DATE: Oct. 15, 2005
Miller, Bluhm, Deterding score three points each to keep Beavers undefeated

BEMIDJI, Minn. (John Glas Fieldhouse) - Bemidji State completed a two-game series sweep of Minnesota State and continued its best start to a season in nearly a decade, dominating from start to finish in a 7-3 non-conference victory.

Bemidji State led 3-0 at the first intermission and never looked back. Jake Bluhm (Red Wing, Minn.) scored his fourth goal in four games to open the season 3:38 into the contest. Travis Winter (St. Cloud, Minn.) followed with his first career lamp-lighter at 14:14, and the second goal of the season from Rob Sirianni (Edmonton, Alberta) staked BSU to a 3-0 advantage.

“Getting the first goal is huge,” BSU head coach Tom Serratore said. “We played pretty well with the lead, showed some maturity with the lead, which was good to see from our leaders.”

The second period started with a flurry of activity, as the teams combined to score three goals and commit three penalties in less than three minutes. Luke Erickson (Roseau, Minn.) staked BSU to a 4-0 advantage with his second goal of the season at 1:01 of the period, and 29 seconds later Minnesota State broke up the shutout on the first goal of the season from Jeff Marler.

Four seconds after Marler’s goal both teams were issued matching minor penalties - an obstruction-hooking call to BSU’s Lou Garritan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and a minor to the Maverick bench. Shane Holman (Hibbing, Minn.) was called for tripping while Garritan and Kurtis Kisio, serving the bench minor, were still in the box, and Rob Rankin pulled the Mavericks within two goals, 4-2, with a power-play marker at 2:48.

Erickson answered the rally at 5:34, punching home his second goal of the night to give the Beavers a 5-2 lead.

Ryan Miller (Fergus Falls, Minn.) scored twice in the third period - at 13:16 to put BSU ahead 6-2, and with seven seconds to play in regulation for the game’s final 7-3 margin - to wrap up BSU’s scoring. His markers were sandwiched around a Kisio even-strength tally at 16:31.

Bluhm, Miller and sophomore defenseman David Deterding (Alexandria, Minn.) finished with three points each to lead a group of five BSU skaters with two or more points. Bluhm finished with a goal and two assists, while Miller had his pair of third-period goals and one assist. It marked a career single-game scoring standard for each player. Deterding had a breakout offensive performance for the Beavers. After failing to record a point in his first 35 career games played, Deterding poured in three assists tonight.

Erickson had two goals and Sirianni had a goal and an assist to cap BSU’s group of multiple-point scorers.

Junior goaltender Layne Sedevie (Bismarck, N.D.) had a solid outing in net, saving 31 of 34 shots faced to improve to 2-0 on the year. He saved all 13 shots he faced in the first period, 12 of 14 in the second and six of seven in the third period. He picked up his 19th career victory and improved to 5-1 in his last six decisions dating back to last season.

Dan Tormey took the loss for the Mavericks. He saved 28 of 35 shots faced, falling to 0-1-0 in his first decision of the season.

After combining for 28 penalties in last night’s 5-3 BSU victory, the Beavers and Mavericks again played a penalty-riddled affair combining for 19 penalties for 68 minutes. There were three 10-minute penalties called in the game, two against the Mavericks, with each team drawing a checking-from-behind major and subsequent game misconduct.

MSU’s Brock Becker was issued a 10-minute misconduct call in the first period for arguing after an apparent Maverick goal was waved off by the officials; Nathan Schwartzbauer (Wasilla, Alaska) picked up BSU’s check from behind late in the second period; and David Backes picked up the same call for the Mavericks early in the third.

In total, BSU drew 10 penalties for 31 minutes, with the Mavericks going 1-for-7 with the man advantage, while MSU had nine penalties for 37 minutes. BSU went 0-for-5 with the man advantage, snapping a streak of nine consecutive games with a special-teams goal.

The victory gives Bemidji State its first 4-0 start as a Division I program, and the first 4-0 start overall since 1997-98. BSU’s seven goals were tied for its most against Minnesota State since the programs began meeting as Division I programs, and the victory marked the fourth in a row for the Beavers over a Western Collegiate Hockey Association program. BSU had been 3-43-3 in its first 49 meetings with WCHA opponents since making the jump to Division I in 1999.

“This validates that we have had a very good program for the last couple of years,” Serratore said. “It’s a long year, and there are always going to be some ups and downs. We have good chemistry. We’re preparing for [WCHA opponents] like we would prepare for anybody. It’s a slap in our face to question our play against the WCHA; it doesn’t matter who we’re playing. We respond and compete the same way.”

BSU improved to 39-28-12 all-time against Minnesota State, including 24-7-6 in 37 all-time meetings in Bemidji, and marked BSU’s first consecutive wins in the series since 1996. It also marked BSU’s fourth 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 4-0-0, its best start as a Division I program, while Minnesota State falls to 0-2-0. Bemidji State is off next weekend, and returns to the ice Friday, Oct. 28 for its College Hockey America opener at Air Force. BSU will not play another home game until Dec. 2 against Niagara.

--bsu--