Gophers women's hockey wins 11th in row, advances to Smashville Showcase title game

Senior linemates Taylor Heise and Catie Skaja each scored two goals as the No. 3 Gophers women's hockey team defeated Mercyhurst 4-0 on Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Smashville Showcase in Nashville for their 11th consecutive victory. Minnesota will play No. 8 Colgate at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the championship game.

The Gophers (12-3) swept then-No. 3 Colgate 5-3, 3-2 on Oct. 22-23 in Hamilton, N.Y.

Heise, an assistant captain who played for Red Wing High, scored her 50th career goal for the Gophers in the 15th minute of the opening period. It extended her streak with at least one point to 12 games. She got her second goal of the game — and team-high 13th of the season — midway through the third on a power play.

Skaja, of New Prague, scored seven minutes into the second period and again in the third, about three minutes after Heise's second goal. Heise also had two assists and Abigail Boreen, a senior who played at Hill-Murray and the other wing on Heise's line, had three.

Lauren Bench made 28 saves for the shutout; Ena Nystrom stopped 35 shots for the Lakers (11-5-2).

• In the first game, the Raiders (14-4-1) broke a 1-all tie on Rosy Demers' goal with 4:54 in the third. BC goalie Abigail Levy kept the game close by making 55 saves; Hannah Murphy had 21 stops for Colgate.