Michelle Sikich recorded a hat trick to lead Wisconsin (20-8-5) to a 5-2 win over sixth seed Bemidji State (9-24-1) at the Recreation Center Thursday.
The win advances the Badgers to a second-round game with second-seeded Minnesota-Duluth (23-6-4), which defeated MSU-Mankato, 10-1.
Wisconsin went up 3-0 with three goals in the first 11 minutes of the game. Gretchen Anderson blocked a BSU clearing attempt with a pinch at the blue line and the puck bounced to Meghan Hunter, who fired it under the crossbar at 8:25.
Sikich added to the lead by backhanding home a shot at 10:00 on the power play from Karen Rickard and Kerry Weiland.
The Badgers scored a second power-play goal at 10:59 by Hunter. Weiland found Sis Paulsen with a blue-line pass, and Paulsen went cross-ice to Hunter, who became UW’s first 40-goal scorer with her second of the game.
Bemidji got one back at 18:11 when Lisa Peters hit the left upper corner with a point shot on the power play, and the Beavers got even closer 5:43 into the second period when Amber Fryklund squeezed a shot through Jackie MacMillan’s five-hole.
But Sikich gave the UW back a two-goal lead when Weiland rushed from her own faceoff circle and dished to Sikich deep in the BSU zone, who slipped in her second of the game.
Sikich completed the hat trick with the Badgers’ third power-play goal. Sikich took a feed from Rickard before shooting into an open goal. Beaver goalie Bre Dedrickson dove to clear the puck, but pushed it to Rickard’s stick.
MacMillan made 19 saves to improve to 17-7-5. Dedrickson made 27 saves in dropping to 7-15-0.
The seventh-ranked Badgers and national number-two Minnesota-Duluth both look to advance to the WCHA championship game in their semifinal Saturday at 4 p.m.
