BEMIDJI, Minn. - [box score] Bemidji State’s men’s ice hockey team used the first career hat trick by senior forward Brendan Cook and another simply stifling effort by its defensive corps to complete a two-game series sweep of Wayne State, 5-2, tonight at the John Glas Fieldhouse.

Cook scored even-strength, short-handed and on the power play to give Bemidji State just its second hat trick since joining Division I in 1999, and the first by a Beaver forward. Ironically, both Division I-era BSU hat tricks have been scored against Wayne State; defenseman Clay Simmons scored three goals against the Warriors on Nov. 25, 2000.

Cook scored BSU’s first, third and fifth goals in the contest. He started things off with a power-play goal at 6:37 of the first period. After Nate Higgins was called for obstruction-hooking at 4:44 of the first, Peter Jonsson fired a pass to Luke Erickson at the left face-off circle, and Erickson found Cook at the top of the crease to put BSU ahead 1-0 at the 6:37 mark of the period.

Cook’s second goal came at 9:51 of the second period, with BSU leading 2-1. Jonsson was whistled for cross-checking, and Cook scored his second career short-handed goal 1:30 into the penalty kill. He was assisted by Lou Garritan, playing first-line forward tonight for the injured Andrew Murray; it was Garritan’s first career point. The short-handed goal staked BSU to a 3-1 lead.

Cook completed the hat trick at 16:33 of the second period, scoring even-strength with an assist from Bryce Methven to give BSU a 5-1 lead. Cook’s hat trick is the 199th in BSU’s storied hockey history, but just the second since the program jumped to Division I in 1999.

Riley Riddell scored at 9:35 of the first period on a power-play after a Travis Rycroft roughing penalty to put BSU ahead 2-0, a lead it would take into the first intermission. Wayne State’s Mark Cannon drew the Warriors to within a goal with his second marker of the season, even strength, at 7:32 of the second period but that was as close as the Warriors would get. Cook’s second goal put BSU back up by three, and Andrew Marten’s first career goal on a slapper from the blue line at 10:42 of the second staked the Beavers to a 4-1 edge.

After Cook completed his hat trick, Nathan Rosychuk scored for the Warriors with 2:26 elapsed in the third for the game’s final 5-2 margin.

Once again, Bemidji State’s defensive corps was simply dominant. After holding the Warriors to just 14 shots in last night’s 3-2 win, BSU limited the Warriors to just 11 shots tonight, the lowest total by a BSU opponent since the Beavers made the move to Division I in 1999. Wayne State had just two shots in the first period, tied for lowest-ever by a BSU opponent in a period, then got four shots in the second and five in the third.

Conversely, BSU piled up 50 shots for the second consecutive night, out-shooting the Warriors 53-11. BSU had 22 shots in the first period, 21 in the second and cooled off to fire just 10 on net in the third. BSU had 50 or more shots in both games of the series this weekend after having 50 or more shots on net in just two of its previous 151 Division I-era contests.

For the series, Bemidji State out-shot Wayne State by a 103-25 margin.

“We played six great periods of hockey this weekend,” BSU head coach Tom Serratore said. “Every time Wayne State had the puck, we were in their face. I can’t say enough about our guys.”

Grady Hunt saved nine of 11 shots faced to earn his sixth win of the season. He improves to 5-1-1 all-time against Wayne State in Bemidji. Matt Kelly took the loss for Wayne State. He saved 48 of BSU’s 53 shots and for the series rolled up 95 saves.

BSU went 2-for-5 on the power play, giving it three consecutive games games with two or more power play goals and extending its Division I-era record for consecutive games with a power-play goal to 10. Wayne State was 0-for-2 with the man advantage and falls to 6-for-86 (.070) all-time against BSU on the power-play.

“Our power-play has been outstanding,” Serratore said. “If we want to win this league, our special teams have to click. I think the nail in the coffin was Cook’s short-handed goal.”

Tonight’s win improved the Beavers to 9-5-3 all-time against the Warriors. BSU has dominated the series in Bemidji, and how holds a 7-2-1 advantage on home ice.

Bemidji State improves to 7-5-2 with the win, 4-0-0 in the CHA. It is BSU’s first 4-0 start in conference play since 1997-98 when it was still in NCAA Division II. Wayne State drops to 3-7-3 and 1-5-0 in the league. BSU is back in action Dec. 11-13 at Ala.-Huntsville.