MINOT, N.D. – It's time to hit the ice, and the Minot State women's hockey team couldn't be more excited.

The Beavers open their 2025-26 season at home this weekend, hosting the McKendree Bearcats at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, then at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Maysa Arena.

"We have a bit of a later start this year compared to past seasons, so there's a lot of anticipation building up," Minot State's 9^th-year head coach Ryan Miner said. "We've been practicing for just over a month now, and I think the girls are just ready to get on the ice and play an actual game.

"I think this time has really made them recognize how important it is to prepare, especially for a tough series at the start."

A perennial ACHA National Tournament qualifier, like the Beavers, McKendree (Ill.) comes into this weekend already having three games under its belt, beating Miami (Ohio) 5-1 last week and topping Jamestown 2-0 on Thursday.

The Bearcats  (2-0 overall, 1-0 WMCH) play at Jamestown again tonight.

That time on the ice might give the Bearcats an edge in shaking off the early-season jitters and rust, but playing four games in four days might also be a bit exhausting early in the season.

"I think the big thing from the start of the game is going to be focusing on ourselves and making sure that we shake out the nerves, make sure we're doing things the right way and not just running around," Miner said.

"I think, going into the weekend, just our game plan and being composed and sticking to the structure is really what we're going to be looking for."

Along with putting pucks in the net and scoring a pair of wins.

Scoring will be key this season for the Beavers, who last year used a balanced offense to succeed with 20 different players scoring at least 1 goal.

"I think we're a fast team, we're a skilled team; it's just a matter of putting it all together," Miner said of the season ahead. "We can do things right for, you know, 190 feet of the ice; at the end of the day, we have to put pucks in the back of the net."

Minot State's top scorers from last year's balanced team return in graduate student Journey Miller, who scored 17 goals, and junior Paige Kozak, who had 13 goals. Also back are seniors Abby Tallman and Olivia Opheim, who teamed up for 16 more goals.

Depth and balance will be key this season for Minot State.

"No matter what line we put on the ice, the expectation is that they're going to do their job and help us be successful," Minot State's coach said.

That includes the newcomers, a group of eight freshmen, including two goalies, who Miner says already are fitting in well.

"The lack of experience at the college level might deter them a little bit, but they've done a really good job so far of fitting in and understanding our systems," he said. "Now it's just a matter of when we get to game day, who's going to step up and show that they're ready to go."

A freshman who showed she was ready to go last season is returning All-American goalie Jillian Ackerman. Ackerman recorded 12 wins, a 1.13 goals against average, and a 9.61 save percentage.

She'll anchor the Beavers this season as Minot State faces a grueling schedule that includes national runner-up Maryville (Mo.) next weekend, a trip to 2023-24 national champion Adrian (Mich.) later this month, and a visit from 6-time national champion Liberty (Va.) prior to Thanksgiving.

"When you're playing games where you can win or lose by a goal, that's what you're looking for because then you know that you have to work hard for 60 minutes at the end of the day."

Playing that daunting schedule and testing the team against the very best will only help prepare Minot State for its ultimate goal come March, a run at the ACHA National Championship.

A four-time runner-up national champion, the Beavers are working hard to earn that final win of the season so they can hoist the championship trophy.

"This year, from the start of the year, we said we need to buy in from day one," Miner said, adding, "make sure we're doing things the right way and build off of it game by game. If we can do that, and continue to grow and develop, by the end of the season we're going to be in a good spot."