Kari GIbb/MDN MSU senior forward Krissy Rink (15) attacks with the puck against the Arizona Wildcats in first period action on Saturday, October 5, at Maysa Arena.

The Arizona Wildcats women’s hockey team is going through growing pains as they traveled to Minot to test their puck skills against Minot State University (MSU) in the home openers for the Beavers at Maysa Arena on Friday, October 4, and Saturday, October 5.

MSU is back in action next weekend hosting in-state rival Jamestown in a two-game series on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12, with puck-drop at the Maysa Arena at 3:45 p.m. each day.

No. 3 Minot State 8, Arizona 1

The Beavers offensive output was impressive on Saturday, October 5, as the goal-scoring momentum posted multiple scores in the first period of play enroute to the win.

Scoring early and often, the third-ranked MSU women’s hockey team completed a weekend sweep of visiting Arizona, skating to an 8-1 win at the Maysa Arena.

Mia Mckee scored two goals and added an assist and Journey Miller had a goal and two assists to lead the way for Minot State, which also beat the first-year Wildcats 5-1 on Friday night.

“I think the girls are really pumped to get our first sweep of a weekend,’ said Mckee. “It’s a good start to the season.”

Miller opened the scoring 10-minutes, 6-seconds into the game and ignited a quick offensive surge as the Beavers (2-2-0 overall) netted three goals in just over a five minute span.

Payton Lang netted her first collegiate goal with 7:29 left in the first for a 2-0 lead, then Abby Tallman made it 3-0 with 4:38 left until the break, and the Beavers were well on their way to finishing off the weekend sweep.

Matayah Metz and Mckee each scored in the second, pushing the lead to 5-0 before Arizona put one in the net, briefly interrupting MSU’s offensive onslaught.

The goal-rush that continued in the third as Addison Dyck scored her first collegiate goal, then Mckee and Olivia Kirwan added a goal each to wrap up the contest.

Olivia Opheim added three assists, Makena Welby had two helpers, and Dyck, Kirwan, and Paige Ackerman also had one assist each in the Beaver victory.

Morgan Baker added seven saves in goal for Minot State.

No. 3 Minot State 5, Arizona 1

The scoring woes lingered for a while Friday, October 4, for the MSU women’s hockey team, but when the Beavers broke out they did it in a big way.

Trailing first-year program Arizona 1-0 midway through the contest, Krissy Rink scored the first home goal of the season for the Beavers who unleashed an offensive onslaught the rest of the way for a 5-1 victory at the Maysa Arena.

The Beavers (1-2-0 overall) found themselves down 1-0 as the Wildcats (1-2-0) scored with 5 minutes, 16 seconds left in the first, then clung to that one-goal edge into the second period. But with 10:35 left in the middle stanza, Rink opened the scoring for the Beavers, and the offense poured out of the MSU skaters.

Paige Kozak netted a pair, Journey Miller scored her first in a Minot State uniform, and Abby Tallman added one more goal as the Beavers skated away with the victory.

Kozak, Rink, and Tallman also added an assist each, while Olivia Kirwan, Olivia Opheim, Karlyn Gudz, Matayah Metz, Addison Dyck, Makena Welby, and Zoe Timmons also had an assist each in the win.

Haylie Biever picked up the victory in goal, making 13 saves for MSU.