BEMIDJI, Minn. - [box score] For the second consecutive game against the Clarkson Golden Knights, the Bemidji State men’s ice hockey team held a 2-0 lead. And for the second consecutive game, the Beavers were unable to hold that lead as the Knights tallied four unanswered goals en route to a 4-2 non-conference victory tonight in the season opener for both teams.

After a scoreless first period which saw the teams combine for just 18 shots on net, Bemidji State needed to go midway into the second period before finding the back of the net. Brendan Cook took a pass from Jesse Balsimo and Andrew Murray to tally his first goal of the season, then just 1:09 later assisted true freshman Luke Erickson on his first career goal to help give the Beavers a 2-0 edge.

It was all BSU would muster. The Golden Knights needed just 3:15 to answer Erickson’s lamp-lighter, getting a power-play goal from Mac Faulkner at 13:29 of the frame after Murray was sent to the box for hooking.

BSU took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission, but Clarkson needed just 28 seconds of the third period to even the score. Jean Desrochers took a pass from Tristan Lush and wrapped the puck inside the right pipe past Grady Hunt to draw the Knights even, 2-2, at 0:28 of the third.

Clarkson took the lead on what was the eventual game-winning goal from captain Rob McFeeters, with Lush earning another assist on the play. McFeeters scored even-strength from right in front of the crease at 16:29, giving Clarkson a 3-2 lead.

BSU called time out at 18:59 of the third period and lifted Hunt for an extra skater. After a wild rally in front of the Clarkson net, Desrochers flipped the puck home from just outside the BSU blue line, scoring on an empty net for the game’s final 4-2 margin.

Special teams proved to be a key element in the contest. The Knights picked up their first goal of the night on Faulkner’s power-play tally in the second period, and were able to hold the Beavers scoreless on five opportunities with the man advantage. BSU out-shot Clarkson 11-8 on the power-play.

Clarkson’s three third-period goals marked the most goals BSU had allowed in a single period since Wayne State tallied three in the first period of a 6-1 BSU loss on Feb. 8, 2003. In fact, BSU had not allowed more than three goals in a game since dropping a 6-3 decision against Ala.-Huntsville, Feb. 21, 2003 in Bemidji.

BSU dropped a 5-4 decision at Clarkson in the last meeting between the teams, Nov. 23, 2002, after the Beavers held a 2-0 lead at the 9:23 mark of the first period. Clarkson scored four unanswered goals in that contest as well, taking a 4-2 lead before BSU scored two of the game’s final three goals to pull within the final one-goal margin.

Tonight’s defeat marks just the sixth time in BSU’s Division I era (since 1999) the Beavers have lost a game when leading by two goals. Clarkson becomes the first program to twice rally from two goals down to beat BSU.

Cook finished with a goal and an assist for BSU, giving him 25 points for his career. It was just the third multi-point game of Cook’s career, and first since a two-goal night vs Niagara on March 1, 2003. Murray had two assists, his 14th career multi-point game and seventh career game with two or more assists. Erickson scored his first career point, and Balsimo recorded his first assist since Nov. 9, 2002 at Findlay - a span of 29 games - and equalling his scoring output from the entire 2002-03 campaign.

Grady Hunt took the loss in net for BSU. He saved 18 of 21 shots faced in 58:59 of work, falling to 0-1-0 on the year. He has now played 4,771 minutes in his career, moving him past Jack Horner (4,714; 1974-78) and Mark Liska (4,717; 1981-85) into sixth place on the BSU career charts in that category. He needs 53 minutes played to move past Jim Scanlan (4,807; 1978-82) and Robin Cook (4,823; 1992-96) into fourth.

BSU’s scoreless first period snapped the team’s streak of 19 consecutive games with a first-period goal, a streak which had been the longest in BSU’s Division I era (since 1999). BSU did extend the third-longest Division I era streak of games with a goal scored to 23.

The loss drops BSU to 36-10-2 all-time in season-openers and is just the team’s second loss in a season opener in the last 17 years.

Bemidji State is 0-1-0 on the season, while Clarkson wins its opener and improves to 1-0-0. The teams wrap up a two-game non-conference series tomorrow night, with opening face-off slated for 7:05 p.m. Central. BSU will have a special pre-game ceremony before tomorrow’s opening face-off to honor the 20th anniversary of the 1983-84 Bemidji State team. That squad set an American collegiate record by going 31-0-0 en route to an NCAA Division II national championship.