DATE: FEB. 13, 2004
Huskies use three-goal second to blow game open

ST. CLOUD, Minn. - [box score] The Bemidji State men’s ice hockey team got off to a scintillating start against ninth-ranked St. Cloud State, scoring the game’s first goal just 18 seconds into the contest and out-shooting the host Huskies by a three-to-one margin in the early minutes. But a Matt Hendricks goal at 6:24 of the first period ended the early BSU flurry, and from there the Huskies took over and cruised to a 5-2 victory at the National Hockey Center.

Andrew Murray and Luke Erickson led a charge into the St. Cloud State zone immediately after the game’s opening face off and fired a shot on Husky goaltender Tim Boron. He saved the shot but could not control the rebound, which was picked up by a trailing Bryce Methven. He hammered the puck home over a prone Boron to stake the Beavers to a 1-0 lead just 18 seconds into the game.

Bemidji State kept good pressure on the Husky net for the next several minutes and appeared to have St. Cloud State on its heels. But Matt Hendricks helped break that momentum with his 10th goal of the season at 6:24. From there, the hosts appeared to settle and take control of the contest.

BSU held the 1-1 draw into the first intermission, but the Huskies quickly took control of the game with a three-goal outburst in the second. The hosts grabbed the lead for good just 4:28 into the frame when Garrett Larson scored his seventh of the season off assists from Andy Lundbohm and Gary Houseman.

The 2-1 lead held for six minutes, until Grant Clifton scored at 10:57 with the eventual game-winner. It was Clifton’s first goal of the year.

Billy Hengan added another marker for the Huskies just 4:35 later to put the game out of reach.

BSU clawed back within 4-2 when Erickson picked up his 11th goal of the campaign at 10:47 of the third with an assist from Riley Riddell, but could draw no closer.

The Huskies added an empty-netter by Hendricks at 19:01 to cap the 5-2 victory. The goal gave Hendricks 2-1=3 points in the contest.

Bemidji State out-shot St. Cloud State 16-9 in the first period, mostly due to their pressure in the game’s opening minutes, but from there the shot totals indicated the turning of the tide. The hosts out-shot BSU 14-9 in the pivotal second period and 11-4 in the third, for a total margin of 34-29 for the game. BSU has given up 30 or more shots on goal in three consecutive games for the first time this season.

Grady Hunt took the loss in goal for Bemidji State. He allowed four goals in 59:11 of work while saving 29 of 33 shots faced. The loss dropped Hunt to 10-6-0 on the year and is his second consecutive defeat after going undefeated in his previous five starts.

Boron picked up the win in net for the hosts, saving 27 of 29 shots faced to improve his season mark to 4-2-1.

Tonight’s loss was Bemidji State’s 10th consecutive defeat at the hands of the Huskies and sees BSU’s winless streak in the series reach 12 consecutive games since 1986. Yet BSU still leads the all-time series by a 42-32-4 margin. The Huskies have beaten BSU by a combined score of 23-5 in the last three games between the programs at the National Hockey Center.

The loss leaves BSU at 15-10-2 on the season while St. Cloud State improves to 17-9-3. The teams wrap up their non-conference series tomorrow night with a 7:05 p.m. start at the National Hockey Center. It will be BSU’s final non-conference contest of the season.

Alabama-Huntsville salvaged a split with Niagara with a 4-2 victory tonight in Huntsville. It leaves BSU with a two-point lead over Niagara for first place in College Hockey America entering the final three weekends of the regular season.

NOTES: BSU has scored just four total goals in its last three games after averaging 4.6 goals per game in its previous 20 games... Brendan Cook’s BSU Division I-era record nine-game scoring streak was snapped... Luke Erickson finished with 1-1=2 points giving him 26 for the season; he needs four points to become just the CHA’s sixth 30-point freshman scorer... It was Erickson’s sixth career multi-point game... The assist was his 15th of the season... Bryce Methven’s goal gives him 49 career points; he needs one point to tie Jim Borden, Gary Tveit and Mark Phenow for 32nd on BSU’s career scoring charts for defensemen... Methven will tie BSU’s career record for games played by a defenseman (132, Phenow) tomorrow night... Andrew Murray’s assist in the first period gives him a point in each of the three games he has played since returning from a leg injury... Riley Riddell’s assist on Erickson’s goal snaps a two-game scoreless streak... Riddell needs three points to reach 80 for his career.

--bsu--