Bemidji State kept its postseason chances alive Friday with a victory over seventh-place St. Cloud State, 3-1, at the John Glas Fieldhouse.
The Beavers came out of the gates playing an aggressive first period and it paid off as they were up 2-0 with more than half of the period to play.
“We played an excellent first period and that first goal was big, as it really got the momentum rolling in our favor from the start,” said head coach Bruce Olson.
Jenny Schnickel put the Beavers on the board just over one minute into the game when she wound up from the top of the faceoff circle and powered her slapshot past Husky goaltender Laura Gieselman. Carly Napier was credited with her first assist of the season on the goal.
At the 7:39 mark of the period the Beavers went up by two when Amber Fryklund picked up a loose puck off a Lill Raynard attempt and slid it just behind Gieselman.
After going down 2-0, SCSU head coach Jason Lesteberg called a time out that seemed to change the tide of the period. At 16:25, St. Cloud State responded with a goal to come within one, 2-1. Erin McNamara scored her second of the season with an assisting pass from Kobi Kawamoto on the power-play goal.
The score remained 2-1 until the last minute of the third period, but at 19:42, Cassi Petsch ended any St. Cloud State ideas of a comeback when she tipped a Lill Raynard shot passed the Husky netminder for her first collegiate point.
After the game the BSU coach was happy with the performance of his team.
“We went up early and played a solid third period,” said Olson. “Anik [Coté] was great in net and our defensemen played a solid game. Its a big weekend for us and it is nice to get two points in the first game. We need these points to attain our goal of making the WCHA Final Five.”
The win brings BSU’s overall record to 6-9-6 and 4-6-5 in WCHA competition. The Beavers will continue their current homestand Saturday when they will face the same St. Cloud State (7-16-0, 4-13-0 WCHA) team. The puck is set to drop at 2:05 p.m.
