BEMIDJI, Minn. - [box score] The Bemidji State men’s ice hockey team picked up its Division I-era record 15th win of the season, completing a four-game regular-season series sweep of the Findlay Oilers with a 5-3 victory tonight in the John Glas Fieldhouse.

Tonight’s win improved BSU to 15-7-2 on the season; the 15 wins breaks the previous Division I-era record of 14 wins set in a 14-14-8 season a year ago. The Beavers have now improved their win total each season under third-year head coach Tom Serratore, from 12 wins during his inaugural 200-102 campaign to 14 a year ago to now 15 this season. BSU’s 15 wins are the team’s most since 1998-99 when it finished 17-13-0.

BSU also set a school record with 12 College Hockey America wins, using the weekend sweep to surpass the previous record of 10 wins set a year ago. BSU’s 24 points in CHA play tie the school record set during last year’s 10-6-4 league run.

Brendan Cook got Bemidji State on the board first, tying the College Hockey America single-season record with his fifth short-handed goal of the year just 2:57 into the contest. After Riley Riddell had drawn a roughing penalty at 1:12, Luke Erickson picked up a puck in the BSU defensive zone after it hit off a Findlay defender. He found Cook streaking up the right boards with the pass, and Cook flipped a hard-angle shot over the shoulder of Oiler goaltender Will Hooper which trickled into the net and gave BSU a 1-0 lead.

Cook’s goal was his fourth of the weekend series, giving him 18 for the season to set a new Division I-era single-season record. His four-goal weekend helped him snap Marty Goulet’s Division I-era record of 16 goals, set in 2001-02. Cook’s 18 goals are most by a BSU skater since Scot Dickson also had 18 in 1998-99.

Findlay put up a fight in the middle part of the second period, responding to Cook’s goal with an equalizer at 8:39. Brian Sherry picked up his third marker of the season off a pass from Mike Batovanja and evened the scored at a goal apiece.

The Oilers then needed just 57 seconds to pick up their first lead over Bemidji State since Feb. 1, 2003 when Dave Erickson beat BSU goaltender Layne Sedevie off a pass from Andrew Radzak at 9:36 of the first to put Findlay on top, 2-1.

That lead would last just 81 seconds. Rob Sirianni scored his fourth goal of the season on a nifty move in front of the crease to beat Hooper and even the score at 2-2 at the 10:57 mark, and Erickson regained the lead for BSU with an unassisted one-timer after a Findlay turnover at 13:08 to give the Beavers a 3-2 cushion. Erickson’s goal sent Hooper to the bench, and he was replaced by Game 1 loser Jon Horrell.

Bemidji State tacked on a pair of insurance goals in the second period to put the game out of reach. Anders Olsson picked up his second goal of the campaign with assists from Ryan Huddy and Riley Riddell to stake BSU to a 4-1 lead at 11:31, and Rob Sirianni picked up his fifth goal of the season with assists from Bill Methven and Jared Hanowski at 17:47.

Huddy’s assist gave him eight consecutive games with a helper to set a new Division I-era record at Bemidji State. Riddell’s assist gives him an eight-game scoring streak; that streak and Huddy’s eight-game skein are tied with two others for the longest scoring streak in BSU’s Division I era. Findlay picked up a late goal on Kyle Ukrainyc’s fourth lamp-lighter of the season at 17:05 of the third for the game’s final 5-3 margin.

Sedevie picked up his fourth victory in as many starts, saving 22 of 25 shots faced to improve to 4-3-2 on the year. As has been his pattern this year, he started slow allowing two goals on 15 shots faced in the first period. However, from there he stiffened and yielded just Ukrainyc’s third-period marker on 20 shots in the second and third periods. Horrell took the loss in relief for Findlay, falling to 1-7-2 on the season.

The Beavers improved to 13-5-3 all-time against the Oilers with tonight’s win and extend their winning streak in the series to five and their unbeaten streak to 11 consecutive games. BSU has not lost to Findlay since Nov. 10, 2001.

With tonight’s win, Bemidji State improves to 15-7-2 on the season, 12-2-0 in College Hockey America. The win helped BSU pad its lead for sole possession of first place in CHA; the Beavers now have 24 points. Niagara (8-2-0) and Ala.-Huntsville (8-4-0) are tied for second with 16 points apiece. Findlay falls to 5-19-4 on the season, 2-9-1 against College Hockey America. Bemidji State is in non-conference play next weekend, tackling nationally-ranked Minnesota at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. Opening faceoffs are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Feb. 6-7, 2004.

NOTES: BSU has scored two or more goals in 10 of its last 12 periods played... BSU has out-shot each of its last 18 home-ice opponents... BSU has scored a total of 10 first-period goals in four games against Findlay this year... BSU has not allowed a power-play goal in 351:58, the third-longest streak of its Division I era... BSU completed a four-game season sweep of Findlay, just its third four-game season sweep of a CHA foe... Brendan Cook extended his scoring streak to seven games with his 18th goal of the season and fifth short-handed goal in the first period... Cook’s five short-handed goals on the season tie the CHA season record (Billy Collins, Wayne State 2002-03) and are the most by a BSU skater since Dale Baldwin (6, 1979-80)... Cook’s 18 goals on the year extend his own BSU Division I-era single-season record... Luke Erickson moved past Wade Chiodo into fourth place on BSU’s single-season Division I-era freshman scoring list; his 10 goals this season are also fourth on BSU’s Division I-era freshman leaderboards... Ryan Huddy extended his scoring streak to eight games with an assist; he now has a BSU Division I-era record eight consecutive games with an assist... Riley Riddell extended his scoring streak to eight games with an assist... The eight-game scoring streaks for Huddy and Riddell are tied with two others for longest in BSU’s Division I era.