DATE: Oct. 25, 2003
Two BSU goals waved off during contest

BEMIDJI, Minn. - [stats] Jared Hanowski picked up his first goal of the season at 13:19 of the third period, lifting the Bemidji State men’s hockey team to a 2-2 draw with the Minnesota State Mavericks.

As has been the case in all four of BSU’s games so far in 2003-04, the teams stood scoreless after the first period. BSU dominated play in the period, out-shooting Minnesota State by a 13-6 margin and killing three penalties. BSU had one opportunity on the power play in the first, and got three shots on net.

“The first period was probably the best of the season for us,” BSU head coach Tom Serratore said.

The Beavers grabbed the lead at 4:42 of the second on John Haider’s first goal of the season. He took a pass from Ryan Miller, who scored his first collegiate point, to stake BSU to the 1-0 lead.

But the Mavericks would fight back, scoring two unanswered goals to grab a 2-1 lead early in the third. Cole Bassett scored off a pass from Jon Hart and Aaron Forsythe at 13:43 of the third, and the game’s third star David Backes picked up his second goal of the season on a power play at 6:26 of the third. Backes’ power-play goal came after Bill Methven was whistled for elbowing on a hit against the boards at the red line at the 5:08 mark of the third.

BSU had two apparent goals waved off during the game. What would have been the team’s first power-play goal of the season was waved off at 9:12 of the first period when the net was judged to be dislodged, and a Ryan Huddy goal at 8:58 of the second period was disallowed by an interference call against Riley Riddell.

“This was a great hockey game to coach,” Serratore said. “There were several plays that could have gone the other way. The fans got great entertainment value, we skated hard, had great [defense] and great goaltending.”

With 13 seconds left in overtime, the Andrew Murray Express failed to make a scheduled stop for BSU. Murray picked up a loose puck in the BSU defensive zone and tore down the right boards, making a move at the red line to break free and skate one-on-one against Volp. Murray fired a shot from the right faceoff dot which went wide, and never slowed his pace. He plowed right through Volp, earning a five-minute major for contact with the goaltender and a game misconduct penalty.

On the hit, Volp flew backwards into his own goal, ending up on his back with his skates tangled in the nets. He was down on the ice for several minutes being attended to by Minnesota State’s trainer, and eventually had to be helped off the ice by his teammates.

Murray’s 15 minutes of penalty time capped off a game halted frequently by the referee’s whistle. The teams combined for 23 penalties for 73 minutes, with BSU alone being called for a 13 penalties for 45 minutes. The 13 penalties are fourth-most in BSU’s Division I era (since 1999) and the most against a BSU team since Dec. 7, 2001 when the team was whistled for 14 (all minors) at Minn.-Duluth, and the 45 penalty minutes are third-most in BSU’s Division I era and most since a 20-penalty, 83-minute debacle against Ala.-Huntsville on on Feb. 5, 2000.

Special teams continued to be a mixed blessing for BSU, with the penalty killers getting their jobs done but the power-play units continuing their season-long struggles. BSU killed off nine of 10 Minnesota State power-play chances tonight, with the 10 power-play opportunites tied for third-most by an opponent in BSU’s Division I era, and the nine penalties killed tied for second-most in a game in BSU’s Division I era. For the series, Minnesota State went just 2-for-18 on the power play (.112).

Conversely, however, BSU’s power play units still have yet to record a goal in 2003-04. BSU went 0-for-7 with the man advantage tonight, tied for the fourth-lowest power-play efficiency in BSU’s Division I era, and for the 2003-04 season now stand 0-for-22 with the man advantage.

“Overall, I’m happy with our first four games,” Serratore said. “But we’ll have to come up with the power play.”

Layne Sedevie got the nod in net and went the distance for BSU. He saved 24 of 26 shots faced to earn his second tie of the season.

Bemidji State improves to 0-2-2 on the season with the draw, and is winless in its first four games of the year for the second consecutive season and third time in the last four years. Minnesota State improves to 1-2-1. Bemidji State opens College Hockey America play Nov. 7-8 at Findlay.

NOTES: BSU remains scoreless in the first period this season after scoring a first-period goal in each of the final 19 games of the 2002-03 season... BSU now stands 37-26-12 all-time against Minnesota State; 1-7-2 in its Division I era (since 1999)... BSU is 2-32-2 vs the WCHA in its Division I era, with one of the wins and both ties coming against Minnesota State... BSU hit its seventh post of the season in tonight’s contest... Andrew Murray’s 15 penalty minutes were a career high; he drew his first career major penalty.