BURLINGTON, Vt. -- A third period goal by Sarah Smiddy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) gave Vermont a 3-3 overtime tie with Bemidji State in women’s college hockey Friday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse. UVM had been shutout in four of its five previous games before busting out with three goals Friday while outshooting its WCHA foe by a 24-20 margin.

“We have to give our women full credit for this tie against a very good Bemidji State team. They skate very well and play in an excellent league,” said Vermont head coach Tim Bothwell. “Still, we just could not find the net one more time, especially late in the game. Let’s hope we can sustain a good performance tomorrow night.”

In the first period the Catamounts (2-10-2) scored twice despite being outshot, 13-4. After the first 20 minutes, Vermont had a 20-7 advantage in shots on goal including a 7-1 edge in the five-minute overtime. UVM’s Kristen Norris (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and Stephanie Tewksbury (Marshfield, Mass.) each had excellent scoring chances late in the extra session but were turned away by BSU goalie Emily Brookshaw.

Vermont drew first blood 7:41 into the contest as Kristi Anderson (Naperville, Ill.) pounced on a loose puck after the Beavers could not clear a drive from the point by Frankie Williams (Aurora, Ill.). Kate Lesniak (Buffalo, N.Y.) also picked up an assist after keeping the puck alive in front of Brookshaw. Bemidji State tied it on Brooke Collins’ power play goal at 13:00 before the Catamounts went ahead with 20 seconds left in the stnaza. Strong fore-checking by Karen Sentoff (Liverpool, N.Y.) created a turnover deep in the BSU end and she fed Chelsea Furlani (Colchester, Vt.) for a goalmouth tap-in to make it 2-1. The goal was Furlani’s team-high fifth of the season.

Late in the second period Nina Ziegenhals, on an assist from Kelly Hart, scored another on the powerplay to draw Bemidji State even. The Beavers took their first lead of the contest eight minutes into the third period as Jenn Sadler rammed home a rebound of her own shot past UVM goalie Jenilee Roy (Sandown, N.H.).

The advantage stood until 5:05 left when Smiddy tallied the equalizer. Jackie Thode (Aurora, Colo.) set up the play as her pass from the UVM blueline sent Smiddy, who had a step on the BSU defense, in on goal. She beat Brookshaw for her second goal of the season.

Roy finished with 17 saves for the Catamounts while Brookshaw made 21 stops for Bemidji State (3-8-2). The Beavers went 2-for-11 on the powerplay in the contest while UVM did not score in five extra-player chances.

Vermont closes out its nine-game homestand with Bemidji State of the WCHA Saturday at 7:00pm at Gutterson Fieldhouse. For ticket information, please contact the UVM Athletic Ticket Office at 1-866-4CAT-TIX or log on to uvmathletics.com. UVM students (with a valid ID) and all Rally’s Roundup members are admitted free to all home women’s hockey games.

Saturday’s game is the nightcap of the first-ever Vermont Hockey Doubleheader at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The UVM men take on Maine in a 2:00pm matinee and all ticketholders from the afternoon game will be admitted free to the Vermont-Bemidji State women’s game at 7:00pm. Also, all Victory Club members (with membership card) will receive free admission to the women’s contest.