MSU had early stars like Kristin Bellanger and Betsy Doubek (who combined for 63 points in the 2006–07 season), Academic All-American and two-time leading scorer Chelsea Bender, and Makayla Sandvold, who also led the Beavers in scoring twice before helping to coach the team in 2015–16, but generally struggled on the ice more often than not.

However, disaster struck over the weekend of February 2 and 3, when the Beavers were swept at home by rival NDSU, thanks in large part to a four-goal series by future two-time Zoë M. Harris Award winner Kacie Johnson.

A new generation of talent arrived in 2015 and 2016, including Saskatchewan natives Mackenzie Balogh and Vanessa Grimstad, along with goaltender Shelby Tornato, and supporting players like Tylar Holland and Lauren Michayluk.

The run continued in Columbus, Ohio, as Minot became one of the tournament's major storylines by dominating fourth-seeded (and unbeaten) Miami and then Buffalo, the East Region's top team, to win Pool C and advance to the semifinals.

In particular, Balogh had the first breakthrough of her career, scoring ten times during the tournament (including five goals against Buffalo) to win the Beavers' first-ever ACHA award for hockey performance, a spot on the first all-tournament team.

[7] North Dakota State once again provided a helping of heartbreak in the semifinals though, spoiling a furious MSU rally from a 3–0 third period deficit and winning 4–3 on an Erica Sevigny goal off of scrum in front of Tornato with 2:22 remaining.

[12] Those results enabled Lakehead to sneak past Minot to win the West Region's top seed, forcing the Beavers to settle for second place.

[13][14][15] A rematch in the semifinals against North Dakota State followed, where the Beavers finally scored a measure of revenge against the team that blocked their aspirations both in 2017 and previously with a tightly fought 3–1 win to advance to the championship game.

[19] Just as they had the previous two seasons, MSU made quick work of the pool round at nationals, blowing through Rowan, Mercyhurst, and Boston College, with none of the games finishing tighter than a five-goal margin, although the latter two did remain close into the late going before the Beavers cracked them open.

[20][21][22] The semifinals, against Sherbrooke, Quebec's Bishop's University were a bit tougher, as Tornato was forced to make 14 first-period saves (en route to 27 for the game), allowing Goudy (with a pair of goals), Wickham, and Grimstad to give MSU a 4–0 lead.

[24][25] Simone Turner-Cummer scored the game's only goal on a power play late in the first period, and ACC stymied Minot with a stout team defensive effort the rest of the way, helped along by some MSU penalty trouble and Marley Quesnel's 18 saves.

[26] While Minot's ability to be competitive in D1 was never really in question thanks to a healthy selection of D1 opponents on previous schedules, another large recruiting class helped ensure that it was sustainable over an entire season.

The transfer market also produced a pair of former U Sports players from the Regina Cougars in Camryn Clyne and Jensen Smigelsky, while the standouts from the true freshman class included star goaltender Jordan Ivanco, along with Maiya Aschberg, Megan Ferg, Story Navrot, and Alisha O'Hara.

Nevertheless, Minot was able to quickly prove it belonged in the group despite a 1–3–0 start, including a split at Colorado and a tightly contested sweep at the hands of LU–B that finished with Tessa O'Connor's overtime goal.

The Beavers finished the regular season 17–3–1 and were seeded second for the WMCH playoffs under a system that used the ACHA rankings to establish conference standings, in light of an unbalanced schedule.

[48] Warriors coach Taylor Gross rallied her team for a 5–3 win the next day however, and Midland also earned a sweep later in the year at Maysa Arena, capped off by Malia Shimabukuro's overtime goal.

In 2016–17, Midland fell victim to the Beavers' late-season hot streak in their push for nationals, as MSU earned a home sweep in the only meetings of the year, thanks to Vanessa Grimstad's overtime goal to finish a come-from-behind effort in the second game.

[6] That series decisively flipped things in MSU's favor; the Beavers swept all four meetings in both 2017–18 and 2018–19, even as Midland became a successful team, posting a winning record for the first time in 2017–18 and taking the Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League title (along with a first-ever bid to the ACHA National Tournament) in 2019.

The Bison ended Minot's Cinderella run of 2017 when Erica Sevigny delivered a 4–3 NDSU win with 2:22 left, after a goal by Angie Lothspeich and two by Mackenzie Balogh had erased a 3–0 third-period lead.

[8] MSU exacted revenge in 2018, advancing to the program's first national championship game with a 3–1 victory, offsetting an early Rachel Dorff goal with markers from Balogh, Bryanna Bergeron, and Sami Jo Henry, along with 18 Shelby Tornato saves.