COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Bemidji State University Women's Hockey 2022-23 season came to a bitter end Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio as the eighth-seeded Beavers (5-30-1) fell 2-1 to the top-seed and No. 1 team in the nation Ohio State University. The Beavers' 2022-23 season ends with a 5-30-1 record after falling to the Buckeyes (30-4-2) in both games of their Western Collegiate Hockey Association Hockey Playoff Quarterfinals best-of-three series.
 
Down 2-0 with less than four minutes to play, the Beavers attempted a late comeback when sophomore Claire Vekich scored a power-play goal with 2:23 remaining but Bemidji State ran out of time as the Buckeyes hung on for the 2-1 game and series victory.
 
Ohio State got off to another quick start when Sloan Matthews scored on the second shot of the game to put the Buckeyes up 1-0 just minutes after the opening face-off. However, junior goaltender Hannah Hogenson would bounce back after surrendering the early goal and went on to deny Ohio State shooters on the next 27 shot attempts to keep the Beavers within striking distance.
 
The Buckeye's defense were too strong for the Bemidji State forwards as goaltender Amanda Thiele held the Beavers scoreless 57:37 and turned aside the first 14 BSU shots on goal. With Bemidji State pressing late into the third period Buckeyes' Jennifer Gardiner extend OSU's lead to 2-0 with the critical second goal with just 3:43 to play. The Beavers gained a power play soon after however and with a diving effort, Vekich put the Beavers on the board with just 2:23 remaining.
 
The goal was her team-leading seventh of the season and her fifth power-play goal to tie for seventh most in the WCHA.
 
Bemidji State would send all forces forward looking to extend its season and pulled Hogenson with 37 seconds to play. The Beavers would run out of time however, as Ohio State defended its zone well and earned the 2-1 victory to advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff for the sixth consecutive season.
 
Hogenson put together another solid performance in between the pipes and stopped 28-of-30 shots by the Buckeyes. She finishes her junior season with a 3-26-1 record and led the WCHA with 860 saves.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State women's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter 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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