BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Women's Hockey team fell to No. 3 University of Minnesota, 11-1, Saturday afternoon in their Western Collegiate Hockey Association series finale at Sanford Center.
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Bemidji State fell to the Gophers in a challenging game that saw the visitors capitalize on early opportunities. "Certainly disappointing game for us," Bemidji State's
Amber Fryklund stated. "Despite the score, I don't think we came out with the compete and the outwork energy we had yesterday." The Beavers struggled to replicate the intensity from their previous outing, as the Gophers' strong start set the tone. Fryklund emphasized the need to learn from the weekend and focus on improvement. "It's frustrating. Everyone's frustrated. It's not what we wanted today," she said. Looking ahead, Bemidji State will prepare for their upcoming matchup against Wisconsin, aiming to bring high energy and defensive diligence to the ice.
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Morgan Smith scored the Beavers' lone goal, a short-handed marker, for her ninth of the season with
Isa Goettl assisting on the play for her third assist of the series.
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The first period began with Minnesota taking an early lead just 47 seconds in, as Abbey Murphy scored with assists from Chloe Primerano and Nelli Laitinen. The Beavers faced pressure from Minnesota's power play after a penalty but goaltender
Kaitlin Groess and the defense kept the visitors at bay until Josefin Bouveng scored on the power play at 12:02. Ava Lindsay extended the lead to 3–0 with an even-strength goal at 6:22, assisted by Madison Kaiser and Molly Jordan. Emma Kreisz added another for Minnesota at 2:52, closing the period with a four-goal advantage.
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The Gophers extended their lead in the second period, starting with Abbey Murphy's goal at 16:51, assisted by Anabella Fanale and Molly Jordan. Ava Lindsay then made it 6–0 at 14:14 with an assist from Jamie Nelson. Lindsay secured her hat trick at 8:14, increasing the advantage to 7–0. Less than 20 seconds later, Kendra Distad scored, and another goal by Murphy at 6:22 capped a dominant frame, giving Minnesota a 9–0 lead.
Kaitlin Groess and
Ava Hills combined for several saves, while the Beavers' defense blocked multiple shots.
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The third period began with Minnesota's Jamie Nelson winning the faceoff against Bemidji State's
Morgan Smith. The Beavers applied early pressure with several attempts, but Minnesota's Layla Hemp remained steady in goal. At 15:01,
Morgan Smith netted a short-handed goal with assistance from
Isa Goettl, narrowing the scoreline. However, Minnesota responded promptly with Abbey Murphy's unassisted power-play goal at 13:07, followed by Anabella Fanale scoring at 8:56 with help from Josefin Bouveng and Murphy, extending Minnesota's lead. The period ended with numerous attempts from both sides, but the score remained 11-1 in favor of Minnesota.
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Bemidji State continues its gauntlet of a league schedule and next travel to No. 1 University of Wisconsin for a two-game, WCHA series against the Badgers at LaBahn Arena next weekend.
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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.
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Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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