6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday Stream: FloHockey.tv
U seeks to halt skid in final series of regular season
Gophers at a glance: Minnesota (9-7-1) finished a stretch of four series against either No. 1 Wisconsin or No. 3 Ohio State with a 1-6-1 record and a three-game losing streak. Last weekend, the Gophers fell 2-1 and 3-2 to Ohio State, with a rally falling short in the opener and a 2-0 lead in the finale not holding up. The fourth-ranked Gophers could use a couple of victories against Bemidji State to bolster their argument for an NCAA tournament berth. Their .559 winning percentage is fourth in the WCHA. "It's really important," Gophers coach Brad Frost said of the series. "This last month has been tough, so if we can get some momentum going into the playoffs, that would be a huge boost for our team." … Grace Zumwinkle (12 goals, 3 assists, 15 points) leads the Gophers in scoring. Emily Oden (2-10-12) and Taylor Heise (6-6-12) are tied for second. Lauren Bench (8-5, 2.26 goals-against average, .924 save percentage) and Makayla Pahl (1-2-1, 1.79, .939) have split the starts in goal the past three series. Bench is a graduate transfer from Bemidji State, and Frost indicated she'd likely get a start this weekend.
Beavers at a glance: Bemidji State (2-12-2) is coming off 4-0 and 7-0 losses at Wisconsin. Since a 1-0 victory over No. 6 Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 22, the Beavers have lost five consecutive games and have been outscored 16-2 in the process. Bemidji State is 0-for-27 on the power play and has only 25 shots on goal in those situations. The Beavers season will end after next weekend's series at St. Cloud State. Only the top four teams in the conference standings will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff. … Clair DeGeorge (4-5-9) leads the Beavers in goals and scoring, while Reece Hunt (0-7-7) is tops in assists. Goalie Kerigan Dowhy (2-11-2, 2.47, .922) has started 15 of 16 games this season, highlighted by a 46-save effort in the win over UMD.
Randy Johnson
