Bemidji State (0-3-1) 

Goals were again in short supply this weekend for the Beavers, as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute made its way to northern Minnesota and walked away with a tie and a 3-1 victory. 

BSU’s Hailey Armstrong and RPI’s Nyah Philip traded goals in the opening period in game one, which would end up being the only two goals of the game. Goaltending was a highlight for both squads, as Abbie Thompson stopped 28 of 29 shots for the Beavers while the Engineers’ Amanda Rampado made 34 saves on 35 shots. 

RPI’s Philip scored again in game two, with Isabelle Hardy and Morgann Skoda providing the other two scores. Roseau native Kayla Santl was the lone goal-scorer for Bemidji State. Rampado again impressed between the pipes with 30 saves for RPI. 

The Beavers will head to St. Cloud for a pair of games against the Huskies next weekend, then trek to Madison for a showdown with the top-ranked Badgers on Oct. 21 and 22. 

No. 4 Minnesota (2-0) 

If anybody picked the RIT upset in the season-opening series for the Golden Gophers, you should have your DraftKings privileges revoked. If internet gambling on women’s college hockey doesn’t exist yet, I have an ELITE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY for some lucky soul.

Abbey Murphy scored power-play goals in the first and second periods in Friday’s 3-0 win. Murphy assisted on a Madeline Wethington goal in the second frame. The lone bright spot of the game for RIT was goaltender Sarah Coe, who stopped 35 of 38 shots on goal in the loss. 

Three of the Golden Gophers’ five goals in game two came on special teams, as Murphy and Ava Lindsay notched power-play tallies, and Ella Huber scored an unassisted shorthanded goal. Maggie Nicholson and Madison Kaiser scored once each for Minnesota. RIT’s lone goal came from Lindsay Maloney, a Minnesota native (surprise, surprise). 

The Golden Gophers will take on St. Thomas next and will play Friday’s game at the Xcel Energy Center. 

No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (2-0) 

Two games into the 2023-2024 season, Mannon McMahon has already (almost) matched half of her 2022-2023 season scoring total. 

The Maple Grove native, in her fifth year with the Bulldog program, scored four times in Friday’s 6-0 win over Long Island, clearly ready to build on a 10-goal, 29-point performance last year. Olivia Wallin and Nina Jobst-Smith also scored in the win for UMD. 

Saturday was more of the same for Minnesota Duluth, this time getting a hat trick from Clara Van Wieren in a 4-0 win. Reece Hunt also scored for the Bulldogs. 

No. 2 Ohio State comes to Duluth next weekend as the Bulldogs enter WCHA play.

No. 18 Minnesota State (2-0) 

Hopefully, Sacred Heart has good employee health insurance because whoever was tasked with running the scoreboard last weekend has almost certainly developed carpal tunnel. 

Minnesota State burned out the Martire Family Arena bulbs with 16 goals in a two-game sweep of the Pioneers, winning game one 9-0 and game two 7-1. 

Jamie Nelson, Madison Mashuga, and Taylor Otremba scored twice in the opening game, with Whitney Tuttle, Kennedy Bobyck, and Claire Vekich each chipping in a single score. Nelson also added a trio of assists in the win, as did Sydney Langseth. 

The show continued on Saturday, as Nelson scored twice more to add to her impressive weekend total. Tuttle and Otremba added goals in game two, as did Charlotte Akervik, Kamryn Van Batavia, and Jenessa Gazdik. Langseth registered another three assists, and Otremba, Mashuga, Jessica Poland, and Ava Guillemette each handed out two helpers. 

The Mavericks will run a gauntlet of opponents for the next month, starting with top-ranked Wisconsin next weekend in Madison. 

No. 14 St. Cloud State (3-1) 

The Huskies ran into the buzzsaw duo of Marielle Parks and Ena Nystrom in the opening game in Erie, Pa., as Parks scored twice in the first period and Nystrom posted a 26-save shutout in No. 17 Mercyhurst’s 2-0 win over SCSU. 

Game two offered an almost identical inverse to the opener, as St. Cloud State’s Emma Gentry scored in the opening period, and Sanni Ahola stopped all 28 shots she faced for a 1-0 victory and a series split. Ena Nystrom stopped 35 of 36 shots in the game two loss, giving the native of Stavanger, Norway, 51 saves on 52 shots for the weekend. 

St. Cloud State hosts winless Bemidji State next weekend. 

St. Thomas (4-0) 

The best narrative in women’s college will be played out on FOX 9+ this Thursday. 

In one corner, the established power with more history and tradition than the Smithsonian. In the other, the challenger. The upstart, the new kid on the ice, and the program that put together one of the best recruiting classes last season. 

Fourth-ranked Minnesota faces St. Thomas at the Xcel Energy Center and meets a Tommie squad coming off a second sweep, topping Lindenwood 4-3 and 7-2 over the weekend. 

Freshman Rylee Bartz scored twice in Friday’s win, with fellow freshman Maddie Brown and junior Nicole Vallario scoring once apiece. Gigi Pora scored two goals for Lindenwood in the loss, Quinn McLaren scored once, and Natalie Ferenc stopped 38 of 42 shots. 

The Tommies scored four times in the first period of game two en route to a 7-2 win, getting two goals each from freshmen (there’s a theme here) Cara Sajevic and Ella Boerger. Boerger totaled five points on the weekend, earning WCHA Rookie of the Week honors. Abby Promersberger, Alli Pahl, and Keara Parker added single goals for the Tommies. Sydney Rarick and Morgan Neitzke scored one goal each for Lindenwood. 

Where to find FOX 9+

• Comcast: 10/807
• DirecTV: 29
• DISH: 29
• Mediacom: 10/803
• Over Air: 9.2
• Spectrum: 10