Minot State sophomore defenseman Abby Pineau tries to take the puck past an opponent from the University of Minnesota during the Beaver's home game on Friday night, Feb. 13. Nathan Beitler/MDN

The Minot State women’s hockey team has had a strong showing this season, and their ranking in this week’s American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I women’s hockey poll, the final poll of the season, reflects it.

The Beavers held on to their No. 3 ranking in the ACHA poll after their back-to-back wins against the Jamestown Jimmies to close out their regular season last week Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28.

Michigan-Dearborn, the Central Collegiate Women’s Hockey Association champion, Grand Canyon, the champion from the Western Women’s Collegiate Hockey league, and Liberty, the Women’s Midwest College Hockey league champion, were each automatically invited to the national tournament, along with the next 9 highest-ranked teams in the last ACHA poll.

The ACHA poll ranking determined which one of four pools of teams they would be assigned to. The Beavers’ No. 3 ranking places them in Pool C with No. 6-ranked Michigan-Dearborn and No. 10-ranked Jamestown. Each team in the pool will play two games each from Mar. 18-20. The winner after the round of pool games will advance to the ACHA Tournament semifinals on Saturday, Mar. 21.

The Beavers will begin pool play at nationals in Maryland Heights, Missouri, on Wednesday, March 18 against tin-state rival Jamestown for a rematch of the regular season. The Beavers will then play against No. 6 Michigan-Dearborn on Thursday, Mar. 19, to wrap up their pool play for the national tournament.