University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
7-1-2, 5-1-2-0WCHA
Bemidji State
5-4-1, 1-4-1-1WCHA
Gophers Fall to Bemidji State, 1-0
11/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
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Nov. 1, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS – The top-ranked Minnesota women's hockey team suffered its first loss of the season, dropping a 1-0 decision to visiting Bemidji State at Ridder Arena Saturday evening.
Minnesota (7-1-2, 5-1-2-0 WCHA) outshot the Beavers, 36-19, for the game but could not solve BSU goaltender Brittni Mowat, who made a perfect 36 saves in her third win of the season (3-2-1).
"It was a disappointing result for us here tonight," head coach Brad Frost said. "I'm proud of our effort. We had our chances to score and obviously played very well defensively aside from the goal that they got on the four-on-three. Overall, hopefully we'll take this, learn from it and get better next time we step on the ice."
Bemidji State (5-4-1, 1-4-1-1 WCHA) scored early and held on. The Beavers took a 1-0 lead when Ivana Bilic scored a four-on-three power-play goal at the 15:44 mark of the first period. With seniors Rachael Bona (Coon Rapids, Minn.) and Meghan Lorence (Mounds View, Minn.) in the box, Minnesota surrendered its first power-play goal in over three games, a stretch dating back to a Wisconsin power-play goal during the second period on Oct. 18.
The Gopher outshot the Beavers 14-5 in the second period and 11-7 in the third stanza but failed to score the equalizer. Minnesota was scoreless on three power-play opportunities while holding the Beavers to 1-for-4 with the man advantage.
"I thought our effort was there all night, in particular in the last two periods," Frost said. "We gave ourselves a chance to tie it up, but their goaltender played fantastic and they blocked a lot of shots. They did what they need to do, so credit to them."
Junior goaltender Amanda Leveille (Kingston, Ont.) made 18 saves in the loss as she fell to 6-1-1 on the year and 47-3-2 during her Gopher career.
The Beaver win marked just the fifth victory ever for BSU in the all-time series between the two teams. The Gophers' record against Bemidji State now stands at 58-5-7 after the teams tied 2-2 in overtime Friday night.
The loss for Minnesota was the Gophers' fourth loss in the team's last 110 games (102-4-4), a stretch that included an NCAA-record 62-game winning streak (Feb. 28, 2012 through Nov. 17, 2013). Minnesota was shut out for the first time since a 3-0 loss at North Dakota on Dec. 3, 2011.
Minnesota played without the services of junior Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights, Minn.), sophomore Dani Cameranesi (Plymouth, Minn.) and sophomore Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn.) while the trio prepares to compete for the U.S. Women's National Team at this week's Four Nations Cup.
Gopher alumni Megan Bozek (United State), Mira Jalosuo (Finland) and Kelly Terry (Canada) are also set to compete at the five-day tournament in Kamloops, British Columbia, this Tuesday through Saturday.
The Gophers are off from competition next weekend during the Four Nations Cup but return to action the following weekend, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for a series at Ohio State on Nov. 14-15. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. CT Friday and 1 p.m. CT Saturday.
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