Bemidji State women's hockey: Gophers top Beavers in first game of WCHA playoffs

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Bemidji State women's hockey team lost 4-1 to No. 1 ranked Minnesota Friday night at Ridder Arena in Game 1 of the WCHA first round playoff series.

The Gophers scored the first three goals of the game and can close out the best-of-three series today at 4:07 p.m. with a win over the Beavers.

Game 3, if necessary, is Sunday afternoon at Ridder Arena.

Jen Schoullis scored midway through the first period to put the Gophers up early. Monique Lamoureux scored at 8:54 of the second and Jaimie Horton extended the Gophers lead to 3-0 with just under six minutes left in the second period.

Bemidji State freshman defenseman Marlee Wheelhouse scored the Beavers' lone goal of the game with 1:50 left in the second period on a 5-on-3 power play. Annie Bauerfeld and Erin Cody assisted on the play to cut the Minnesota lead to 3-1.

The Gophers made it 4-1 on Emily West's goal with 3:40 left in the game.

BSU goalie Zuzana Tomcikova had 38 saves and Gopher goalie Alyssa Grogan finished with 16 saves.

The Beavers were outshot 42-17 and went 1-for-7 on the power-play. Minnesota was 0-for-5 with a man advantage.

Bauerfeld's assist gives BSU three 20-point scorers this season for the first time since 2005-06. The three are Bauerfeld (8g-12a), Erin Johnson (So., W, Farmington, Minn.) (9g-11a) and Cody (12g-15a).

BSU has been efficient with the puck, so much so that four different players have double-digit assists this season, which is the first time that at least four Beavers have achieved double-digit assists since 2000-01. The fourth player is Montana Vichorek (Fr., D, Moose Lake,

Minn.) (3g-10a)