FREMONT, Neb. – For half the game, the Minot State women's hockey team found a tough foe in the Maryville Saints.

The third meeting this season between the teams was a back-and-forth battle for the first 30-plus minutes in their WMCH Tournament quarterfinal on Thursday afternoon until a surge late in the second period ignited the Beavers' offense for a 10-2 win.

With the win, Minot State advances to the tournament semifinals and plays an opponent yet to be determined at either 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. on Friday.

No. 4-ranked Minot State (16-6-7 overall) found itself playing catch-up early after the Saints netted a power-play goal, but Journey Miller evened the score at 1-1, finishing off an assist from Abby Tallman with 1 minute, 6 seconds left in the first period.

The Beavers then briefly jumped in front as Payton Land scored off a Miller assist 2:06 into the second, but the Saints answered with 8:24 gone in the session, evening the game once again: 2-2.

Then, it was all Beavers.

Miller's second of the day proved to be the game-winner as she finished off a Paige Kozak assist with 3:05 left in the second, then Addison Dyck scored a power-play goal off a Miller assist with 36 seconds left before the second intermission.

In control, on top 4-2, Minot State began putting the game away as Payton Lang scored off a Carlin Zant assist with 4:53 gone in the third, then Krissy Rink iced the win with 3:51 left, scoring an empty-net, short-handed goal to give the Beavers a 6-2 lead.

Then came a stunning 43 seconds – four goals that turned the game into a blowout.

Kinley Brassard scored an empty-netter off a Tallman assist with 2:04 left, then she added a second goal 11 seconds later off another Tallman helper.

Cameron Schmidt then netted her first of the contest 19 seconds after Brassard's second goal, with Lang adding the assist, then Schmidt capped the 43-second barrage with her second off an Olivia Opheim assist for the final 10-2 margin.

The win is the second 10-2 victory this season for the Beavers, who posted the same score at home against Indiana Tech back on January 17.

Jillian Ackerman finished with 26 saves in goal in the victory for the Beavers who look to keep the offense rolling in the WMCH Tournament semifinals when the hit the ice Friday evening.