DATE: Oct. 14, 2005
Rob Sirianni breaks 3-3 deadlock with third-period power-play marker

BEMIDJI, Minn. (John Glas Fieldhouse) - Bemidji State took advantage of 15 Minnesota State penalties, scoring four power-play goals, and Rob Sirianni (Edmonton, Alberta) broke a 3-3 deadlock in the third period and lift the Beavers to a 4-3 victory over the Mavericks.

Sirianni’s game-winner came off a rebound. Luke Erickson (Roseau, Minn.) fired a cross-ice pass to defenseman Cody Bostock (Salmon Arm, British Columbia) at the left point, and Bostock fired on Minnesota State goalie Chris Clark. Clark blocked the puck with his pads, but the rebound popped up into the air to Sirianni. With a baseball swing, Sirianni put the puck past Clark to give BSU the 4-3 advantage and ultimately the victory at 13:36 of the third period.

Bemidji State held a 3-1 lead at the second intermission, giving little indication Sirianni’s late-game heroics would be necessary.

Bostock needed less than two minutes to get the Beavers on the board. Minnesota State’s Ryan Carter was issued a major and a game misconduct for checking from behind a minute and six seconds into the game, and it took the Beavers 28 seconds to capitalize. Bostock unleashed a wrister from the left point, a shot which would have sailed wide left. The shot deflected off a Maverick defenseman and squeezed past Carter to give BSU a 1-0 lead at 1:34 of the first.

Ryan Huddy (Stony Plain, Alberta) put BSU on top 2-0 with a power-play goal at 11:05 of the first, and the Mavericks pulled within a goal when Brock Becker scored on a power-play chance at 17:34 of the first.

BSU extended its lead to 3-1 on an Erickson power-play marker at 6:13 of the second period, and the Beavers took their 3-1 lead into the second intermission.

Beaver goaltender Matt Climie (Leduc, Alberta) was called for holding at 4:41 of the third period, a penalty which would kick-start the Maverick rally. Minnesota State needed 36 seconds to take advantage of the infraction as Travis Morin scored hist first goal of the season on the power-play chance at 5:17.

Just under five minutes later, Matt Pope (Langley, B.C.) committed a penalty behind the BSU net, and the Mavericks were able to get Carter off the ice for nearly a minute on the delayed-penalty opportunity. Kurtis Kisio took advantage, drawing the game even at three goals apiece with the extra attacker at 10:32 of the third.

Sirianni would break the deadlock and put the Beavers on top for good with his goal at 13:36.

The Mavericks played the game’s final minute and 11 seconds with an empty net, but could not even the score. BSU’s Jake Bluhm blocked two shots during the extra-attacker rally, and the Beavers twice narrowly missed an empty-net goal.

BSU’s four power-play goals on the night came on a Division I-era record-tying 11 power-play opportunites, as the Mavericks committed 15 penalties for 41 minutes. BSU was called for 13 minor penalties of its own. The 28 combined penalties were the most in a game involving BSU since Dec. 7, 2001 when the Beavers (14) and Minn.-Duluth Bulldogs also combined for 28 penalties. The Mavericks scored twice on nine power-play chances.

The victory improved BSU to 38-28-12 all-time against Minnesota State, including 23-7-6 in 36 all-time meetings in Bemidji, and snapped a seven-game winless streak in the series. It also marked BSU’s third consecutive win over a Western Collegiate Hockey Association foe to open the 2005-06 season; before the current streak, BSU had gone 3-43-3 against WCHA opponents since moving to Division I in 1999.

With the win, Bemidji State improves to 3-0-0, its best start as a Division I program, while Minnesota State loses its season debut and falls to 0-1-0. The teams wrap up a two-game non-conference series tomorrow in Bemidji; opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Central time at the John Glas Fieldhouse.

--bsu--