Dec. 27, 2002
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - [stats] The Bemidji State men’s hockey team finally found the answer to its season-long goal-scoring drought, rallying from an early two-goal deficit and using a six-goal second period to blow past the Manitoba Bison, 10-4, tonight at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. The contest was the first round of the inaugural Subway Holiday Classic, hosted by the University of North Dakota.

Bemidji State, playing its second exhibition contest against Manitoba this season, had to fight out of an early 3-1 hole, and was dominated for much of the first period. After the teams traded goals in the first 12 minutes, Manitoba picked up back-to-back goals just 41 seconds apart in the first period - at 14:05 and 14:46 - to grab its two-goal edge.

After Andrew Murray scored to pull BSU even at 1-1, the Bison would need less than two minutes to answer. Jamie Brewster fired a shot in on Hunt, and although Hunt saved he could not control the rebound. Paul Deniset took the carom at the top of the crease and pushed it past Hunt to put the Bison up 2-1. Just 41 seconds later, David Cameron held the puck at the top of the right face-off circle and drew Hunt out of the crease to make a play, and Cameron beat Hunt to the right side to score on a wide-open net and give the Bison their two-goal advantage.

BSU pulled back within a goal, 3-2, at 19:14 of the first, taking advantage of a Labossiere interference penalty as Jeff McGill took a blue-line pass from Peter Jonsson at the left edge of the crease and pushed the puck behind Cruz.

The Beavers again used the power-play to finally draw even at the 3:29 mark of the second. BSU needed just 30 seconds to take advantage of an obstruction-holding call on Deniset, as Murray skated behind the net with the puck, then shot a pass across the crease to Peter Jonsson. Cruz recovered and squared to face Jonsson, but the BSU sophomore beat Cruz five-hole to even the score at 3-3.

BSU then took full advantage of a five-minute major penalty on Manitoba’s Blake Forsyth, scoring three goals on the ensuing power-play in a span of just 2:29. Murray scored at the 10:00 and 12:26 marks of the second period to complete a hat trick, and Goulet staked BSU to a 6-3 lead at 12:49 with a goal from the left side of the crease after taking passes from Riley Riddell and goaltender Hunt.

BSU picked up three more goals in the second on lamp-lighters from McGill (16:33), Wade Chiodo (19:25) and Jean-Guy Gervais (19:53), then added a pair of goals in the third period from Brendan Cook (10:35) and the second goal of the night by Gervais (12:15) to complete the rout.

“ This was a good situation for us, to get into a tournament setting,” BSU head coach Tom Serratore said. “Whatever we can do to prepare ourselves for March, for the CHA Tournament, will be good for us.

“ Whoever we play, we’re excited to be in the championship game,” Serratore said on the possibility of facing No. 2/1 North Dakota in tomorrow’s championship game. “It would be special to play North Dakota, but they will have a tough game tonight against Brown.”

Had tonight’s contest not been an exhibition and counted in BSU’s official stats, Murray’s hat trick would have been the first by a BSU player since Clay Simmons scored three goals against Wayne State on Nov. 25, 2000; his two goals in a span of 1:26 in the second period would have been the fastest two goals by an individual player in BSU’s Division I era (since 1999); BSU would have set team Division I-era records for goals in a period (6), fastest three goals (2:49), fastest four goals (6:33), fastest five goals (9:24); the team’s five power-play goals would have tied the team and College Hockey America single-game record and Hunt’s assist would have been the second of his career. In addition, the team’s 10 goals would have marked the first 10-goal game for BSU since Oct. 31, 1997 against St. Scholastica.

Instead, it will all just be a happy memory for the BSU skaters.

With the victory, BSU improved to 2-1-1 in international exhibition competition since making the jump to the Division I level in 1999-2000. BSU has posted a 2-0-1 record against Manitoba in exhibition play, including a 4-2 win in Bemidji to open the season. The Beavers and Bison skated to a 3-3 draw on Oct. 7, 2000, and BSU fell to the University of Regina, 2-1 in overtime, to open the 2001-02 campaign.

Bemidji State sees its record remain at 5-5-6 overall, 3-1-2 against College Hockey America opposition, after tonight’s exhibition contest, while Manitoba evens its season mark at 7-7-1. The Beavers await the winner of tonight’s contest between the Brown Bears and the host North Dakota Fighting Sioux in tomorrow’s Subway Holiday Classic championship game. Opening face-off for the title game is slated for 8:05 p.m. Central time at UND’s Ralph Engelstad Arena.

SCORING SUMMARY
1/ 4:37/ M - Barrett Labossiere (unassisted)/0-1
1/12:09/ B - Andrew Murray (Jeff McGill, Bryce Methven)/1-1
1/14:05/ M - Paul Deniset (Jamie Brewster, Blake Forsyth)/1-2
1/14:46/ M - David Cameron (Kevin Saurette, Andrew Kaminsky)/1-3
1/19:14/ B - Jeff McGill (PP) (Peter Jonsson, Marty Goulet)/2-3
2/ 3:29/ B - Peter Jonsson (PP) (Andrew Murray, Marty Goulet)/3-3
2/10:00/ B - Andrew Murray (PP) (Marty Goulet, Bryce Methven)/4-3
2/11:26/ B - Andrew Murray (PP-hat trick) (Jeff McGill, Marty Goulet)/5-3
2/12:49/ B - Marty Goulet (PP) (Riley Riddell, Grady Hunt-g)/6-3
2/16:33/ B - Jeff McGill (Marty Goulet, Andrew Murray)/7-3
2/17:43/ M - Barret Labossier (unassisted)/7-4
2/19:25/ B - Wade Chiodo (Marty Goulet)/8-4
3/10:35/ B - Brendan Cook (Myles Kuharski, Peter Jonsson)/9-4
3/12:15/ B - Jean-Guy Gervais (Wade Chiodo)/10-4

UM: Jomar Cruz (50:35 / 5-11-6= 22 saves / 9 GA / L)
Gord Woodhall (9:25 / x-x-6=6 saves / 1 GA)
BSU: Grady Hunt (54 :48 / 9-4-8= 21 saves / 4 GA / W)
Dannie Morgan (5:12 / x-x-0=0 saves / 0 GA)
Penalties/Power Plays: UM: 9-29/0-4; BSU: 6-12/5-9