DATE: Feb. 5, 2005
Beavers Overpower Wayne State to Sweep Series with 5-2 Win
BSU Nets Four Goals on the Man Advantage

BEMIDJI, Minn. (John S. Glas Fieldhouse) - What a difference a day can make. Just 24 hours after its power-play unit failed to score on seven man advantage situations, the Bemidji State University men's hockey team racked up four power-play goals en rout to a 5-2 victory over College Hockey America rival Wayne State College Saturday.

"When it rains it pours and tonight it started pouring for us," commented BSU assistant coach Bert Gilling. "Tonight we were a little sluggish and we needed a power-play goal to get us started."

The Beavers converted four of eight power-play opportunities while the team's penalty-kill was equally as impressive holding the Warriors scoreless in 10 opportunities as the teams combined for 18 penalties and 51 minutes in the box.

WSU awoke the sluggish BSU team scoring the first two goals of the game to put the Beavers down 2-0 early. Jason Bloomberg got Wayne State on the board just 7:21 into the game. He would collect his second point of the night when he found an open John May who gave the Warriors a two-goal cushion beating the BSU goaltender for his 10th tally of 2004-05 at the 5:26 mark of the second period.

Down 2-0 the 29:29 into the game, the Beavers skated into the second intermission clutching a 3-2 lead.

Luke Erickson (Roseau, Minn.) broke the seal on the Warrior's goal with 9:31 gone in the second when he took a pass from John Haider (Forest Lake, Minn.) and Peter Jonsson (Astorp, Sweden) and put it past the WSU netminder taking converting on the team's first power-play goal in more than two games. Seventy-five seconds later, BSU would tie the game when Brendan Cook (Reston, Manitoba) put his team-leading, 16th goal of the season in the back of the net with help from Rob Sirianni (Edmonton, Alberta) and Jean-Guy Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba). With just 54 seconds to go in the second, senior captain Andrew Murray (Selkirk, Manitoba) put the Beavers up 3-2 as Cook and Erickson each collected their second point of the night on the assists. The goal would be the eventual game-winner, the second of the season for Murray.

Bemidji State continued its flurry of goals when Ryan Huddy (Stony Plain, Alberta) slipped his seventh lamplighter of the season past the WSU goalie at the 2:08 mark of the third.

Myles Kuharski (Neepawa, Manitoba) would add an empty net goal with just 11 seconds remaining for good measure. It was the Beavers only even-strength goal of the evening.

The Beavers more than doubled WSU's shot total recording 43 to the Warrior's 20. Thirteen BSU shots came on the power-play including a nine-shot, three-goal second period.

Layne Sedevie turned away 18 Wayne State shots for the win improving his record to 9-7-0 on the season.

Matt Kelly manned the net for the Warriors collecting a total of 38 saves in the game while allowing four goals.

The win brings Bemidji State to 16-9-1 and 11-3-0 in CHA play, and keeps the Beavers atop the CHA standings. Wayne State falls to 12-14-2 and 5-7-2 in league play. BSU will be back in action Feb. 11-12 when it kicks off a four-game road swing by traveling to Robert Morris. Both games are scheduled for the RMU Island Sports Center with the puck set to drop at 7:05 p.m.

--bsu--