DATE: Dec. 3, 2004
Lakers score extra-attacker goal with 13 seconds left to force overtime

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (Taffy Abel Arena) [stats][game notes] - - Lake Superior State’s Matt Restoule scored an extra-attacker goal with 13 seconds to play in regulation, and Dan Eves, who assisted on Restoule’s goal, scored 2:07 into overtime to lift the Lakers past Bemidji State, 5-4.

The teams took a 2-2 draw into the third period, where Lake Superior’s Jeffrey Rainville scored at 3:05 to put the Lakers ahead by a goal. But BSU would score two unanswered goals to take the lead. Freshman Matt Pope (Langley, British Columbia) scored from Myles Kuharski (Neepawa, Manitoba) at 11:49 of the period to draw BSU even at three goals apiece, and Andrew Murray (Selkirk, Manitoba) scored his fourth goal of the season just 1:09 later to give BSU a 4-3 advantage.

That one-goal lead would hold until Lake Superior State pulled goaltender Jeff Jakaitis for an extra attacker at the 18:39 mark of the third period. BSU survived the extra attacker until the 19:47 mark, when Restoule scored the equalizer and forced overtime.

The loss overshadowed a record-setting individual effort from Murray. He scored a goal and two assists, his first three-point game since Nov. 28, 2003 against Connecticut (1-2=3), and his two assists gave him sole possession of first place on BSU’s career Division I era chart. They were assists no. 53 and 54 of Murray’s career, moving him past Marty Goulet (1999-03) and Riley Riddell (2001-04), who each had 53 assists in their respective careers.

Murray now has 88 career points, moving him even with Riddell for second place on BSU’s career Division I-era scoring list. He needs 12 points to match Goulet’s career D-I era record of 100 points.

Sophomore wing Rob Sirianni (Edmonton, Alberta) scored both BSU goals in the second period, both on the power-play. His first goal at 2:25 of the period put BSU on the board, 1-0, and his second at 9:57 drew BSU even at 2-2 following a wild flurry which saw the teams combine for three goals in a span of just 2:11.

B.J. Pelkey scored his first goal of the season at 7:46 of the second period for the host Lakers, bringing LSSU even at a goal apiece and ending the scoreless streak against BSU goaltender Matt Climie (Leduc, Alberta) at 111:37 - the third-longest streak in BSU’s Division I era. It was the first goal allowed by Climie since 13:51 of the third period against Ferris State on Oct. 23.

Lake State picked up the victory despite being out-shot 31-20 in the contest. Climie saved all 15 of the 20 shots he faced and fell to 1-1-0 on the season. The game-winner came on the second Laker shot of the overtime period.

Jakaitis picked up the win for the Lakers. He saved 27 shots in 60:43 of work, improving to 3-6-0 on the year.

Sophomore wing Luke Erickson (Roseau, Minn.) finished the night with a career-high three assists, extending his team-high scoring streak to a career-best seven games. Defenseman Peter Jonsson (Astorp, Sweden) saw his scoring streak end at six games.

Bemidji State committed five penalties for 10 minutes, while Lake Superior State was called for four penalties for eight minutes. BSU converted on two of four power-play opportunities, giving it a power-play goal in seven consecutive games - the second longest streak in its Division I era. LSSU went 0-for-5 on the power play, improving BSU’s penalty killers to 50 of 54 (.926) over its last seven games.

BSU lost in overtime for the first time this season, falling to 1-1-0. It is the 10th overtime loss for BSU since making the jump to Division I in 1999; the Beavers are now 6-10-21 in overtime games over the last six years. It also marked BSU’s first-ever overtime loss to the Lakers; BSU had been 2-0-1 in three previous overtime games in the series.

The win improved the Lakers to 20-16-1 all-time against Bemidji State and improved its winning streak in the series to four in a row. The Lakers have won 13 of the last 15 meetings between the programs, and BSU has not won at Lake Superior State since Jan. 23, 1971.

The loss dropped Bemidji State to 6-5-0 on the season, while Lake Superior State improved to 5-7-1. The teams wrap up their two-game non-conference series tomorrow evening, with opening face-off slated for 7:05 p.m. Central time at Lake Superior State’s Taffy Abel Arena.

--bsu--