Minot State Beavers women's ice hockey represents Minot State University (MSU) in Women's Division 1 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and in Women's Midwest College Hockey (WMCH). MSU was one of the founding members of the ACHA's second women's division in 2006âÂÂ07, but has seen its greatest successes within the last few years. The Beavers qualified for the ACHA National Tournament for the first time in 2017 and made it to the semifinals, and followed that up with back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019. Minot then jumped to Division 1, and was one of the founding members of WMCH with Liberty University, Lindenwood UniversityâÂÂBelleville, the University of Minnesota, McKendree University, and Midland University.
Ryan Miner is the Beavers' current head coach, as he completed his third full season behind the bench in 2019âÂÂ20.
Minot State joined the ACHA for the 2006âÂÂ07 season, when the association added a second women's division. Throughout the team's first ten seasons, the Beavers played primarily a regional schedule of between 10 and 15 ACHA games per season, against opponents like North Dakota State University, International Falls, Minnesota's Rainy River Community College, the University of MinnesotaâÂÂDuluth, and South Dakota State University.
MSU had early stars like Kristin Bellanger and Betsy Doubek (who combined for 63 points in the 2006âÂÂ07 season), Academic All-American and two-time leading scorer Chelsea Bender, and Makayla Sandvold, who also led the Beavers in scoring twice before helping to coach the team in 2015âÂÂ16, but generally struggled on the ice more often than not. In an ACHA Division 2 West Region that usually included around ten teams at the time (with between two and four receiving invitations to the ACHA National Tournament, depending on the season), the Beavers never finished higher than fifth.
The team's two best shots at nationals came in 2006âÂÂ07 and 2012âÂÂ13. In the first of those seasons, MSU placed third in the first ranking of the year (a national ranking, as the division was not split into regions until the following season) behind the exploits of Bellanger, Doubek, and Lana Dubois. However, by mid-December, the Beavers had been passed up by Rainy River and the College of St. Scholastica and fell to fifth, where they would remain for the rest of the year, barely missing out on the four-team field. The 2012âÂÂ13 campaign saw Minot come even closer, as MSU placed fourth in the West Region as late as the January 27, 2013 ranking, during a season where four teams from each of the two regions received nationals bids. However, disaster struck over the weekend of February 2 and 3, when the Beavers were swept at home by rival NDSU, thanks in large part to a four-goal series by future two-time Zoë M. Harris Award winner Kacie Johnson. In the final ranking, issued on February 13, the Bison jumped from fifth to third, pushing MSU down to fifth and out of the tournament.
Throughout most of the 2016âÂÂ17 season, there wasn't much to suggest that a drastic shift in the program's trajectory was on the way. A new generation of talent arrived in 2015 and 2016, including Saskatchewan natives Mackenzie Balogh and Vanessa Grimstad, along with goaltender Shelby Tornato, and supporting players like Tylar Holland and Lauren Michayluk. Even with the additions, at 5âÂÂ8âÂÂ1 and ranked seventh in the West Region midway through January, the season looked like most others to that point for the Beavers. However, things clicked late in the year and Minot closed on a 5âÂÂ0âÂÂ1 run, including two wins against Division 1's Midland to close the regular season, the second of which involved two Holland goals to rally from a 2âÂÂ0 deficit, followed by Grimstad's overtime winner. The unbeaten streak was just enough to sneak up to sixth place and grab the last seed for the newly expanded ACHA National Tournament, the Beavers' first-ever appearance.
The run continued in Columbus, Ohio, as Minot became one of the tournament's major storylines by dominating fourth-seeded (and unbeaten) Miami and then Buffalo, the East Region's top team, to win Pool C and advance to the semifinals. In particular, Balogh had the first breakthrough of her career, scoring ten times during the tournament (including five goals against Buffalo) to win the Beavers' first-ever ACHA award for hockey performance, a spot on the first all-tournament team. North Dakota State once again provided a helping of heartbreak in the semifinals though, spoiling a furious MSU rally from a 3âÂÂ0 third period deficit and winning 4âÂÂ3 on an Erica Sevigny goal off of scrum in front of Tornato with 2:22 remaining.
Even though Minot struggled prior to the run in the late stages of 2016âÂÂ17, that would not be the case for the team's remaining two seasons at the Division 2 level. In 2017âÂÂ18, Ryan Miner stepped behind the bench full-time as the Beavers' head coach, after previously serving in different coaching and managerial roles while also playing for Minot's men's team and Dakota College at Bottineau. MSU added significant depth to its strong returning core (growing the roster from 13 to 22) and added stars like Sami Jo Henry, who had previously played with Balogh on the Melville Prairie Fire, and Minot High School product Bryanna Bergeron, who joined the team midway through the season. For the first time in program history, the Beavers had little issue qualifying for nationals, cruising to a 21âÂÂ4âÂÂ1 regular season record. After being swept by Division 1's Minnesota to open the year, not much went wrong for the Beavers, as MSU tore of 19 wins in the next 20 games â including four wins each against long-time thorn NDSU and two more sweeps of Midland. Balogh built on her freshman season by posting 33 goals and 51 points during the regular season (later adding four and 12 at the ACHA National Tournament) and was voted the Zoë M. Harris Award winner as the ACHA's player of the year. Grimstad, Henry, and Angie Lothspeich each added at least ten goals as well.
A fateful showdown series against defending national champion Lakehead University at Maysa Arena on February 10 and 11 provided a dose of foreshadowing, as the Lakers ended MSU's hot streak with a 1âÂÂ1 tie in the series opener, followed by a 3âÂÂ1 win the next day. Those results enabled Lakehead to sneak past Minot to win the West Region's top seed, forcing the Beavers to settle for second place.
Nevertheless, the slightly-more-difficult schedule at the 2018 ACHA National Tournament didn't seem to faze the Beavers, who once again rolled through the pool round with little issue against Pool B opponents Buffalo and Liberty, or in a crossover game against Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference champion Montclair State.
A rematch in the semifinals against North Dakota State followed, where the Beavers finally scored a measure of revenge against the team that blocked their aspirations both in 2017 and previously with a tightly fought 3âÂÂ1 win to advance to the championship game. NDSU scored first, but were quickly answered by Bergeron, from Balogh's feed, before Balogh and Henry pulled MSU ahead. However, just as they had with the West Region rankings in February, Lakehead ended up on top of the ACHA thanks to a decisive 5âÂÂ1 win in the championship game, the Thunderwolves' second straight title.
Early in the 2018âÂÂ19 season, MSU announced that it would elevate its program to ACHA Division 1 in 2019âÂÂ20, joining the Beavers men's team (which would go on to win its second national championship that year), along with a growing segment of its schedule, in a top ACHA division.
As dominant as Minot was the year before, the Beavers found another gear in their final Division 2 season â in 25 games, MSU scored 146 goals (5.84 per game) while surrendering just 38 (1.52 per game) on the way to a 24âÂÂ1âÂÂ0 regular season mark. They opened the year with a three-game sweep of a trip to play Division 1 teams Colorado and Colorado State, and went on to finish 9âÂÂ0âÂÂ0 against D1 opposition (with Midland and Minnesota standing as the other opponents), demonstrating a readiness to move to that level. The D2 portion of the schedule proceeded in a similar fashion â although Lakehead handed the Beavers their only regular season defeat in a showcase at Assiniboine on November 10, 2018, MSU took down the Thunderwolves the next day and on three other occasions over the course of the season to quickly take an iron grip on the West Region rankings. On the individual side, Balogh and Henry put up 62 and 48 points during the regular season to win All-American honors, while Grimstad, Bergeron, Haley Wickham, Beth-Ann Goudy, and Clarissa Lewis each had at least 20 points as well.
Just as they had the previous two seasons, MSU made quick work of the pool round at nationals, blowing through Rowan, Mercyhurst, and Boston College, with none of the games finishing tighter than a five-goal margin, although the latter two did remain close into the late going before the Beavers cracked them open. The semifinals, against Sherbrooke, Quebec's Bishop's University were a bit tougher, as Tornato was forced to make 14 first-period saves (en route to 27 for the game), allowing Goudy (with a pair of goals), Wickham, and Grimstad to give MSU a 4âÂÂ0 lead. The Gaiters battled back to within 4âÂÂ2 early in the third period, before Bergeron and Wickham popped in goals in the final 2:11 of the contest to put Minot back in the championship game.
Then, a stunner, en route to what was supposed to be a formal MSU coronation: Assiniboine pulled off one of the biggest upsets in ACHA history, denying the Beavers at the doorstep of a title for the second straight season by a 1âÂÂ0 score, after Minot had gone 6âÂÂ0âÂÂ0 against the Cougars during the regular season, including 7âÂÂ1 and 9âÂÂ2 wins during its final weekend. Simone Turner-Cummer scored the game's only goal on a power play late in the first period, and ACC stymied Minot with a stout team defensive effort the rest of the way, helped along by some MSU penalty trouble and Marley Quesnel's 18 saves.
While Minot's ability to be competitive in D1 was never really in question thanks to a healthy selection of D1 opponents on previous schedules, another large recruiting class helped ensure that it was sustainable over an entire season. Miner plucked a pair of national champions, Lauren Blight and Mackenzie Heide, from the Assiniboine team that upset the Beavers in the 2019 D2 title game (joining ACC alumna Brooke Mead, who joined MSU in 2018). The transfer market also produced a pair of former U Sports players from the Regina Cougars in Camryn Clyne and Jensen Smigelsky, while the standouts from the true freshman class included star goaltender Jordan Ivanco, along with Maiya Aschberg, Megan Ferg, Story Navrot, and Alisha O'Hara.
As part of the move, the Beavers helped form a new conference, Women's Midwest College Hockey along with previous Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League members Minnesota and Midland, as well as fellow independents Liberty, McKendree, and LindenwoodâÂÂBelleville (although LUâÂÂB had also played in the WWCHL until 2018). The conference provided a degree of familiarity, as Minnesota and Midland had already become regular MSU opponents, although its calling card was its strength â Liberty (three times) and Minnesota had won national championships within the preceding decade, while McKendree, LindenwoodâÂÂBelleville, and Midland were newer programs that had quickly risen to contender status. Nevertheless, Minot was able to quickly prove it belonged in the group despite a 1âÂÂ3âÂÂ0 start, including a split at Colorado and a tightly contested sweep at the hands of LUâÂÂB that finished with Tessa O'Connor's overtime goal.
From there though, MSU fired off an 18-game unbeaten streak to take hold of second place in the Division 1's national ranking for the remainder of the season. Notable results during the run included a revenge sweep of Colorado, a 3âÂÂ0 weekend against perennial powers Adrian and Miami, and a 9âÂÂ0âÂÂ1 mark in WMCH games, including a four-game sweep of Minnesota and three wins with a tie against Midland.
The Beavers finished the regular season 17âÂÂ3âÂÂ1 and were seeded second for the WMCH playoffs under a system that used the ACHA rankings to establish conference standings, in light of an unbalanced schedule. MSU grabbed its first-ever win over third-seeded LindenwoodâÂÂBelleville in the semifinals, when Ivanco posted a 27-save shutout of the powerful Lynx, and Henry's second-period goal from Balogh was just enough offense. The next day, however, top-ranked and top-seeded Liberty used an Alex Smibert goal with 17 seconds remaining to take the league title by a 2âÂÂ1 count.
Despite the loss, Minot managed to hang on to their second-place ranking and were set to take on No. 7 McKendree in a best-of-three quarterfinal at the 2020 ACHA National Tournament, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation. Henry (who was also a finalist for the Zoë M. Harris Award) and Ivanco became MSU's first two All-American selections at the Division 1 level.
<sup>â </sup> The 2020 ACHA National Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The Beavers have qualified for the ACHA National Tournament four times across both divisions, and were the runners-up in Division 2 in both 2018 and 2019. Their combined record in all games is 10âÂÂ3âÂÂ0.
<sup>â¡</sup> The 2020 ACHA National Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
As of April 19, 2020.
Sources:
^ Goaltending statistics were not accurately tracked prior to 2008âÂÂ09
By the time Minot State joined Division 1 in 2019âÂÂ20, the rankings consisted of an entirely computer-based system, with a weekly release on Tuesdays following weekends with games (after each team in the division had generated a sufficient amount of data). After automatic bids are awarded to three D1 conference champions (the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League champion does not receive an automatic bid), the remainder of the eight-team ACHA National Tournament is determined by the final ranking of the season.
With the exception of Division 2's first season (which featured a "national" ranking, as all members at the time were relatively clustered geographically), the rankings during Minot's time in the division included separate rankings for the East Region and the West Region. ACHA National Tournament bids were extended based on placement within the region, with the top two (2007âÂÂ08 through 2008âÂÂ09), three (2009âÂÂ10 through 2011âÂÂ12), four (2012âÂÂ13 through 2015âÂÂ16), or six (2016âÂÂ17 through 2018âÂÂ19) earning invitations. Rankings were primarily compiled by a ranking committee until 2018âÂÂ19, when a full computer ranking was introduced.
Awards earned through the 2018âÂÂ19 season came in ACHA Division 2, those subsequent to that year came in ACHA Division 1. Academic All-Americans include data from 2009âÂÂ10 through 2011âÂÂ12, 2016âÂÂ17 through 2017âÂÂ18, and 2019âÂÂ20.
Sources:
Zoë M. Harris Award
First Team All-American
Second Team All-American
First Team All-Tournament
Second Team All-Tournament
Academic All-American
Academic All-American (continued)
Sources:
First Team All-WMCH
Second Team All-WMCH
First Team All-WMCH Tournament
Second Team All-WMCH Tournament
Sources:
WMCH Player of the Month
WMCH Rookie of the Month
In a sense, Minot and Midland have grown up together, as the Warriors began play at the ACHA Division 1 level in the 2014âÂÂ15 season, right before MSU found its stride. The teams met for the first time on November 20 and 21, 2015, splitting a series in Fremont, Nebraska. In the first game, Bradi Sveet (two goals), Makayla Sandvold (one goal, two assists), and Kendall Becker (two goals, one assist) played central roles in running the Beavers out to a 4âÂÂ0 lead in an eventual 6âÂÂ2 win. Warriors coach Taylor Gross rallied her team for a 5âÂÂ3 win the next day however, and Midland also earned a sweep later in the year at Maysa Arena, capped off by Malia Shimabukuro's overtime goal.
While the two schools aren't near each other in any objective sense â they're 634 miles apart by car or bus â Midland is nevertheless among MSU's closest opponents, particularly at the ACHA Division 1 level, and MU always has rostered a healthy contingent from both North Dakota and South Dakota. The two teams, largely as a result of those things, have enjoyed a frequently-played, and often-heated, rivalry. In 2016âÂÂ17, Midland fell victim to the Beavers' late-season hot streak in their push for nationals, as MSU earned a home sweep in the only meetings of the year, thanks to Vanessa Grimstad's overtime goal to finish a come-from-behind effort in the second game. That series decisively flipped things in MSU's favor; the Beavers swept all four meetings in both 2017âÂÂ18 and 2018âÂÂ19, even as Midland became a successful team, posting a winning record for the first time in 2017âÂÂ18 and taking the Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League title (along with a first-ever bid to the ACHA National Tournament) in 2019.
While the games from 2015 through 2019 generally meant little outside of bragging rights with the teams in different ACHA divisions, that changed in 2019âÂÂ20 when the Beavers moved to Division 1 and joined Midland as a founding member of WMCH to formalize a rivalry that had already grown organically.
Minot leads the all-time series 14âÂÂ3âÂÂ1, as of the end of the 2019âÂÂ20 season.
The series between the inâÂÂstate rivals dates to the earliest days of ACHA Division 2, when the Bison were MSU's second ACHA opponent, and continued throughout the Beavers' time in the division â the teams met at least 53 times between 2006âÂÂ07 and 2018âÂÂ19.
Both teams have had periods at or near the top of D2, as NDSU qualified for the ACHA National Tournament in each of Minot State's last seven seasons at that level, winning a national championship in 2015 and making four other trips to the semifinals. The Bisons' first bid to nationals, in 2013, came largely at MSU's expense. The Beavers were ranked fourth in the West Region late in the season â good enough for the region's last invitation â headed into a showdown series with No. 5 NDSU. While the first game was close, the Beavers were done in by goals from all three Johnsons on the Bison (Kacie, Jackie, and Brittany) in a 3âÂÂ1 defeat. After NDSU finished the sweep with a 7âÂÂ1 rout the next day, they leaped over MSU in the rankings to, essentially, take Minot's bid.
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, MSU and NDSU each qualified for nationals, with the first two of those tournaments resulting in head-to-head meetings in the semifinals. The Bison ended Minot's Cinderella run of 2017 when Erica Sevigny delivered a 4âÂÂ3 NDSU win with 2:22 left, after a goal by Angie Lothspeich and two by Mackenzie Balogh had erased a 3âÂÂ0 third-period lead. MSU exacted revenge in 2018, advancing to the program's first national championship game with a 3âÂÂ1 victory, offsetting an early Rachel Dorff goal with markers from Balogh, Bryanna Bergeron, and Sami Jo Henry, along with 18 Shelby Tornato saves.
With Minot's move to ACHA Division 1 while NDSU remains in Division 2, the rivalry is likely to diminish in importance, as the teams did not play during a season for the first time ever in 2019âÂÂ20. In games played since 2014âÂÂ15, the series is tied 11âÂÂ11âÂÂ1, although Minot has won the last nine meetings.
As of April 18, 2020.