Feb. 15, 2009

[box score]

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (RMU Island Sports Center) -- After jumping out to a two-goal, first-period lead, the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team weathered a frantic second period by Robert Morris University to skate out of Pittsburgh, Pa. with a 3-3 tie. Down 3-1 early in the second, the Colonials scored two goals in the span of 35 seconds to climb back into the College Hockey America contest Sunday afternoon at RMU Island Sports Center.

The Beavers got on the board just 3:23 into the game. Ryan Cramer (So., F, International Falls, Minn.) netted his second goal of the season with help from Ben Kinne (Fr., F, St. Paul, Minn.) and Ryan Adams (So., D, Deloraine, Manitoba), marking the sophomore defender’s second point as a Beaver.

Travis Winter (Sr., F, St. Cloud, Minn.) built the BSU lead to two-goals with a power-play marker at the 15:52 mark of the first. Cody Bostock (Sr., D, Salmon Arm, British Columbia) and Brandon Marino (Sr., F, Riverside, Calif.) were credited with assists.

After Chris Margott’s team-leading 17th goal of 2008-09 got the Colonials on the board with just under two-minutes to play in the first period, the teams skated into the intermission with the Beavers clinging to a one-goal lead, 2-1.

As the second period got underway, it was all green and white.

After successfully killing off a full two-minute 5-on-3, the Beavers reconstructed their two-goal advantage on a breakaway goal by Chris McKelvie (Jr., F, New Brighton, Minn.). Whistled for penalties four minutes into the frame, McKelvie and Marino were sent to the box setting up the two-man advantage for RMU. Just as it has over its recent winning streak, the staunch BSU penalty-kill unit, backstopped by sophomore goaltender Matt Dalton (Clinton, Ontario), stood strong. As the penalty time expired, the tandem was greeted with a Brad Hunt (Fr., D, Ridge Meadows, British Columbia) pass as they skated out of the box and a nifty pass by Marino on the doorstep set the assistant captain up for his second goal of the season. Marino’s helper marked his second of the game, accounting for the third multi-point game of 2008-09 and the sixth multi-assist outing of his collegiate career.

But after that, things began to go sour for the visitors.

BSU’s lead lasted just over eight minutes. As the Colonials peppered Dalton with shot after shot, momentum began to swing in RMU’s favor. With 14:03 gone in the second period, the Colonials caught the Beavers on their heels and Jason Towsley zipped the puck across the front of the crease for Chris Kushneriuk who was waiting on the other post and one-timed it past Dalton. Thirty-five seconds later, RMU struck again. This time it was it was Nathan Longpre who fired a bullet past the BSU netminder from the top of the circle directly off a face off. Margott was credited with the lone assist on the play after winning the draw from the right face off dot.

Just like that, the score was knotted at 3-3. And despite a period during which RMU out shot the Beavers 23-8, BSU would fight and claw its way to the locker rooms with the score even after 40-minutes of play.

Each team was held scoreless through the duration of the third and the five-minute overtime period. Tyler Lehrke (Jr., F, Park Rapids, Minn.) supplied the Beavers with their best scoring chance during the final 25 minutes of play narrowly missing a difference-making goal in the opening minutes of the third. The junior made a move to beat the RMU goalie and rung a shot off the post. The scoring attempt came while the Beavers were short-handed.

Dalton turned away 35 RMU shots, including a 21-save second period, in his first career tie as he moves 13-9-1.

Brooks Ostergard stopped 32 shots moving to 1-2-1 after the draw.

The BSU penalty-kill and power-play units won the battle of special teams as the Beavers went 1-for-4 on the man advantage with Winter netting his 16th career power-play tally, while the penalty kill was flawless holding off all five of the Colonials power-play chances.

The tie represents the first of the season for BSU, which is not 1-1-1 in overtime games in 2008-09.

The Beavers (13-14-1; 9-4-1 CHA) will take the day off tomorrow before a short, two-practice week to gear up for a big two-game series at Niagara University. The outcome of the series will undoubtably loom large in the race for the 2008-09 CHA regular-season championship as the first-place Beavers hold a two-point lead over the Purple Eagles in the league standings. The Thursday/Friday series is slated to start at 6:35 p.m. (CST) each Thursday and Friday Feb. 19-20.

--bsu--