DATE: December 1, 2006
Matt Climie’s seventh career shutout backstops third 1-0 win in BSU history

DETROIT, Mich. (Michigan State Fairgrounds) - Bemidji State junior goaltender Matt Climie (Leduc, Alberta) posted the seventh shutout of his career, leading the Beavers to a 1-0 victory over the Wayne State Warriors tonight in a College Hockey America contest. Climie’s 21-save shutout backstopped just the third 1-0 victory in BSU’s men’s hockey history.

The game was a defensive struggle, with the teams combining for a total of 47 shots on goal. BSU managed 27 shots, with its 12-shot first period marking the only 10-shot stanza by either team. The teams combined for just 12 shots in the second period - six for each team.

Matt Pope (Langley, British Columbia) broke through the scoreless deadlock 2:31 into the third period, netting his third goal of the season with help from Chris Peluso (Wadena, Minn.) and Joey Moggach (Brandon, Manitoba).

Climie made the one-goal lead stand, and Pope garnered his second game-winner in BSU’s last four games.

Wayne State was able to manage just nine seconds of extra-attacker time after taking a time out at 19:51 of the third, and was unable to generate a tying goal.
Climie posted 21 saves to pick up his seventh career shuout, moving him into sole possession of third place on BSU’s career list and within two of BSU’s all-time record. He stopped six shots in both the first and second periods and nine in the third, picking up the victory and improving to 3-2-3 on the year.

Climie out-duelled Wayne State’s Brett Bothwell, who fell to 3-4-0 despite saving 26 of 27 shots faced. He was 18-for-18 through two periods, including a 12-save first, but allowed Pope’s marker on nine shots in the third period.

The 1-0 victory was the third in BSU’s 51 seasons of varsity competition. BSU’s last 1-0 win came over St. Cloud State on Jan. 14, 1980, and prior to that BSU defeated St. Scholastica, 1-0, on Feb. 17, 1977. Two of BSU’s threee 1-0 victories have come on the road.

Both teams went scoreless on the power play, with BSU going 0-for-5 and Wayne State going scoreless on seven power-play chances. The shutout continues the historic dominance of the Wayne State power-play unit by the BSU special teams; Wayne State has not scored a power-play goal against Bemidji State since Nov. 23, 2004, and by going 0-for-7 tonight has gone scoreless on each of its last 52 power-play opportunities over the last eight meetings in the series. Since the start of the 2001-02 season, the Warriors have gone 7-for-118 (.059) against BSU with the man advantage.

BSU extended its unbeaten streak to four (2-0-2) with the victory, its longest of the season and longest since going 4-0-0 from March 3-12, 2006.

The victory improves Bemidji State to 18-6-4 all-time in it series against Wayne State, including an 8-3-2 record in 13 games in Detroit. BSU has dominated the series of late, with tonight’s win improving the Beavers to 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings in the series and 11-1-1 in the last 13. BSU is 6-1-0 against the Warriors in Detroit since Jan. 23, 2004.

Bemidji State (4-4-3 / 2-2-3 College Hockey America) and Wayne State (3-11-0 / 1-2-0 CHA) wrap up their two-game College Hockey America series tomorrow night. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Eastern at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit, Mich.

--beavers--