By: Megan Ryan

The Gophers women’s hockey team started the journey to its second trophy of the season in record fashion, of course.

Minnesota beat Bemidji State 5-0 on Friday at Ridder Arena to extend its winning streak to 43-games and cement its first win in the WCHA playoffs.

Senior goaltender Noora Räty also broke the NCAA Division I career shutout record with 40.

Head coach Brad Frost said Räty breaking the shutout record seemed just out of reach at the start of the season. But the seasoned goaltender proved him wrong.

“She’s the backbone of our team and really has been for our program here over the last four years,” Frost said.

Räty, who made 20 saves Friday, also tied the record for shutouts in a season with 14.

The Beavers held the Gophers scoreless through the first period after a goal was disallowed 13 minutes in.

Senior defender Megan Bozek said her team didn’t let the lost goal dampen its performance.

“The call could have gone either way, and I think that gave us a little momentum, to be honest,” Bozek said. “Going forward, when a goal’s called off, you know that you need to get another to start the game off.”

Räty said she knew a few players on the team were nervous heading into the playoffs. But once the second period started, they shook off the nerves.

“The way we played, even the last two weekends, I feel like we didn’t play at our best,” Räty said. “This was like a whole different team. I feel like they played with more passion and pride than I’ve seen them play in the last few weeks.”

Senior forward Mira Jalosuo kicked off the scoring with a long slap shot about five minutes into the second period.

The Gophers continued a recent trend by letting loose in the third period, scoring four goals.

Bozek scored the first and last goals of the period, while junior forward Kelly Terry and sophomore forward Rachael Bona netted goals in between.

The Gophers can solidify their spot in the WCHA Final Face-off with another win against Bemidji State on Saturday at Ridder Arena.