MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In a tightly contested game, the Bemidji State University Women's Hockey team fell 4-1 in game one of its Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at No. 3 University of Minnesota Friday afternoon at Ridder Arena.
 
Trailing 2-0 with 8:35 left in the third period, junior Mya Headrick scored her second goal of the season to pull the Beavers within one but the Gophers secured the win after Abbey Murphy scored two goals in the final 3:15. The Beavers were either tied or within one of the third-ranked Gophers for 54:36 of play.
 
Sophomore goaltender Eva Fillippova helped the Beavers keep things close by making 34 saves including stopping 34-of-36 shots before Murphy scored on the final two shots of the game.
 
Filippova was especially exceptional in the first period turning all 16 shots she faced in the opening frame to keep the scored locked in a 0-0 tie.
 
Minnesota broke through 6:55 into the second period however, when Peyton Hemp scored her 11^th goal of the season.
 
The Gophers took the one-goal lead into the second intermission and later extended their lead to two after Audrey Wethington scored 6:26 into the final period. But the Beavers didn't quit and 2:09 later sophomore Talya Hendrickson won a battle in the corner and drove to the net where Headrick was there to follow and put the puck home for the Beavers' goal.
 

Mya Headrick cleans up the loose puck and the Beavers are within 1!!#GoBeavers #BeaverTerritory pic.twitter.com/xLJiFoi3UH

— Bemidji State Women's Hockey (@BSUBeaversWHKY) January 24, 2025

 
The Beavers clawed and scratched at the Gophers trying to score the game-tying goal but with 3:15 left, Murphy circled the offensive zone and scored her 21^st goal of the season to put Minnesota back up by two. She then scored into the empty net with 41.9 seconds left to seal the victory.
 
The Beavers fall to 4-21-1 (2-17-0 WCHA) with the loss but hope to bounce-back tomorrow morning when the two teams head outdoors to Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minn., to participate in Hockey Day in Minnesota for game two of their series. The game will be exclusively televised/streamed by the FanDuel Sports Network with puck drop at 11:30 a.m. Check your local listings for channels.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State women's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X or Instagram, or like them on Facebook.
 
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).
 
--bsu--