Ryan Ladika/MDN Minot State University forward Story Navrot (center) skates the puck toward the crease during the Beavers’ Oct. 1 win over Midland.

The all-time record for shots on goal in a single game in National Hockey League history is held by the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to NHL.com’s official team record site that dates back to the 1959-60 season.

The team recently set the mark during its Aug. 11, 2020 quintuple-overtime postseason thriller against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Tampa Bay finished its 3-2 win with 88 shots on goal, and Brayden Point’s score in the fifth overtime period finally put an end to the fourth-longest game in NHL history.

Now, granted, it was not against NHL-caliber competition, but the Minot State women’s hockey team topped the Lightning’s already eye-popping single-game shot total during its first road trip of the new season last weekend.

The Beavers capped off a dominant 3-0 trip through Boulder and Fort Collins, Colorado with an 8-0 victory over the Colorado State University Rams Sunday morning, a win during which Minot State reached the century mark with 100 shots on goal.

“Give it to (Rams goaltender Elli Strittmater), she stood on her head. It would have been nice to score a few more, but an 8-0 game is an 8-0 game,” Beavers head coach Ryan Miner said.

Minot State threw 33 shots Strittmater’s way in the first period alone, and followed with 31 in the second period and 36 in the third. Junior forward Story Navrot led the way on the scoresheet, recording the first Beavers hat trick of the season, and her fellow forward Megan Ferg also scored twice in the rout.

The eight-goal win came on the heels of two more shutout victories against the University of Colorado Buffaloes by 3-0 and 5-0 scores Oct. 8-9. For a team looking to increase its offensive production from the 2020-21 campaign, the outburst away from home ice was an encouraging sign for Miner and his staff.

“We were seeing progression every day,” he added. “The biggest thing that we’ve been pushing to the girls has been second-chance efforts. Getting on shot on net but also making sure that we’re following up for a rebound and battling in front of the net to make sure that we put pucks home.”

17 Beavers skaters found the scoresheet at least once during the road trip, led by Megan Norris’ two goals and three assists for a total of five points. Freshman Mia Mckee and juniors Ensley Fendelet and Story Navrot each finished with four points in the three games, as well.

When the final buzzer sounded on Minot State’s 8-0 win, the Beavers had outshot its opposition by an aggregate 205-23 during the trip.

Miner and his staff preached simplicity to the team throughout the weekend, and it paid obvious dividends in igniting the Beavers’ offense after a season-opening series with a Midland team that made the National Tournament in the spring.

The team’s ability to continue to battle for rebounds in the offensive zone and create decent scoring chances in the middle of the ice were two crucial factors in that regard, Miner said.

Not to be overlooked in the offensive eruption was the work of Minot State’s three netminders. Haylie Biever, Jordan Ivanco and Morgan Baker each earned a start in the Centennial State, and each recorded their first shutout of the season.

“They showed confidence in the net that, regardless of how many shots they take, they’re going to keep them out of the net,” Miner continued. “We do as much as we can in front of them, and at the end of the day, they’re going to have to bail us out sometimes, but in games like that where they don’t see as many shots, as long as they stay consistent and keep the puck out of the net, that’s all we ask for.”

Minot State’s weekend home series against Lindenwood has been canceled, so the Beavers will have a bit of extra time to prepare for their next road trip Oct. 21-29. Minot State will see Midland and Adrian College for one game each before squaring off against Concordia College in the opener of a two-game home-and-home series with the Cobbers.

“Midland, obviously we played them this year and they were one-goal games,” Miner noted. “It would be nice to come out with a couple more goals ahead of them. Adrian, we saw them last year in the National Tournament. It’s always fun to play good competition. Those games are the ones that test us and the ones that are going to ultimately make us better and prepare us for the National Tournament.”