BEMIDJI, Minn. — Minnesota State (6-5-1, 2-5-0) won 4-3 over Bemidji St. (1-10-0, 0-9-0) on Friday at Sanford Center. The Mavericks scored three times in the second period after being held scoreless in the first and added a goal in the third. The Beavers held a 28-24 edge in shots, but the Mavericks made 25 saves and killed all three power-play chances. Two different Mavericks scored their first collegiate goals and eight different skaters recorded a point.
Lila Deis scored on back-to-back shifts, it was Deis' first two goals of her career.
Mika Cichosz scored the game-winning goal for her first collegiate goal, added a blocked shot and posted a +2 rating.
Kamryn Van Batavia potted a goal and added an assist on two shots. Van Batavia's goal was her first of the 2026-27 season.
Anika Stromme tallied two assists, it was Stromme's first two-assist game of the season, setting career and season highs.
Jaya Schippel made 25 saves en route to her third consecutive win.
The Mavericks generated steady first-period pressure but went to the intermission down 1-0 after Carmen Bray scored at even strength for Bemidji St. at 12:41 off assists from Olivia Dronen and Kate Johnson. Earlier
, Ava Guillemette put two early shots on Sophia Villanueva, and the Mavericks continued to create chances through
Mercury Bischoff,
Audrey Garton,
Kendall Hassler, Van Batavia and others. The Mavericks went to the power play seven seconds after Bray's goal when Bray was called for slashing, but
Ayla Puppe's blocked shot was the only listed attempt before Bischoff was called for hooking, ending the advantage. Schippel later made a save on Autumn Cooper during Bemidji St.'s power play, and the Mavericks had late attempts from
Payton Finnie and
Lauren Zawoyski before Bemidji St. closed the first period with the 1-0 lead.
The Mavericks buzzed around the ice during the second period, tallying three even-strength goals. The Mavericks generated pressure around an early special-teams sequence, with Zawoyski, Puppe, Bischoff and
Mia Miller all putting attempts toward net before Deis broke through. She found open space in the middle of the ice and deflected home a puck off a Stromme shot to tie the game at one.
Katie Olfert also assisted on the play, recording her first point as a Maverick. Deis scored again at 9:33, this time redirecting a
Neely Hawn shot past Villanueva to put the Mavericks ahead 2-1. It was Deis's second goal in as many shifts, and Stromme assisted on both. Schippel answered the Beavers' push with a series of saves through the middle of the period. Van Batavia added onto the lead at 15:08 as
Makayla Moran found her streaking down the slot and put the puck right on her stick. Van Batavia's shot beat the Beavers' netminder and extended the lead to two. The Mavericks closed the period with a 3-1 lead after scoring three unanswered goals.
The Mavericks opened the third period by killing Moran's hooking penalty in the opening minutes of the period, with Schippel making three saves on the Bemidji St. power play while
Sophie Stramel and Cichosz blocked attempts before Moran returned. The Beavers cut into the lead on Talya Hendrickson's even-strength goal at 8:27 off assists from Davina Davis and Lola Macuiba. The Mavericks answered less than three minutes later as Cichosz fired a shot from the point that went bar-down at 10:55, extending the lead back to two. Van Batavia and Puppe would both assist on the eventual game-winning goal. The Beavers tried to claw their way back into the game and ended up pulling their goalie with 2:47 left and generated a late push, including a Davis shot off the pipe. Morgan Smith would score with 3.5 seconds left in the game as the Beavers came up just short. The Mavericks secured their second WCHA win of the season in the 4-3 win.
Up next, the Mavericks look to sweep the series against the Beavers on Saturday, puck drop is set for 2 p.m. at Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn.
3 Stars of the Game:
- #19 Lila Deis
- #9 Kamryn Van Batavia
- #3 Anika Stromme
