WESTERN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

Bemidji State opts out of NCAA House settlement; keeping options open

Jared Rubado — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:11:30 GMT

BEMIDJI – After months of deliberation, Bemidji State has decided to opt out of the NCAA House settlement.

While schools in bigger conferences – Big Ten, SEC – are required to opt in, smaller and multi-divisional schools like Bemidji State had, and still have, their House settlement fate in their hands.

In February, schools began declaring their House settlement status. The deadline for schools to opt in was pushed back multiple times over several months, culminating in a hard deadline on June 30. As of Tuesday, July 1, opt-in schools can begin paying student-athletes Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payments directly, while also being able to offer more athletic scholarships.

“We’re opting out for a lot of reasons,” BSU director of athletics Britt Lauritsen told the Pioneer on Tuesday.

“Being a multi-divisional institution and being a multi-conference school, we don’t really know how the House settlement is going to impact schools like us. We have a little bit of time, and I like to frame the next 12 months or so as a viewing period for how this actually looks for the schools that can’t opt out.”

For Bemidji State, one of the biggest roadblocks to opting in was roster limits. Initially, the House settlement capped each Division I sport with specific roster limits, with men’s and women’s hockey set at 26. BSU women’s hockey had 27 players, while men’s hockey had 28 to start their respective 2024-25 seasons.

The House settlement was approved by Judge Claudia Wilken on June 6 with an amendment to grandfather in previous roster limits, emphasizing opt-in schools working toward the new roster limits within five years.

“We know there’s nuance to that now, but for our programs sitting at 27, 28 student-athletes, that helps us,” Lauritsen said. “It gives us depth. Women’s hockey is a great example.”

If the 26-player limit was imposed before the 2024-25 season, BSU women’s hockey would’ve been in a tricky spot.

The Beavers had a 26-player roster, but injuries to goaltenders Eva Filippova and Josie Bothun required head coach Amber Fryklund to add freshman goaltender Lauren Mooney just weeks before the season started.

If roster limits were imposed at 26 players for men’s and women’s hockey, Fryklund would’ve had to cut a player off her team or dress only one healthy goaltender.

“When you have injuries that mount on top of each other, that stuff matters,” Lauritsen said. “If you don’t think there’s a big difference between 26 and 28 players, think about those two other players being goalies. What would we have done?”

There are also financial implications – known and unknown – that Bemidji State was wary of had it opted in. BSU is also under the implication that it can opt in next summer after a year of evaluation.

“As I understand it right now, we’d have the opportunity to explore opting in before an academic year begins,” Lauritsen said. “It’s an area that feels really grey, but that’s my understanding. There’s also the fiscal piece to it, the financial responsibility we have. Opting in, for us, looks different than it does for Minnesota because we’re not in a space to be revenue sharing like they will.”

The House settlement, a landmark deal, will also dish out $2.8 billion for damages to former athletes over the next 10 years. Eligible former student-athletes must have competed any time from 2016 through now for opt-in schools.

The House settlement, which stems from Grant House, a former Arizona State swimmer who sued the defendants (the NCAA and the five largest athletic conferences), ends three separate federal antitrust lawsuits, all of which claimed the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning power of college athletes.

Since 2021, college athletes have been able to profit from NIL deals with third parties. It’s often money that comes from a school’s NIL collective, set up by boosters and other organized groups in conjunction with the respective school.

“When you think about NIL and collectives, everybody wants one on their campus,” Lauritsen said. “There are places to explore there. Where can we expand and what’s the interest in expanding in those areas? It’s still a work in progress in some ways.”

Now, those payments will come from the schools themselves that opt in. Opt-in schools can pay up to $20.5 million to their student-athletes this academic year.

For a non-opt-in school like BSU, Lauritsen still sees beneficial changes from the settlement.

“There’s NIL Go, which is the database for all name, image, likeness deals that all Division-I athletes have to use,” Lauritsen said. “We were required to use that, and I think that’s great. We are going to reap some benefits from the House settlement in terms of structure, even as an opt-out school.”

Because the House settlement largely impacts Division I programs, Bemidji State men’s and women’s hockey is the lone variable right now. Lauritsen expects that to change.

“I foresee in the next 12, 18, 24 months – whatever that looks like – as D-I athletics gets its feet under it as a whole, D-II is going to start looking at different things, too,” Lauritsen said. “We need to figure out what it looks like for our whole department, top to bottom.

“Is D-II going to make some changes? Is there anything coming down the pike that we should have on our radar? We’re being aggressive about observing, is the best way to put it.”

Lauritsen also said there’s a chance aspects from the House settlement, such as roster limits, become mandated throughout collegiate athletics in the future, regardless of opting in or out.

“The NCAA, especially in the last five years, as lawsuits have mounted up, has done a pretty broad-ranging deep dive into the rule books,” Lauritsen said. “For now, we are kind of playing with two different rulebooks. Division I is notorious for adding things to its rulebook, then negating it shortly after if they don’t like it.

“If you think about it, D-I has been playing with multiple rulebooks for a long time. The Power Four has been playing by its own rulebook forever. There’s always going to be a piece of that. It feels like they play by their own rules, because they are.

‘It’s a fault in the system of letting that association grow into the behemoth it’s become. This is just one more thing, one more set of rules. You figure it out, ask a lot of questions and move on.”

One area of focus for opt-out schools is bridging the gap between the benefits of being an opt-in school. Currently, Bemidji State can only offer 18 scholarships for each of its hockey teams. If BSU had opted in, it could’ve offered each player a full scholarship.

While opt-out hockey schools are capped at 18 scholarships this season, schools can make up some of the difference in the form of Alston Awards, also known as Alston money.

In 2014, Shawne Alston, a former West Virginia football running back, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA to challenge the NCAA on its rules involving educational-related benefits.

Judge Wilken ruled in 2019 that the NCAA’s rules violated antitrust law under the Sherman Act. ��s began distributing Alston money in August 2020. Student-athletes can make up to $5,980 per year based on educational thresholds if they attend a school that gives out the awards.

“At the end of the day, you have to figure out what attracts athletes to your institution,” Lauritsen said. “For me, I’m looking at it like this: if you’re a school that can afford to give out 19 scholarships, that’s great. But if that’s your only purpose to opt in, you can probably do that with the 18 scholarships and Alston money.”

For now, Lauritsen and the Beavers are staying put with their operation strategy. She noted that Beaver hockey is “unique” and heavily reliant on its alumni, donors and fan base.

“We need to hold up our end of that relationship and represent them well, and make good use of their dollars and cents,” Lauritsen said. “Beaver hockey is special. The student-athletes we bring in are well-suited to the program. They fit the mold. I think knowing who we are, and I talk with Tom (Serratore) and Amber about this all the time, we have to focus on who we are and do that as well as we can, and expand it. We’re not going to opt in to be flashy.

“We know what we’re working with, we know what the next academic year will bring and how we’re going to recruit with that. We approached it like every other year, and there’s something to be said about having that kind of stability. We know what we needed; we went out and got it.”

]]>

Hailey Armstrong named captain; Bemidji State announces leadership group

Pioneer Staff Report — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:16:23 GMT

BEMIDJI — Bemidji State women's hockey head coach Amber Fryklund announced on Thursday that Hailey Armstrong, Raeley Carney and Morgan Smith will captain the Bemidji State Women’s Hockey team for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Armstrong will wear the “C” as captain of the green and white, while Carney and Smith will don the “A” as alternates. All team captains are voted on by returning players.

Armstrong, a junior from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna alumni, wears a letter for the first time in her Beaver career. She has skated in 73 career games for the Beavers, totaling 28 points off 19 goals and nine assists.

Armstrong is a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, All-Academic Team selection and an AHCA/Krampade All-American Scholar. Last season, she totaled the second-most points and goals on the team, recording 18 points off 10 goals and eight assist,s while her three game-winning goals were the most on the team. She led the team with 97 shots on goal and recorded a program record 14 against Lindenwood on Oct. 18.

Wasilla, Alaska, native and Alaska All Stars alumni Raely Carney will serve as one of two alternates for the Beavers. She has skated in 101 career games and has totaled 14 points off of eight goals and six assists. She is a two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, All-Academic Team and AHCA All-American Scholar in the classroom.

Last season, Carney totaled a career-high seven points off five goals and two assists and was fourth on the team in goals. She paced the Beavers' shooters at a 20-percent efficiency, scoring five goals on just 25 shots.

Smith becomes just the fourth sophomore in BSU women's hockey history to wear a letter, serving as an alternate for the upcoming season. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native made an immediate impact in her first season with the Beavers, playing in all 37 games and leading the team in points (20) and goals (11), becoming the first 20-point scorer at BSU since 2021-22.

Smith scored the most goals by a Beaver freshman since 2000-01 and became the first Beaver to net two hat tricks in a season since 2010-11. Smith was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week three times during the season, the league’s Rookie of the Month in December and was voted Bemidji State’s Female Newcomer of the Year.

]]>

Player retention, culture is paramount for Fryklund; Beavers aim for tangible growth

Jared Rubado — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 17:08:43 GMT

In the ever-changing tides of collegiate athletics, player retention has become a necessary focus.

For the Bemidji State women’s hockey team, player retention is dependent on what head coach Amber Fryklund and her staff are striving to build.

The Beavers are coming off a six-win season, one year after they had four wins. They’ve had 15 wins total in their last three seasons, along with several coaching changes.

However, like several Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams, Bemidji State has kept most of its top players from a year ago. It’s also been the beneficiary of adding impact players, like Minnesota transfer Isa Goettl and Union transfer Meredith Killian in 2024.

“It comes down to how we approach our program as a staff,” Fryklund said. “It shows in our relationships with the players in our recruiting process. We’re unique in the WCHA, so we have to make sure we’re recruiting players who want to be a part of a building process and fit that culture.

“We’re very intentional about our players and helping them reach their goals and aspirations. We’re player-development focused, and we take pride in that.”

Fryklund isn’t unrealistic. She knows it’s next to impossible to keep every player from entering the transfer portal each offseason.

While BSU was able to hang on to most of its young core, it still lost rising-junior defenseman Riley Reeves to St. Lawrence, rising-sophomore defenseman Julia Zielinska to Sacred Heart and alternate captain Mya Headrick to the University of New Brunswick in U Sports.

Along with an incoming class of eight freshmen, Bemidji State is bringing in a pair of WCHA defenders and another goaltender.

Carmen Bray played all 36 games for St. Cloud State last season. She’s played in 52 games in two seasons and has one goal and eight assists. She’s expected to fill a key role for BSU, which lost Makenna Deering, Kendra Fortin, Reeves and Killian on the blue line.

“She’s played in a lot of different situations in her college career, and she brings that understanding of the WCHA and to play defense in the WCHA every weekend,” Fryklund said. “Culturally, she’s a great kid and a great fit, and she’s a great teammate.”

Bray played at RINK Hockey Academy prior to suiting up for the Huskies in 2023-24. It’s a development program out of Kelowna, British Columbia, with strong BSU ties.

“Eva (Filippova) and Hailey (Armstrong) come from that program,” Fryklund said. “It’s a program that does a good job of preparing players for college hockey, particularly the WCHA. She’s going to be a great add to our blue line. She can get pucks through traffic and can make a good breakout pass. She also plays physical.”

Fryklund added another rising-junior defenseman who will change WCHA schools. Elly Klepinger transferred to the Beavers from Minnesota. After graduating from Minnetonka, Klepinger played five games for USA Hockey’s U18 team in 2023.

Her two-year stint with the Gophers wasn’t as fruitful, playing in just 27 games. Fryklund, though, sees her as an important piece to the BSU puzzle.

“With her experience playing at Minnesota and who she is as a person, she certainly has experience on the blue line,” Fryklund said. “She has a lot of talent, and she’s going to bring that to our blue line. She’s going to fit into our team culture, and I’m excited for what she brings depth-wise.”

The third BSU transfer comes in the form of a goaltender, and it’s a matter of circumstance.

In June 2024, Bemidji State had three rostered goalies – Kaitlin Groess, Josie Bothun and Filippova. The Beavers added freshman Lauren Mooney just weeks before the season started due to Filippova and Bothun’s injuries.

Bothun graduated after medically retiring last winter, and Filippova is back on the shelf after suffering a significant lower-body injury that will keep her out until at least midway through 2025-26. Mooney is headed back to Canada to play U Sports, which left Bemidji State with just two goaltenders to open the season.

Without the ability to rely on Groess and Minnetonka freshman Ashlyn Hazlett to stay healthy until Filippova is healed, the Beavers picked up Ava Hills out of Saint Anselm.

“We can’t play with just two healthy goaltenders,” Fryklund said. “With that in mind, we had to bring one in. Ava has good size and played at two great programs coming into college. … She’s got good movement and competes. We’re really excited about that. Like Carmen and Elly, she fits in culturally as well.”

Hills is a Milford, Massachusetts, native who played four games in two years for New Hampshire before playing 22 games for Saint Anselm last season. She posted a .937 save percentage and a 2.79 goals-against average.

Eying a step or two forward

Fryklund gave an honest assessment of her first season as Bemidji State’s head coach. While she’s pleased with the Beavers’ commitment to individual and collective growth, she’s not satisfied with where they finished in the WCHA.

“We were three wins away from sixth place,” Fryklund said. “You look back at games you should’ve won, and there’s some opportunity there. We talk about that a lot with our team, how close to where we want to be. Three wins is a lot in the WCHA, but it’s not unreachable. We took some time with our team to really dive into that after the season. It comes down to the work they put in their offseason training.”

While the improvement in the win column from a year ago was marginal at best, BSU still showed significant strides in Fryklund’s first season. The Beavers scored 14 more goals than they did in 2023-24. They also scored nine more power-play goals.

In 2023-24, Bemidji State was scored on 181 times, compared to 148 goals against last season. BSU took fewer penalties, drew more power plays and saw individual statistics rise.

While that hasn’t translated into better WCHA positioning yet, the Beavers hope to make the 2024-25 season the start of a consistent trend in the right direction.

“I’m proud of how we played,” Fryklund said. “Statistics don’t tell the whole story. We made progress throughout the whole year, especially how we played defensively. Our power play was outstanding. There’s some great building points that we can continue to build on, and that’s exciting. We’ve struggled to score goals, but I think you’re starting to see more offensive opportunities. You can see growth there.”

Fryklund’s coaching career has included several high-level positions, most notably in the form of an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship.

She treated her first season at the helm of Bemidji State women’s hockey like she would any other: an observant sponge.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to have a variety of different experiences,” Fryklund said. “I think in that first year, you spend a lot of time listening, taking it all in. You’re trying to learn from every situation. You’re leaning on the experiences you’ve had and the philosophy and the beliefs you hold. I don’t know if there was anything unexpected, but every day was an opportunity to reflect and have growth.”

Fryklund credited her staff – Emma Sobieck, Sarah Bobrowski, Alexis Joyce, Emily Meyer, Heidi Kreuger and Connor Laschinger – for their support through a transitional season.

“As coaches, you try and create that environment by building close relationships,” Fryklund said. “Our staff has spent a lot of time doing that and has put in the work to help our players reach those individual goals in and outside of hockey. When that happens, our team gets better.”

Culture is the backbone

Collegiate athletics will continue to evolve throughout Fryklund’s tenure. The transfer portal isn’t going away. As Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) moves to the forefront of amateur sports, it’ll begin to trickle its way into women’s hockey as well, providing another obstacle for the small-town Beavers competing against Big Ten programs.

Another wrinkle in the fold is the looming House settlement. When approved by Judge Claudia Wilken, roster limits will be imposed for schools that opt in. That limit is currently at 26 players for men’s and women’s hockey, but there’s a belief that an amendment to the settlement will allow programs to grandfather in their current roster size to prevent schools from cutting depth athletes in all sports.

Bemidji State has not indicated if it's opting in or out. It has until June 27, though it’s a date that’s been pushed back multiple times.

Currently, BSU women’s hockey has 27 players, due to the goaltending injury conundrum. If the settlement is approved with the grandfathering in, and if Bemidji State opts in, Fryklund wouldn’t have to cut any players before the 2025-26 season.

“We’re in a unique situation because of our goaltending situation,” Fryklund said. “If we were capped at 26 players this year, that would hurt us. For a lot of schools, 26 players is a lot. Some carry 23 or 24. On the men’s side, they generally carry a bigger roster. We’re really young, too, so that’s part of it as well.

“Nobody wants to cut kids, but some schools are doing it. That’s the business side of college athletics. For us, we’re going to wait and see where the dust settles and see where we go from there.”

Fryklund’s notion of the impending House settlement is a product of her coaching philosophy. She values player development above all else, and it translates beyond the sheet of ice at the Sanford Center.

Ultimately, Fryklund is proud of the community impact the Beavers showed last season.

“It starts with Kendra (Fortin) and her Hockey Humanitarian (Award) nomination,” Fryklund said. “Our players crushed it in the classroom. It’s just what they do in our community with their volunteering, specifically with Bemidji girls hockey. We talked about gratitude in our program, and they have it. We coordinate some of those opportunities, but our players go out of their way to find more, stuff we don’t even know of, and I’m certainly proud of that.”

]]>

Beavers open with the champs; breaking down 2025-26 women’s hockey schedule

Jared Rubado — Wed, 21 May 2025 18:41:02 GMT

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.

]]>

2025 CCHA and WCHA hockey transfer portal log

Jared Rubado — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 18:26:14 GMT

BEMIDJI — The end of the 2024-25 college hockey season for CCHA men’s and WCHA women’s teams presents an opportunity for players and programs to change in the offseason.

Below is a list of men’s and women’s hockey players in the CCHA and WCHA who have entered the transfer portal before the 2025-26 season. It also follows where outgoing and incoming transfers are headed in relation to league teams. These lists will be updated daily throughout the offseason.

Graduate transfers can enter the portal at any time. The women's portal opened on March 16 for non-graduate transfers. They have until April 29 to enter the portal and can commit to a new school at any time. The men's portal opens on March 30 for non-graduate transfers and closes on May 13.

The players listed below are ordered by portal entry date from new to old. The grade listed for each player on this page was their grade during the 2024-25 season.

For tips on CCHA or WCHA transfers, email Jared Rubado at jrubado@bemidjipioneer.com.

Wisconsin jumps on Bemidji State, advances to next round in dominating win

Jared Rubado — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 03:27:18 GMT

MADISON, Wis. – Just five minutes into the game, Wisconsin had a 4-0 lead over the Bemidji State women’s hockey team.

The Badgers turned a fast start into an 11-0 win to sweep the Beavers in the WCHA Quarterfinals at LaBahn Arena.

Kirsten Simms scored the first two goals, then Maggie Scannell, Finley McCarthy, Kelly Gorbatenko, Cassie Hall, Casey O’Brien and Hannah Halverson made it 8-0 by the end of the first period.

O’Brien assisted on three of the first four goals, then scored to set Wisconsin’s all-time points record. O’Brien finished with a goal and five assists and currently has 265 points over her career.

Simms completed the hat trick in the second period before UW scored twice more in the third.

Kaitlin Groess was pulled in the first period and made three saves. Lauren Mooney finished the game and made 17 saves.

Bemidji State had 30 shots on goal. Ava McNaughton made eight saves in the first period before Quinn Kuntz stopped 11 shots in each of the second and third periods.

BSU finishes its 2024-25 season with a record of 6-30-1. It graduates seniors Makenna Deering, Shelby Breiland, Kendra Fortin, Meredith Killian, Alyssa Watkins, Josie Bothun and Geno Hendrickson.

No. 1 Wisconsin 11, Bemidji State 0

First period – UW GOAL: Simms (O’Brien, Eden) 0:15; UW GOAL: Simms (O’Brien, Eden) 2:06; UW GOAL: Scannell (Murphy, Enright) 4:32; UW GOAL: McCarthy (O’Brien, Halverson) 5:00; UW GOAL: Gorbatenko (Hall, Kotlowski) 5:45; UW GOAL: O’Brien (Harvey) SHG, 12:05; UW GOAL: Halverson (O’Brien, Simms) 18:46.

Second period – UW GOAL: Simms (O’Brien, Eden) 10:06.

Third period – UW GOAL: Wozniewicz (Gorbatenko, Harvey) 19:06; UW GOAL: McCarthy (Venusio, Halverson) 10:59.

Saves – Groess (BSU) 3; Mooney (BSU) 17; McNaughton (UW) 8; Kuntz (UW) 22.

]]>

Kaitlin Groess stands tall in postseason debut; No. 1 Badgers too much for Beavers

Jared Rubado — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 05:05:11 GMT

MADISON, Wis. – Kaitlin Groess was at her best on Friday night.

The Bemidji State women’s hockey freshman goaltender knew she’d see a high collection of shots against unanimously top-ranked Wisconsin to open the WCHA Quarterfinals at LaBahn Arena in Madison.

She saw 45 of them.

Groess, though, did her best to keep the Beavers in it. She made 42 saves in a 3-0 loss against the Badgers.

BSU nearly got out of the first period unscathed until Kelly Gorbatenko put UW ahead 1-0 with 38 seconds left in the first period. Claire Enright and Lacey Eden made it 3-0 in a dominant second period. Wisconsin outshot Bemidji State 19-0 in the middle frame.

The Beavers will play with their season on the line at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Madison. If BSU wins, Game 3 will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday at LaBahn.

No. 1 Wisconsin 3, Bemidji State 0

BSU 0 0 0 – 0

UW 1 2 0 – 3

First period – UW GOAL: Gorbatenko (Scannel, Harvey) 19:22.

Second period – UW GOAL: Enright (Hall, Wozniewicz) 15:22; UW GOAL: Eden (Harvey, O’Brien) 17:55.

Third period – No scoring.

Saves – Groess (BSU) 42; McNaughton (UW) 12.

]]>

Isa Goettl finds community, growth at Bemidji State after accomplished youth hockey career

Jared Rubado — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 21:20:16 GMT

Isa Goettl’s dad is a smooth talker.

While attending North Educate Hockey Academy in second grade, currently known as Gentry Academy, Goettl walked into the rink when she noticed two of her hockey heroes in a private session.

Natalie Darwitz, who played three seasons at the University of Minnesota and nine seasons with Team USA at the world championship level, was working with Nina Rodgers, who went on to play two seasons at the U of M and two seasons with Boston before finishing her playing career with the Minnesota Whitecaps in the NWHL in 2021.

Then there was Goettl, who was still eight years away from being old enough to drive herself to the rink. However, Gottel’s dad is an opportunist.

“My dad just went over to (Darwitz) and asked, ‘Are these lessons?’” Goettl recalled. “He was like, ‘I have a daughter who plays and she’s in second grade.’ One minute I’m going to school at the Egan Civic Center and the next I’m training with Natalie Darwitz.”

For Goettl’s ninth birthday, her dad found another opportunity. She was selected to be a Minnesota Wild Flag Bearer prior to the reading of the starting lineups before a game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

“It was my golden birthday gift,” Goettl said. “I was 9, so I don’t remember much of it, but I remember getting ready with Erica McKenzie. I got to hang out with her before I went out there. Skating out there for that is just crazy. There’s a big difference from an NHL crowd to a high school crowd. Just being out there with all of the NHL players with all of the lights going was insane.”

From an early age, Goettl’s hockey career has been full of unique twists and turns. Her latest led her on a search for a close-knit hockey community.

Goettl found it at Bemidji State.

Making history

Goettl’s youth hockey career bounced around the metro area when she was young. She grew up in Hastings before moving to Andover prior to high school. She played her first varsity season with the Huskies in 2019-20, the year they won their first Class AA state championship.

“We had a really tight-knit team, and it was really cool to experience that,” Goettl said. “We had some adversity we faced that season, but we obviously came together and got closer as a team. To win the first state championship in school history was amazing, I had no words.”

The first state title was just the beginning for Andover.

After beating Edina 5-13 in 2020, the Huskies earned a rematch against the Hornets in 2021. This time, Edina pulled out a 2-1 win.

For the third consecutive season, Andover went to the state title game in 2022. While looking to win the program’s second championship in three years, the Huskies also put their undefeated record on the line against Minnetonka.

Of the seven players who scored the nine goals between the two teams, six of them play Division I hockey in the WCHA.

St. Thomas’ Ella Boerger gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead before Goettl doubled the score late in the first period. Minnesota’s Ava Lindsay scored her first of two goals with under 90 seconds left before the first intermission.

Minnetonka took the lead in the second period. Minnesota Duluth’s Grace Sadura tied the game for the Skippers before Minnesota’s Kendra Distad put Minnetonka ahead 3-2. Boerger and Lindsay each scored again before the second period ended.

In the third period, though, Andover did enough to finish 30-0-0. St. Thomas’ Maddison Brown tied the game three minutes into the third period before Sara Kaiser, the only uncommitted scorer, buried the winning goal with 1:40 left in regulation.

“It’s really hard because you always have a target on your back,” Goettl said of going undefeated. “Going into every game you know you have to play even harder. Obviously, we play a tough schedule, and playing the top teams in the state is really hard.

“But you go through that with your teammates together. We all make each other better in practice, and we took that into games. Yeah, there were nerves sometimes, but we knew what we had to do.”

Too many to count

Before Goettl jumped into her junior season with Andover, she suffered a shoulder injury playing Elite League in the fall of 2022.

“They didn’t know I tore my labrum, they thought I sprained the AC joint or something,” Goettl said. “It was something small, so I did rehab on it for a month or two and played my junior season. I dislocated my shoulder a couple more times, then did it more my senior year, too.”

Goettl’s final high school season included a fourth state title game appearance, this time a 4-1 loss against Gentry Academy and future teammate Riley Reeves.

But Goettl’s sights were pointed toward the next level of hockey. She chose to play for the Gophers and stay close to home, and she knew the U of M’s physical examination would give her clarity about her nagging shoulder issue.

“They gave me an option to keep playing with it or get surgery,” Goettl said. “I was going to play through it. They told me if my shoulder pops out again then I need to get surgery. Then my shoulder dislocated again the day after my birthday and it was time.”

Goettl redshirted her only season with the Gophers, playing in just one game and watching most of one of the WCHA’s top programs from the stands at Ridder Arena.

“I wasn’t able to get on the ice as much as I wanted to because of my recovery,” Goettl said. “Even when I did get on the ice, I couldn’t shoot or turn really fast for a while. It was like being allowed to go out for a stroll and that’s it. But I think I developed the mental side of my game a lot more than the physical aspect. Getting to watch the game and study the game was big for me.”

With four full years of eligibility left, Goettl entered the transfer portal looking for a community that felt like home.

“I wanted to be in a close-knit community,” Goettl said. “Coming from the cities, you’re in a big city. I wanted to be in a closer environment. When I go to Target here, I see people who know me more. You go to Target in Dinky Town and you don’t know anybody. Being in a closer community like this is what I wanted.”

Not only did she find that in Bemidji, but she also found a team that depends on her to produce.

Goettl has scored six times and assisted on nine more goals in 35 games, instantly becoming one of the Beavers’ top offensive threats this season.

“You hope that you can bring in top-six forwards, because the more you have the more depth you have on your team,” BSU head coach Amber Fryklund said. “Certainly, looking at that, players have to put in the work and earn that opportunity when they get here. But we identified her as a player that could be one of those top-six forwards for us.”

When evaluating transfer portal additions, Fryklund may analyze how well a player fits into the Bemidji State culture. She identified Goettl as a perfect puzzle piece.

“On top of being a first-year player in the WCHA, she’s overcoming an injury, too,” Fryklund said. “She’s come in and has played a lot of minutes for us. She’s on our power play, she’s on our penalty kill. She continues to develop every day and continues to get better. She’s a great fit, always joking around. We have a great group of kids and Isa fits in perfectly.”

]]>

13 Beavers selected for WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:45:51 GMT

BEMIDJI — The WCHA announced its list of student-athletes who have earned the conference's Scholar-Athlete Award on Thursday. Thirteen members of the Bemidji State women's hockey team were recognized for the award.

Representing all eight of the league's member institutions, the WCHA Scholar-Athlete teams include student-athletes who have a GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in their previous two semesters or three quarters and who have achieved at least sophomore status in their academic careers.

The Beavers were second in the league with 13 student-athletes selected for the award, trailing only Minnesota State's 19.

The following BSU players received the league's academic recognition: sophomore Hailey Armstrong, senior Shelby Breiland, junior Raeley Carney, sophomore Ana Davis, senior Makenna Deering, sophomore Eva Filippova, junior Mya Headrick, senior Geno Hendrickson, sophomore Talya Hendrickson, sophomore Kate Johnson, sophomore Riley Reeves, sophomore Shelby Sandberg and senior Alyssa Watkins.

]]>

Beavers' Kendra Fortin nominated for Allstate NACDA Good Works Team

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:45:35 GMT

NORTHBROOK, Ill. — Bemidji State women’s hockey senior Kendra Fortin was nominated for the prestigious 2024-25 Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Winter), announced by the organization last Thursday.

Nominated by athletics administrators, conference office staff and coaches, these student-athletes embody leadership, service and character and will now be considered for selection to the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Winter).

"These young women and men are more than competitors – they're leaders, changemakers and role models," Holly Rowe, ESPN reporter, play-by-play commentator and Allstate NACDA Ambassador, said in a release. "Their influence extends beyond the game, shaping communities and teaching others the value of leadership skills like empathy, resilience and integrity, which will last a lifetime."

Allstate and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) proudly honor 193 student-athletes excelling in academics, sports and community impact.

Fortin, a finalist for the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award, is nominated for her work to bring awareness to organ donation to Bemidji State and the surrounding community. She hopes to join former Beaver football quarterback Jared Henning as BSU’s only Good Works Team selections.

A distinguished selection committee will select 20 nominees – 10 female and 10 male student-athletes – to join the 2024-25 Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Winter). The committee includes Rowe, ESPN analyst and former Texas and NFL linebacker Sam Acho, and other esteemed members:

Elizabeth Brady– Chief Marketing, Customer and Communications Officer, Allstate Ross Bjork – Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation-Eugene Smith Endowed Athletics Director, The Ohio State University; NACDA President Dan Guerrero – Retired Director of Athletics, UCLA; NACDA Past President Brian Henderson – Athletics Director/Assistant Vice President of Student Engagement and Inclusion, Patrick & Henry Community College; NACDA Executive Committee, NATYCAA 1st Vice President Reagan Rossi – Vice President of Athletics, College of Idaho; NACDA Executive Committee, NAIA-ADA President Etienne Thomas – Director of Athletics, Winston-Salem State University; NACDA Executive Committee, D2 ADA Board of Directors Natalie Winkelfoos – Associate Vice President for Athletics Advancement and Delta Lodge Director of Athletics & Physical Education, Oberlin College; NACDA Executive Committee

Announced in December, the Allstate NACDA Good Works Team builds on the legacy of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which has celebrated college football players' good work off the field since 1992. Now, 60 more student-athletes across all sports and all divisions will be honored annually, with three groups of 20 representing the fall, winter and spring collegiate athletics seasons.

"Athletes in sports that don't always make the headlines demonstrate the same dedication to service and leadership as any other competitor," Elizabeth Brady, Allstate's chief marketing, customer and communications officer, said in a release. "The overwhelmingly positive response to our first-ever Allstate NACDA Good Works Team shows how much this spotlight and support matters. We're honored to share the stories of these inspiring student-athletes."

Now in its 60th year, NACDA is the professional and educational association for more than 24,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,300 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 19 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts and/or has a presence at seven annual, in-person major professional development events. The NACDA and Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.

]]>