The No. 3 Gophers women’s hockey team got two goals from Natalie Mlynkova and strong efforts from goalie Hannah Clark and its penalty-kill unit to hang on for a 2-1 victory over Bemidji State on Friday in Bemidji, Minn.
Mlynkova, who scored just one goal in the Gophers’ first eight games this season, scored twice in the first period — her second two-goal game in the past three games — to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead. Mlynkova, a fifth-year transfer, scored 40 goals in her past two seasons with Vermont.
The Beavers pulled within 2-1 in the second period on a power-play goal by Izy Fairchild. But the Beavers couldn’t convert two power-play opportunities in the third period — one a five-minute major and the second in the final three minutes of the period — and finished 1-for-6 on the power play.
After getting outshot 14-1 in the first period, the Beavers outshot the Gophers 18-13 over the final two periods.
The victory was the Gophers’ 23rd consecutive over the Beavers. The Gophers (7-3-1, 3-3-1 WCHA) and Beavers (1-9-1, 0-7-0) will conclude the series Saturday afternoon in Bemidji.
