BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Women’s Hockey squad welcomes the 2025 calendar year on Wednesday by taking part in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Face-Off Classic held at the Lakeville Hasse Arena in Lakeville, Minnesota.
The Beavers (3-14-1, 2-12-0 WCHA) are set to clash with No. 3 University of Minnesota (13-4-1, 9-4-1 WCHA) for a single non-conference matchup on New Year’s Day. The puck is expected to drop between the Beavers and Golden Gophers at 5:00 p.m.
The event will be broadcast live on B1G+, while the Beaver Radio Network coverage can be accessed via radio at 94.3 FM The Legends or online at www.beaverradionetwork.com, with Rob Aitken delivering play-by-play insights.
Bemidji State Insights
- The Beavers will initiate a stretch of three games in four days, starting with the Face-Off Classic against the Gophers on Wednesday evening in Lakeville.
- Following this match, the Beavers will remain in the Twin Cities area for the subsequent three nights to compete in the University of Minnesota Showcase at Ridder Arena, facing off against Penn State University and Brown University on January 3-4.
- This tradition aims to promote awareness for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth, Minnesota, highlight women’s college hockey at its pinnacle, and generate funds for the Hendrickson Foundation.
- An all-female officiating crew will preside over the game.
- The year 2025 will mark the eighth occasion the Beavers participate in this annual game, but it will be the first since 2018.
- Historically, Bemidji State holds a record of 4-3-0 in Face-Off Classic matches.
- While this matchup will occur against a familiar conference rival, it will be classified as a non-conference game.
- Bemidji State’s all-time record against the Gophers stands at 9-96-7, with a 2-7-0 mark in non-conference contests.
- The Beavers and Gophers faced off earlier this season on November 1-2 in a WCHA series at Sanford Center, where Minnesota secured victories of 2-1 and 4-1 over BSU.
- This will be the Beavers’ first game since December 13-14, marking an 18-day hiatus.
- The Gophers have an even longer break between games, having last played on December 6-7 (a span of 25 days).
- Bemidji State concluded the first half of the season with six points in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings, while Minnesota holds third place with 27 points.
- The Gophers are currently on a 24-game winning streak against BSU, with the Beavers’ last victory over UMN recorded on December 2, 2017.
- Minnesota enters Wednesday’s contest ranked third in both the USA Hockey/The Rink Live and USCHO.com top-15 national polls.
- Senior Genevieve Hendrickson is the leading scorer for the Beavers against the Gophers, accumulating four points (1g-3a) in 10 matches played against Minnesota.
- Freshman goalie Kaitlin Groess started both games during their initial series of the season, stopping 55 of 61 shots; however, four out of the Gophers’ six goals that weekend came from power plays.
- Bemidji State is represented by redshirt freshman and Minnesota transfer Isa Goettl, who has tallied nine points (3g-6a) over 18 games.
- She is followed closely by sophomore Hailey Armstrong (6g-2a) and freshman Morgan Smith (5g-3a), each with eight points.
- The Beavers’ top six point scorers are all underclassmen, including four sophomores and two freshmen taking the lead.
- Freshman Kaitlin Groess has been the starting goalie, playing in 13 of the team’s 18 games.
- Her record stands at 3-10-0 for the season, with a .904 save percentage and an average of 3.18 goals against.
- However, sophomore Eva Filippova has started in two of the last three matches.
- Freshman Morgan Smith recently achieved her first collegiate hat trick on December 14 at Minnesota State, becoming the first Beaver freshman to accomplish this feat since Reece Hunt (2020).
- Sophomore Riley Reeves leads the Beavers’ defense with five points (2g-3a) and ranks first in the WCHA and fourth in the nation with 50 blocked shots.
- Bemidji State stands sixth in DI Women’s Hockey for total blocked shots with 290, while Reeves, Kendra Fortin, and Olivia Dronen hold first, fourth, and fifth positions in the WCHA, respectively.
- Senior Alyssa Watkins has been elected by her teammates to lead the squad as captain this season, becoming the 40th team captain in the history of the program. She is joined by senior Genevieve Hendrickson and junior Mya Headrick, serving as alternate captains.
- The Beavers’ lineup features 17 players from Minnesota, 19 from within the U.S., five from Canada, and three from Europe.
- The 2024-25 season marks the 27th year in the history of Bemidji State Women’s Hockey, with the program holding a record of 278-556-81 (.350) over 913 games played.
For further details on the Bemidji State women’s hockey program, tickets, or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X or Instagram, or give them a like on Facebook.
Situated by the shores of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University supports 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey affiliations in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, alongside its 13 NCAA Division II programs in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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