The No. 2 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team stayed unbeaten in 2017 after picking up a 2-2 overtime tie with Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minn. Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs, who are 3-0-1 in the second half of their season and 16-4-4 overall, remain just one point out of second place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with 43 points and a 16-4-4 record.

In the fastest goal to start a game in program history, Lara Stalder scored her 16th goal of the season and fourth of the series just eight seconds into the skate.  After Katherine McGovern won the opening face-off back to senior blueliner Sidney Morin, Morin connected with Stalder, who split the two Beaver defensemen for the opening score.  

BSU equalized with a power play goal of its own at 12:46, and despite a Bulldog shot advantage of 14-6, the game was tied at 1-1 after the first stanza.

Ashleigh Brykaliuk broke the stalemate midway through the second period, connecting with a rebound from Stalder to give UMD a 2-1 lead at 11:43.  The Bulldogs outshot the Beavers a whopping 29-15 in the first two periods, but it was BSU that turned the tide late in the third period.  Beaver leading scorer Emily Bergland tipped a shot with 4:28 remaining in regulation draw BSU even, and despite an extra five minutes, the game ended deadlocked with each team getting an all important WCHA point.

Maddie Rooney made 28 saves for the Bulldogs, while her counterpart Brittni Mowat stopped 38 UMD shots and helped keep UMD scoreless in four power play attempts.  Mowat had one save in the shootout to secure the extra point for the Beavers, who are 9-13-2 overall and 5-13-2 in the WCHA.

The Bulldogs return to AMSOIL Arena next weekend where they own a 7-1-2 record to host Ohio State University.  Game time for Friday is set for 7:07 p.m., while Saturday's contest will begin at 4:07 p.m.

BULLDOG NOTES:  Lara Stalder's goal to start the game was the fastest goal ever by a Bulldog, eclipsing Jenna McParland's Oct. 4, 2013 record of 13 seconds against Connecticut … Stalder's goal also beats UMD's previous record of the fastest goal to start a period, which was nine seconds and held by Saara Tuominen, who set it against Minnesota back on Oct. 10, 2008.