BOSTON, Mass. – The quest for a National Championship begins Thursday night for the Minot State women's hockey team.

Ranked third in the ACHA, the Beavers (21-10-2 overall) open the ACHA Division I National Tournament at 6 p.m. (CT) in a first-round match-up against No. 10-ranked Miami (Ohio) (16-8-1) at the New England Sports Center.

The winner advances to the quarterfinals on Saturday while the loser plays an elimination game on Friday.

This is the third meeting between the Beavers and Redhawks, but the first since Minot State won twice in Oxford, Ohio back in January of 2020.

The Redhawks are led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Bryn Jones (13 goals, 9 assists), Stephanie Smith (13 goals, 7 assists), and Cailin Schwarzer (12 goals, 2 assists), and goalie Maya Gonzalez, who has played in 31 of the team's games with five shutouts, a 15-6-0 record, a 2.40 goals against average, and a.933 save percentage.

And while it has been three years since these two teams have faced off, they have seen some similar foes this season in Maryville, Indiana Tech, and Lindenwood. The Redhawks are 1-8 against those similar foes, while Minot State went 1-1 against both Maryville and Indiana Tech, and swept two games from Lindenwood this winter.

As for the Beavers, they're led by ACHA Second-Team All-American and senior forward Jordan Kulbida, along with Anna German, an All-WMCH Second Team honoree. Kulbida has 18 goals and 13 assists to lead Minot State's scoring, while German has 8 goals and 18 assists.

German is tied in scoring with teammate and senior forward Megan Norris, who has 8 goals and 18 assists and recorded her 100^th collegiate point in February, and the Beavers also get big contributions on offense from senior forward Sydney Spicer (14 goals, 8 assists), junior forward Gillian Gervin (15 goals, 6 assists), and 2021-22 ACHA First-Team All-American and senior forward Ensley Fendelet (7 goals, 11 assists).

In goal, the Beavers are led by the tandem of junior Haylie Biever, who has a 6-5 record with one shutout, a 2.64 GAA, and a .908 save percentage, and senior Jordan Ivanco, Minot State's all-time career shutout leader (16) and a 2020-21 ACHA First-Team All-American who is 8-4-1 with three shutouts this season, a 2.12 GAA, and a .924 save percentage.

Other first-round matchups on Thursday feature No. 7 seed Arizona State vs No. 6 Maryville, No. 8 McKendree vs No. 5 Indiana Tech, and No. 9 Michigan vs No. 4 Adrian.

With a win Thursday, the Beavers would next play at noon (CT) on Saturday against the third-lowest remaining seed. No. 2 seed Midland and No. 1 seed Liberty both received byes into Saturday's quarterfinals and play the second-lowest and lowest remaining seeds, respectively, on Saturday.

The semifinals are set for Sunday at 3 and 6 p.m. (CT), and the title game is Monday at noon (CT).