BEMIDJI, MINN. – Senior co-captain Grace Zumwinkle scored three goals — one in each period — as the No. 4-ranked Gophers women's hockey won 6-1 over Bemidji State on Friday at the Sanford Center. Minnesota (10-7-1 overall/WCHA) had lost three straight.
"Good win on the road here, it's nice to get back on track," Gophers coach Brad Frost said. "Obviously a great start, getting three there in the first and then continuing to build the lead. I'm proud of our team. They stayed with it here for 60 minutes and got a good win on the road. Zummy with the hat trick — she was on the receiving end of some beautiful plays there. I'm happy for her."
Crystalyn Hengler opened the scoring two minutes into the game. Zumwinkle got her first goal 4½ minutes later. Abigail Boreen got the third goal and it was 3-0 with under nine minutes gone.
Freshman Abbey Murphy made it 4-0 almost four minutes into the second period. Bemidji State's Taylor Nelson scored at 16:34, but 1:20 later, Zumwinkle answered with her second goal. Her third came with seven minutes left in the game. She has a team-high 15 goals this season and three career hat tricks.
Her big night tied Zumwinkle for 10th in program history in career goals with 82.
Gophers goalie Lauren Bench, a graduate transfer from Bemidji State this season, made 15 saves.
Two goalies combined for 20 stops for the Beavers (2-13-2), who have lost six consecutive games.
![Minnesota Gophers players wait with head coach P.J. Fleck to run out of the tunnel before their game against the Purdue Boilermakers Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. ]](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/KYNRJZGXQASYNWLV6URB4PZAC4.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)