Box Score 50 minutes of good hockey was just enough for the Bulldgs to pick up their first three points of the series Friday night.

The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team defeated Bemidji State University 5-3 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn. to solidify it's grasp on fourth place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.  The Bulldogs have a chance to secure home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs with a series sweep of the Beavers.

"We played excellent tonight for 50 of the 60 minutes," said head coach Shannon Miller following the game.  "It was a good team win but we are looking for a complete 60 minutes from everyone tommorrow."

Junior winger Jenna McParland put UMD on the board first with a power-play goal 4:56 into the opening period and Meghan Huertas doubled the Bulldogs lead at the 12:47 mark with her seventh goal of the season.

Rookie forward Ashleigh Brykaliuk netted the first of her two second period tallies 7:40 into the second stanza to stretch UMD's lead to 3-0 before the Beavers finally got on the board just under two minutes later with a power-play goal by Ivana Bilic.  Brykaliuk then scored short-handed at the 15:59 mark to give the Bulldogs back a three-goal cushion and a 4-1 lead heading into the third period.

After UMD outshot BSU 10-1 in the first period and 10-4 in the second, the Beavers came alive in the third period, starting off the stanza with a short-handed goal of their own 57 seconds into play.  BSU drew within a single goal 7:31 into the third period on a goal by Kristine Grenier and suddenly the Bulldogs were forced answer for their slim 4-3 lead.  Bemidji pulled goaltender Brittni Mowat with 1:37 left to play, but Huertas put the game on ice for UMD with an empty-netter and her second goal of the night with 36 remaining for the 5-3 final.

Shots were an even 10-10 in the third period, but the Bulldogs owned a 29-14 advantage in the game.  UMD goaltender Kayla Black had just 11 saves, while her BSU counterpart in net had 24 in the low shooting affair.  The Bulldogs were 1-of-6 on the power-play and the Beaver 1-of-3 with the extra skater.

UMD (12-10-5, 10-8-5 WCHA) and Bemidji State (9-15-3, 6-13-2 WCHA) will hit the ice again Saturday afternoon to wrap-up the series at 4:07 p.m. in the Sanford Center.