Gophers women's hockey gameday

vs. Bemidji State • 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday at Ridder Arena • TV: BTN Plus

Preview: The No. 1 Gophers (20-7-1) take on in-state foe Bemidji State (10-13-3) this weekend, after a top-of-the-conference battle a week ago with No. 2 Ohio State, where the Gophers lost 2-1 in overtime before winning 5-3. The Gophers are currently second in the standings with a .758 winning percentage, trailing Wisconsin at .762 and just ahead of the Buckeyes at .750. The Gophers swept the Beavers 5-2 and 3-2 in their most recent meeting this past October.

About the Beavers: Bemidji State is on a three-game win streak, including sweeping St. Thomas last week 4-3 and 4-0. Forward Reece Hunt leads the team with 17 points from six goals and 11 assists. Freshman forward Claire Vekich was the most recent WCHA rookie of the week and also won the conference's rookie of the month award for January. She has seven goals and five assists this season. Goaltender Hannah Hogenson has a .918 save percentage and 2.93 goals-against average and has made 18 starts. She has recently been splitting starts with Kerigan Dowhy who has a .943 save percentage and 1.61 goals-against average in six starts.

Heise honored: Senior forward Taylor Heise of the Gophers earned the WCHA forward of the month
honor for the second time this season, getting 15 points on six goals and nine assists. She also leads the team in minutes but hasn't committed a single penalty.