DATE: January 29, 2005
No. 12 North Dakota Bemidji State 3-1 In Final Game of the Series
Cook Becomes First Player in BSU's Division I Era to Net 50 Career Goals

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Ralph Engelstad Arena) - [box score] For the second consecutive night the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team struck first taking an early lead over nationally-ranked North Dakota and for the second straight night the Fighting Sioux responded with the game’s final three goals. Saturday those three tallies meant BSU’s ninth loss of the season as UND defeated the Beavers 3-1 in front of 11,185 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Just 24 hours removed from holding a 3-0 lead over the No. 12 team in the country only to allow three unanswered goals in the final 30 minutes of play and settling for a disappointing tie, some may have expected BSU to be flat in the second game of the series. But the complete opposite was the case. It took BSU just 71 seconds to light its side of the scoreboard as a pair of guys that saw consecutive scoring streaks of eight and six games respectively come to an end in last night’s game, Brandon Cook (Reston, Manitoba) and Luke Erickson (Roseau, Minn.) connected with help from Shane Holman (Hibbing, Minn.) to put BSU on top 1-0. The goal was the 50th of Cook’s career as he became the first player in BSU’s Division I era (since 1998-99 season) to achieve the feat.

The BSU lead would last just over 11 minutes as Rastislav Spirko registered his seventh goal of the season with assists credited to Travis Zajac and Colby Genoway muscled their way back into the game. 1-1.

The Beavers spent nearly seven consecutive minutes on the power-play early in the first period as UND’s Rory McMahon went to the box for five minutes after being whistled for spearing. Just 11 seconds after his penalty expired, the Sioux’s Chris Porter was be called for cross-checking and would head to the box for two minutes. Despite plenty of chances, BSU would be held without a point on the power-play for the second consecutive night as the team went 0-4 with the man advantage. The BSU penalty-killing unit would be equally as impressive killing each of the Fighting Sioux four power-play opportunities.

The Sioux outshot the Beavers 7-5 in the second period with one off those shots finding the back of the net to give UND a 2-1 lead. Kyle Radke scored his first career-goal 2:14 into the period. Zajac was credited with his second assist of the game and fourth point of the weekend on the play.

North Dakota’s Quinn Fylling would add an unassisted, empty-net goal with just four seconds remaining to ice the win for the Fighting Sioux.

Sophomore goaltender Layne Sedevie (Bismarck, N.D.) made 28 saves while allowing two goals in 58:40 in net for the Beavers. He falls to 8-7-0 on the season with the loss.

Jordan Parise collected 31 saves brick walling the Beavers in the final two period to gain his seventh victory of the season. He is now 7-5-1 in 2004-05.

Both teams were without one of their respective top players for the second consecutive night. The Fighting Sioux were without Matt Green who was serving two-game team suspension while BSU skated without senior captain Andrew Murray (Selkirk, Manitoba) who sat due to an injury suffered in last weekend’s series versus Alabama-Huntsville.

Bemidji State is now 14-9-1 overall and sits atop the College Hockey America standings with a record of 9-3-0 in league play. The Beavers jump back into conference action next weekend when they welcome Wayne State College (Mich.) to the John S. Glas Fieldhouse for a two-game series. Opening face-off is slated for 7:35 p.m. Friday with the puck dropping at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.

--bsu--