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BEMIDJI – The Bemidji State women’s hockey team is making a habit of opening its season against the reigning champions at the Sanford Center.

To kick off the 2024-25 slate, the Beavers hosted the defending national champions, Ohio State, at home. They will do it again on Sept. 26 against Wisconsin.

The Badgers beat the Buckeyes in a 4-3 overtime thriller at Ridder Arena to win their fourth title in six seasons. Wisconsin will make a trip to Bemidji to begin its title defense with a two-game WCHA series.

Bemidji State ended the 2024-25 regular season against UW. This year, the Beavers will get a crack at Ohio State Feb. 20-21 before the WCHA Quarterfinals begin on Feb. 27. Ohio State will likely be one of the nation’s top contenders to make the Frozen Four at Pegula Ice Arena March 20-21 in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Bemidji State will play each of the seven WCHA teams four times, twice at home and twice on the road. For the first time since the 2021-22 season, however, the Beavers will not play in a holiday tournament.

During the 2022-23 season, BSU went 1-1 at the Nutmeg Classic Tournament, hosted by Quinnipiac, in Hamden, Connecticut. Two years ago, it went 1-1 at the Battle of the Burgh in Pittsburgh. Last season, Bemidji State beat Brown 5-4 in comeback fashion to, again, go 1-1 at the University of Minnesota Showcase.

Holiday tournaments have accounted for 20% of the Beavers’ wins in the last three seasons.

Instead, BSU has a more robust nonconference schedule.

Robert Morris makes the trip to Bemidji Oct. 3-4. BSU lost twice to the Colonials on the road in the season’s second weekend last October. BSU holds a 9-5-1 record against RMU and is 4-2-1 dating back to Sept. 26, 2014.

Bemidji State will also play two nonconference series on the road.

The first is Nov. 28-29 in St. Charles, Missouri, against Lindenwood. BSU is 13-4-2 against the Lions, including a 6-3 win and a 3-3 tie at the Sanford Center last October.

The Beavers will also play their first-ever games against Merrimack Jan. 3-4 to kick off the new year. The Warriors have been an NCAA program since the 2015-16 season.

BSU men’s and women’s hockey will host doubleheaders at the Sanford Center Nov. 7-8 and Nov. 21-22. The women’s team welcomes St. Thomas and St. Cloud State to kick off each doubleheader, while the men’s team will play Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan.

Bemidji State has a pair of extended breaks on the schedule. After traveling to Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 10-11, the Beavers will have two open weekends before hitting the road to play Mankato Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. BSU also has a month off after hosting Minnesota Duluth Dec. 5-6 before heading to North Andover, Massachusetts, to play Merrimack.

The WCHA has yet to reveal a location for the 2026 Frozen Faceoff. The event to award the WCHA’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid will be held March 5-7.