No. 2 Gophers host BSU sans ‘targets on their backs’

Minnesota’s stint as the top team in the country was brief — one week to be specific.

After splitting a weekend series with Minnesota-Duluth, the Gophers (19-4-1, 13-4-1 WCHA) are back to No. 2 nationally, which they contend may not be a bad thing, for the time being.

Forward Becky Kortum said the subjective rankings have little merit at this point in the season, but conceded that the No. 1 spot affected the team’s focus.

“We got focused on the wrong things last weekend,” she said. “Realistically, standings don’t matter; it only matters who’s No. 1 at the end of the season. We try not to focus on that.”

Freshman forward Rachael Bona said she prefers being No. 2 and “not having that target on your back.”

Added Bona: “We can keep fighting for the No. 1 spot.”

The fight will continue when a very good Bemidji State (14-9-2, 8-9-2 WCHA) team comes to Ridder Arena for a weekend series.

The Beavers, who have been in and out of the top 10 all season, are coming off a split with Ohio State. BSU split a home series with Minnesota in late October.

“That was an early game. We didn’t really know what to expect, but I think we’re coming together more as a team now,” Bona said of the early series.

“We kind of know what to expect from [Bemidji State]. We know that it’s not just going to be an easy win for us.”

Gophers head coach Brad Frost said he expects a tenacious, hard-working group that plays a full 60 minutes. Frost credited BSU’s defense and said the unit is pivotal to the Beavers’ success.

“They block a lot of shots and their goaltender [Zuzana Tomcikova] is very good,” Frost said. “They’re an extremely hardworking team. They’re a team that plays very well with the lead.”

Kortum said the early season loss was due in large part to underestimating the Beavers on-ice persistence.

“They’re not one of the top-five skilled teams, but they pick up skill because they work so hard,” she said. “The last time we played them it cost us because we underestimated their hard work. They are a fantastic opponent.”

This time around, Minnesota will get BSU at home, where attendance is up this season. In 14 regular season home games, the Gophers are drawing an average of 1,226 spectators, a 43 percent increase from this time last year.

They’ve been great at home, too, with a 13-0-1 record thus far. With three straight road series on the horizon, Frost stressed the importance of defending home ice.

“As with any home series, we want to take care of business here,” he said. “Being in front of our fans at the friendly confines here, we definitely want to be on our best.”