. In 26 seasons, the Beavers are 271-521-79 (.360).
• Head coach Jim Scanlan is in his 10th season at the helm of the Bemidji State Women's Hockey program. He is 118-181-22 (.413) in his coaching career. He is one of 22 head coaches in Division I Women's Hockey with 100 career victories and is sixth among active WCHA coaches in victories.
• During the off-season, Scanlan announced the return of two former Beavers to his coaching staff for the upcoming season. Amber Fryklund makes her return as Associate Head Coach after pursuing a teaching career while former defenseman Alexis Joyce makes her coaching debut and was named an Assistant Coach.
• They join Sarah Bobrowski (Assistant Coach) as the four leaders of the program for the season.
• Senior Taylor Nelson was voted by her teammates to lead the 2023-24 Beavers on and off the ice and will dawn the "C" on her sweater. She will be assisted by fellow seniors Khloe Lund and Gabbie Smith who will serve as alternates and wear the "A".
• The Beavers have 24 student-athletes rostered for the 2023-24 season with 14 forwards, six defensemen and four goaltenders.
• BSU returns 15 athletes from last year (10 forwards, three defensemen, two goaltenders) and lost 10 athletes (4 forwards, five defensemen, one goaltender) to graduation or the transfer portal.
• Scanlan has added nine newcomers to the squad with four forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.
• Junior Genevieve Hendrickson (2g-5a) and senior Khloe Lund (1g-6a) are the top scorers returning with each posting seven points in 30 games last season.
• Nelson and sophomore Raeley Carney are the top returning goal scorers after each scored three goals.
• Junior Abbie Thompson is the top returning goaltender after starting six games last year and posted a 2-4-0 record with a 4.68 goals against average and .844 save percentage.
• Bemidji State's nine newcomers to the team are Olivia Dronen, Ana Davis, Talya Hendrickson, Kate Johnson, Shelby Sandberg, Riley Reeves, Hailey Armstrong and Eva Filippova.
• The Beavers look to add goal scoring from some of the highest scoring players in the state of Minnesota. Talya Hendrickson and Kate Johnson helped Warroad High School to back-to-back Class A State Tournament championships with Talya, younger sister of BSU forward Genevieve Hendrickson, recording the second most points in both classes with 101 (38g-63a) and Johnson third with 98 (38g-60a). The pair combined for 572 points in their Warroad careers.
• The 2023-24 BSU Women's Hockey roster consists of 16 Minnesotans, one Alaskan, one North Dakotan, one Wisconsinite, four Canadians and the program's first Russia native in freshman goaltender Eva Filippova. 

For more information on the Bemidji State women's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X or Instagram (@BSUBeaversWHKY), or like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers).
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
 
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