Dec. 7, 2002
Beavers suffer worst loss in John Glas Fieldhouse history

BEMIDJI, Minn. - [box score] The honeymoon for the Bemidji State men’s ice hockey program after last night’s 3-2 overtime win at Minnesota-Duluth was brief indeed. The Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders, using a seven-goal second period to blow past the Beavers in record-setting fashion, 12-0. The defeat was the worst-ever for BSU in the John Glas Fieldhouse, dating back to the arena’s debut for the 1967-68 season, and the second-worst home-ice loss in BSU’s 47-year hockey history.

The Beavers allowed 10 goals on their home ice for the first time since a 10-5 loss to Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Jan. 30, 1993, and the 12-goal defeat was the team’s worst since a 12-0 loss at Denver on Dec. 16, 1967. BSU’s only home-ice loss by a larger margin came Feb. 5, 1950, when the Beavers dropped a 15-2 decision to the Fort Frances Aces while playing at the Bemidji Sports Arena. The loss also marked just the eighth time BSU has been shut out on its home ice.

The contest started innocently enough, with the Bulldogs holding a 1-0 lead after a physical, but up-tempo first period. Nick Anderson put the Bulldogs on the board with his second goal of the season at the 11:34 mark of the first, beating BSU goaltender Grady Hunt after a Beaver defender skated over the top of a rebound on an attempt to clear the puck. The teams played scoreless the rest of the period, with the Bulldogs taking the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

But Minn.-Duluth would need just 1:07 of the second period to kick open the floodgates. Luke Stauffacher picked up his sixth goal of the season with a helper from Anderson, and from there the rout was on. Stauffacher’s lamp-lighter would spark a seven-goal second period; Evan Schwabe answered Stauffacher’s tally just 56 seconds later to put the Bulldogs up 3-0. Hunt held on until the 9:42 mark, when Tim Stapleton’s third goal of the year gave UMD a 4-0 lead, but Hunt was pulled when the Bulldogs needed just 30 seconds to go up 5-0 on Junior Lessard’s power-play goal.

Freshman Kelly Shields came on in relief of Hunt after Lessard’s goal, and surrendered goals on the first three shots he faced - Stauffacher’s second goal of the night at 10:42, Brett Hammond at 13:14 and Anderson’s second goal of the game at 13:43.

The Bulldogs then piled on three more goals in the third period, including a pair just 28 seconds apart from Drew Otten and Anderson, who completed a hat trick, at 15:25 and 15:53 of the frame.

“ I don’t want to lose another game like this,” BSU head coach Tom Serratore said. “There are 20 guys out there, and we play as a team and lose as a team.”

Hunt took the loss for BSU (5-1-2), his first of the season, and saw an end to his career-best unbeaten streak (seven games) and winning streak (four wins). He allowed five goals and saved 13 shots; it was the first time this season he had allowed more than two goals, and the most goals he has allowed in a start since also allowing five at Alabama-Huntsville on March 9, 2002. Hunt’s 13 saves are a season low.

Shields allowed a career-high seven goals in relief; he saved 11 shots in 29:38 of work off the bench.

Isaac Reichmuth earned the shutout win for the Bulldogs, saving all 30 shots he faced to improve to 6-4-2. Anderson’s hat trick was the first allowed by BSU this season; he finished with 3-2=5 points, the most by a BSU opponent since Minnesota’s Erik Westrum also had five on Oct. 14, 2000. Stauffacher finished with 2-1=3 points for the victors; he was one of seven Bulldogs to score more than one point and one of 13 players to score in the game.

The loss dropped BSU to 5-4-5 on the season, while Minn.-Duluth got back to .500 at 6-6-5. The game was the last at home for BSU until opening a College Hockey America series with Air Force on Jan. 24, 2003. BSU is back in action next week in a two-game CHA series at Niagara. The Beavers can enter the holiday break in first place in the league by taking two points in the series. Opening face-off for Game 1 from Dwyer Arena on the Niagara campus is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, Dec. 13.