Bemidji State hands Gophers' women's hockey rare defeat

Brittni Mowat made 36 saves and Ivana Bilic scored a power-play goal in the first period that held up, as the Bemidji State handed the top-ranked Gophers women's hockey team a rare defeat, 1-0 on Saturday at Ridder Arena.

It was only the third loss in three seasons for the Gophers (7-1-2, 5-1-2-0 WCHA), who went undefeated in the 2011-12 season, then lost twice last season: to North Dakota 3-2, ending their winning streak at 62 games, then to Clarkson 5-4 in the NCAA championship game.

The Gophers lost for only the fourth time in 110 games (102-4-4). They were shut out for the first time since a 3-0 loss at North Dakota on Dec. 3, 2011.

"It was a disappointing result for us here tonight," Gophers coach Brad Frost said. "I'm proud of our effort. … Hopefully we'll take this, learn from it and get better next time we step on the ice."

The Beavers (5-4-1, 1-4-1-1) took a 1-0 lead when Bilic scored 4-on-3 15 minutes, 44 seconds into the game. Mowat made it hold up from there, stopping 11 shots in the first period, 14 in the second and 11 in the third.

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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.

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.

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.

Bilic's goal came on a 4-on-3 power play 15 minutes, 44 seconds into the game.