Dec. 14, 2002
Beavers pick up school-record sixth tie; earn first-ever point at Niagara

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - [box score] The Bemidji State men’s ice hockey team rallied from a 3-1 deficit at the second intermission, skated to its school-record sixth draw of the season and picked up a critical point in College Hockey America play with a 3-3 tie tonight against the Niagara Purple Eagles.

BSU, which would have allowed Niagara to climb into a second-place tie in the CHA standings with a loss tonight, picked up goals from senior wings Jeff McGill and Marty Goulet in the third period, completing the team’s first rally from two goals behind at the second intermission since making the move to Division I in 1999-2000. Prior to tonight’s tie, BSU had been 0-41-0 in its Division I era when trailing by two or more goals at the second intermission.

Niagara built leads of two goals twice in the first two periods. The Purple Eagles saw Chris Sebastian score the game’s first two goals at 1:28 of the first and 6:23 of the second to give Niagara a 2-0 advantage.

But Brendan Cook pulled BSU to within a goal with his third lamp-lighter of the season at 6:48 of the second with an assist from Andrew Murray to make the score 2-1. It was Cook’s second goal of the series, giving the BSU sophomore back-to-back games with a goal for the first time in his career.

Andrew Lackner responded to Cook’s goal late in the second period, making BSU pay for a Bill Methven hooking penalty at 18:11 of the period. Lackner’s first career goal at 18:48 staked Niagara to its second two-goal cushion of the game, 3-1.

The score would remain 3-1 well into the third period, until McGill scored his fifth goal of the season - and fourth in BSU’s last five games - at 7:36 of the third to once again pull BSU within a goal, 3-2.

Then with just 1:32 to play in regulation, Goulet forced overtime and netted what would be the eventual game-tying goal off the pass from Murray and Peter Jonsson. Murray’s helper gave him a career-high three for the game, and tied the BSU season high set by Anders Olsson against Union College on Oct. 26.

Grady Hunt went the distance in net for the Beavers, snapping a two-game losing streak with the draw. Hunt saved 24 of 27 shots faced, including all eight he faced in the third period and overtime as BSU made its comeback, to move to 5-2-3 on the season. Hunt improved to 13-8-7 in his last 28 starts against College Hockey America foes. Hunt’s three ties this season are just one shy of his career high (four), set last year.

Jeff VanNynatten took the draw for the Eagles, saving 22 of 25 shots faced. His record improved to 2-5-1.

Bemidji State shut down Niagara’s Joe Tallari, the nation’s leading goal-scorer and amongst the top five nationally in point-scoring coming into the weekend series. Tallari was scoreless tonight and held to just one assist for the weekend series. Chris Sebastian led the Eagles with 2-1=3 points.

The tie gave Bemidji State its first-ever point in Niagara’s Dwyer Arena; BSU is now 0-8-1 all-time in games played at Dwyer - 0-7-1 against the Purple Eagles and a loss to Alabama-Huntsville in the 2002 CHA Post-Season Tournament.

Bemidji State extended its school record by playing in its ninth overtime game this season, and continues its quest for the NCAA record for overtime games played in a season. Five teams in the current 60-team Division I membership have skated to 13 overtime games in a season, with the 2001-02 Maine Black Bears being the most-recent program to achieve the milestone. With no less than 18 games remaining on its 2002-03 schedule, BSU also needs just three more ties to equal the NCAA single-season record of nine, held by Minnesota (1998-99) and North Dakota (2000-01).

The draw improved BSU’s record to 5-5-6 on the season, 3-1-2 in College Hockey America play. BSU now has eight points in CHA play, one back of leader Alabama-Huntsville (4-1-1, nine points). Niagara moved to 5-11-2 and evened its CHA record at 2-2-2 against the CHA. The Purple Eagles have six points in CHA play and stand third in the standings. BSU is off until Dec. 27-28, when it opens a two-game run through the Subway Holiday Classic, hosted by North Dakota. BSU tackles the University of Manitoba in an exhibition contest in the Classic opener, Dec. 27, and will face off with either the host Fighting Sioux

or Brown Bears in the Dec. 29 finale.
1 / 1:28 / N - Chris Sebastian (Bernie Sigrist) / 0-1
2 / 6:23 / N - Chris Sebastian (Hannu Karru) / 0-2
2 / 6:58 / B - Brendan Cook (3) (Andrew Murray/5) / 1-2
2/ 18:41 / N - Andrew Lackner (PP) (Chris Sebastian, Casey Handrahan) / 1-3
3/ 7:36 / B - Jeff McGill (5) (Andrew Murray/6, Marty Goulet/6) / 2-3
3/ 18:28 / B - Marty Goulet (GT, 6) (Andrew Murray/7, Peter Jonsson/6) / 3-3

BSU: Grady Hunt (65:00 / 7-9-5-3=24 saves / 3 GA / T; 5-2-3)
NU: Jeff VanNynatten (65:00 / 5-6-9-2=22 saves / 3 GA / T; 2-5-1)
Penalties/Power Plays: BSU: 2-4/0-3; NU 3-6/1-2