Friday night in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association was headlined by the first conference game of the season as No. 1 Wisconsin defeated Bemidji State 9-2 in their season opener. Four WCHA squads earned victories in non-conference action as No. 3 Minnesota (RV Boston College), No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (Syracuse), No. 13 St. Cloud State (No. 12 UConn), and RV St. Thomas (Lindenwood) each defeated their respective opponents.
Notes & Box Scores
No. 1 Wisconsin 9, Bemidji State 2 - BOX SCORE - Bemidji State Recap - Wisconsin Recap
- Defending national champion Wisconsin opened up its season with a 9-2 victory over Bemidji State on the road for the first conference game of the year, as the Badgers increased their win streak against Bemidji to 20 games.
- Maggie Scannell led the Badgers with her first career hat trick, while teammates Lacey Eden and Kirsten Simms each recorded two goals. Charlotte Pieckenhagen and Cassie Hall also chipped in a goal in the victory.
- Junior netminder Ava McNaughton had 14 saves to backstop Wisconsin for her first win of the season.
- Bemidji State saw scoring from Kate Johnson and Maddie Kaiser as Kaiser recorded her first collegiate goal; teammates Kasey Senden and Carmen Bray each tallied a helper.
- Kaitlin Groess collected 28 saves for the Beavers while Ashlyn Hazlett saw her first collegiate minutes, making five saves in relief.
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth 4, Syracuse 0 - BOX SCORE - Minnesota Duluth Recap
- Minnesota Duluth picked up its fourth consecutive win of the season with a shutout at Syracuse as the Bulldogs improved to 4-0 all-time against the Orange.
- Molly Cole scored the game's opening goal and what would be the game-winner for UMD in the second period. The third period saw Caitlin Kraemer record a goal just over nine minutes in, while teammate Thea Johansson closed it out for UMD by scoring two in the span of a minute late in the game.
- The Bulldogs were backstopped by Ève Gascon in goal with 13 saves as she recorded her second straight shutout.
No. 3 Minnesota 11, RV Boston College 0 - BOX SCORE - Minnesota Recap
- Third-ranked Minnesota completed its first series sweep of the 2025-2026 season with an 11-0 shutout win over Boston College as nine Gophers tallied two or more points on the night.
- Rookie netminder Layla Hemp had her first college start, win, and shutout with 25 saves in the victory.
- Abbey Murphy recorded her 200th career point with her assist on the game’s first goal; she became the 11th Gopher in program history to crack 200 career points. Josefin Bouvang also hit a career milestone, picking up her 100th career point.
No. 13 St. Cloud State 2, No. 12 UConn 1 - BOX SCORE - St. Cloud State Recap
-St. Cloud State opened its series in Connecticut with a 2-1 win over UConn for its third consecutive win of the season, as the Huskies remain undefeated.
- Sophomore goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö picked up her second win in as many starts, stopping 35 of the 36 shots she faced.
- Rookie Julianne Labbé scored the first game-winning goal of her career after netting one just over two minutes into the third period.
RV St. Thomas 4, Lindenwood 3 - BOX SCORE
- St. Thomas defeated Lindenwood on the road 4-3 for its third consecutive win as the Tommies remain undefeated on the season.
- The opening period saw Rylee Bartz, JuliAnna Gazdik, and Ilsa Lindaman each tally a goal within the first 12 minutes of the game.
- Cara Sajevic recorded the game-winning goal with less than a minute left in regulation off an assist from Ella Boerger to lead the Tommies to victory.
*Rankings based on USCHO Division I Women's Poll
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday Sept. 27
- No. 13 St. Cloud State at No. 12 UCONN - 2 PM CT
- RV St. Thomas at Lindenwood - 2 PM CT
- No. 1 Wisconsin at Bemidji State* - 3 PM CT
*Conference Game
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on X and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at wcha.com.