MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - [box score] The Bemidji State men’s ice hockey team couldn’t rally from a 2-0 first-period deficit, putting up a game effort and holding fifth-ranked Minnesota scoreless for the game’s final 44:40 in a 2-1 Golden Gopher victory. BSU picked up its only goal of the contest with one second to play in the first period, and despite several prime scoring chances throughout the contest were stymied by Minnesota goaltender Kellen Briggs and were unable to even the score.

For the first 13 minutes of the game the teams traded scoring chances with both goaltenders making big saves to keep the game scoreless.

Minnesota finally broke through and netted the game’s first goal at 13:25 of the first. Picking up a loose puck in the BSU defensive zone, Brett MacKinnon flipped a pass to Danny Irmen, who beat BSU goaltender Grady Hunt high to the left side. The assist was MacKinnon’s first point of the season, while Irmen netted his seventh goal. The Gophers have now scored at least one first-period goal in all five meetings with the Beavers.

The Gophers needed less than two minutes to pad that lead. After a high-sticking penalty to BSU’s Bryce Methven, the nation’s most-efficient power-play unit staked Minnesota to a 2-0 advantage. Keith Ballard tallied his ninth goal of the season, the eventual game-winner, at 15:20 with a single assist from forward Troy Riddle. It was the first power-play goal allowed by BSU in a span of 367:18; it had been the third-longest streak without allowing a power-play goal in BSU’s Division I era (since 1999).

Andrew Murray brought Bemidji State within a goal at the buzzer to end the first period with a beautiful one-on-one breakaway. Brendan Cook found Murray camped at the Minnesota blue line and let Murray break free against Minnesota goaltender Kellen Briggs. Murray fired low on Briggs and it initially appeared as though he had made the save, but the puck came loose and skidded into the net to get the Beavers back to a one-goal deficit at the first intermission. Peter Jonsson also helped on the goal for the Beavers.

Hunt was peppered for 20 shots in the first period, the first 20-shot period allowed by BSU since Nov. 15, 2003 in the first period at Minnesota-Duluth. BSU also allowed two goals in that period.

The teams played a scoreless second, with BSU forced to kill three penalties in the frame. The Beaver defense tightened, allowing the Gophers just 10 shots on net after the 20-shot barrage in the first, but again Hunt had to make several impressive saves to stave off Minnesota scoring chances. Minnesota took its 2-1 lead into the third, its smallest second-intermission advantage over BSU in the series. The Gophers had previously not held a second-intermission lead of fewer than three goals in its series with BSU.

BSU and Minnesota also played a scoreless third period, with the Golden Gophers making their early 2-0 lead hold. BSU played with an extra attacker in the game’s final seconds; Minnesota struck a pipe on what would have been an empty-net goal in the final 30 seconds, and held BSU to just one shot with the extra-attacker opportunity to squeek out the one-goal victory.

Minnesota managed 38 shots on net, most by a BSU opponent this season, but had just 18 total shots after the first period. BSU was held to a season-low 22 shots.

Hunt took the hard-luck loss for BSU, falling to 10-5-0 on the season despite saving a season-high 36 of 38 shots faced. It snaps Hunt’s five-start unbeaten streak and is his first defeat since Dec. 11, 2003 at Ala.-Huntsville.

The freshman Briggs was remarkable in goal for the Gophers. He saved 21 of 22 shots faced to improve his season mark to 15-6-3.

Minnesota capitalized on just one of five power-play opportunities, while holding the Beavers to 0-for-3 with the man advantage. BSU has now gone 213:38 over a span of three-plus games without a power-play goal.

Tonight’s loss snaps Bemdiji State’s winning streak at five games; that had been tied with two other streaks for longest in BSU’s Division I era (since 1999). BSU has lost just its third game in its last 14 starts. Minnesota runs its winning streak to four games and is now 9-2-2 in its last 13 starts at Mariucci Arena.

The Beavers fall to 0-5-0 all-time against the Golden Gophers with tonight’s loss. The loss leaves BSU at 15-8-2 on the season while Minnesota improves to 17-9-3. The teams wrap up their two-game non-conference series tomorrow night at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Central time.

NOTES: Bemidji State time out at 19:42 of the third period... Andrew Murray returned to the lineup at first-line center after missing the last 11 games with an injured ankle... Brendan Cook’s assist on Murray’s goal extended his scoring streak to eight games... Ryan Huddy’s scoring streak ended at eight games... Riley Riddell’s scoring streak ended at eight games; he failed to score a goal for the first time in three career games at Mariucci Arena.