(CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 10) – The McKendree University women's hockey team fell 2-1 to No. 8 University of Minnesota on Friday night at the Robert Morris University Showcase in Chicago, Ill.
 
The Bearcats move to 5-3 on the season, and 3-3 in American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) women's D1 play. McKendree is No. 12 in the most recent ACHA women's D1 rankings.
 
The Golden Gophers struck first in the contest just six minutes into the game. The rest of the first period remained scoreless, with the Golden Gophers holding a 1-0 heading into the second period. Minnesota struck again with 12:13 remaining in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. The Bearcats answered with 6:56 left in the second period, with sophomore forward Keisha Johnson netting her first goal of the season. Johnson's goal was assisted by freshman forwards Dakota Peterson and Jayne Sutton. The second period closed with McKendree trailing, 2-1. The third period saw a great deal of action, including 15 shots on goal for the Bearcats, but neither team found the back of the net. The Golden Gophers took home the 2-1 victory in the contest.
 
The Bearcats outshot the Golden Gophers in the game, with McKendree launching 37 shots on goal to Minnesota's 34. Sophomore goaltender Jazmin Malinowski got the start for McKendree turning aside 32 of 34 shots on goal for a save percentage of 0.941. Johnson netted her first goal of the season in the contest, with Sutton notching her first career collegiate assist and Peterson registering her third assist on the season.
 
McKendree is set for two more games on the weekend, including a Saturday matchup against No. 5 UMass and a Sunday contest against No. 14 Robert Morris University.