DATE: Oct. 29, 2005
Teams combine to go 0-for-17 on the power play

U.S.A.F.A., Colo. (Cadet Ice Arena) - No. 15 Bemidji State recovered from its first loss of the season, garnering a split in its College Hockey America opening series with a 2-1 victory at Air Force.

BSU jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead, then rode a strong goaltending performance by Layne Sedevie (Bismarck, N.D.) to secure the victory.

The Beavers needed 2:57 to get on the board, as Jean-Guy Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba) picked up his third goal of the season with assists from Ryan Huddy (Stony Plain, Alberta) and Shane Holman (Hibbing, Minn.).

Blaine Jarvis (Gladstone, Manitoba) put BSU on top 2-0 with the eventual game-winning goal, his first of the season and first since Jan. 15, 2005 at Robert Morris.

From there, both defenses stepped up their game. The teams skated to a scoreless second period which featured nine penalties, and six on the host Falcons.

But Air Force goaltender Ian Harper stopped all 10 BSU shots he faced in the second, and Sedevie was perfect on five shots faced as BSU’s 2-0 lead held into the third period.

Josh Frider broke up the shutout for the Falcons, tallying his second goal of the season at 9:53 of the third period with assists from Mike Knaeble and Billy Devoney.

Sedevie improved to 3-0-0, saving 24 of 25 shots faced. He is now 6-1-0 in his last seven decisions dating back to last season.

He out-duelled Foster, who saved 24 of 26 shots faced, including all 13 shots faced in the second and third periods, but suffered the loss and fell to 1-3-0 on the season.

The teams combined for 17 minor penalties, and the penalty killers for both teams were up to the task. BSU went 0-for-8 with the man advantage, while Air Force went 0-for-9. For the Beavers, the 0-for-8 evening tied for the fourth-worst single-game power-play performance in the program’s Division I era, while the 0-for-9 night by the Falcons is tied for the third-best Division I-era effort by the BSU penalty killers.

The victory improved Bemidji State to 5-1-0 and evened its CHA record at 1-1-0. Air Force fell to 2-6-0 and also evened its CHA record at 1-1-0. Bemidji State is off next weekend and returns to the ice Nov. 11-12 at Wayne State (Mich.).

NOTES: BSU imrpved to 16-1-1 in its last 18 meetings with Air Force... BSU’s Division I-era record streak of consecutive periods with a goal scored was snapped at 13 when the Beavers were held scoreless in the second period... Andrew Martens saw his five-game scoring streak come to an end... Luke Erickson’s streak of three consecutive multi-point games was snapped.

--bsu--