DATE: January 13, 2007
Huskies rally from two goals down, score three third-period goals to send BSU to second series sweep of the season
HOUGHTON, Mich. (MacInness Ice Arena) - Michigan Tech scored three goals in the first 12 minutes of the third period, erasing a two-goal Bemidji State lead and completing a two-game non-conference series sweep of the Beavers. The BSU defense limited the Huskies to 15 shots in shutting out the hosts through two periods, but Michigan Tech turned up its game with a 10-shot, three-goal third period to rally from behind and complete the sweep.
BSU built its two-goal lead by scoring single goals in each of the game’s first two periods.
The Beavers reached the scoreboards first at the 6:30 mark of the first period, as BSU took advantage of a Lars Helminen holding penalty. Blaine Jarvis (Gladstone, Manitoba) picked up his eighth goal of the season with assists from Ryan Miller (Fergus Falls, Minn.) and John Vadnais (Alexandria, Minn.) to give the Beavers the early lead.
Bemidji State added to its one-goal cushion just past the five-minute mark in the second period. Matt Pope (Langley, British Columbia) picked up his fifth goal of the season, unassisted, for his first goal since Dec. 2 at Wayne State, with help from Joey Moggach (Brandon, Manitoba) and Matt Allen (Maple Ridge, British Columbia). Moggach’s assist was his fifth in BSU’s last five games, while Allen scored for the first time since picking up a goal on Oct. 28 at Niagara.
BSU’s two-goal lead held through the end of the second period, but a pair of penalties against BSU’s Shane Holman (Hibbing, Minn.) in the final seconds of the second period cracked open the door for Michigan Tech’s comeback. Holman drew two minor penalties - for interference and for hooking - at the 19:27 mark of the second, leaving BSU a man down to start the third period.
Tyler Shelast took advantage of the extra-man situation, picking up his seventh goal of the season with help from Helminen and Jimmy Kerr just 40 seconds after the opening faceoff in the third period, shaving BSU’s lead to a single goal, 2-1.
Michigan Tech pulled even at the 7:27 mark of the third period, as Alex Gagne scored his fourth goal of the season with an assist from Helminen and Peter Rouleau.
The score remained knotted at 2-2 until the 11:53 mark, when Tyler Skworchinski - who also provided the game-winner for Michigan Tech in last night’s 3-2 Husky victory - flipped a puck high and off the crossbar into the net to ultimately propel the Huskies to a 3-2 victory.
The Beavers played the game’s final 58 seconds with junior goaltender Orlando Alamano (Fresno, Calif.) on the bench in favor of an extra attacker, but was unable to find the game-tying goal.
Alamano played 58:57 in the start, saving 22 of 25 Michigan Tech shots faced. He took the loss and fell to 3-2-0 on the season.
Rob Nolan went the distance in goal for Michigan Tech. He turned aside 15 of the 17 BSU shots he faced and improved to 6-7-1 on the year.
Each team committed four minor penalties for eight minutes in the contest, and the Beavers and Huskies each went 1-for-4 on the power play.
Bemidji State fell to 0-2-0 all-time against Michigan Tech, and the loss dropped BSU to 5-3 against Western Collegiate Hockey Association opponents this season. The two-game weekend series sweep is just the second suffered by the Beavers this season, and the first since BSU dropped both games of its season-opening series at Maine on Oct. 13-14.
The Beavers fell to 12-7-3 with the setback, while Michigan Tech improved its season record to 10-12-2. Bemidji State wraps up its 10-game non-conference competition against the Western Collegiate Hockey Association next weekend when it plays a home-and-home series against North Dakota. The Beavers host the Fighting Sioux at 7:35 p.m. Central time Friday, Jan. 19 at the John S. Glas Fieldhouse in Bemidji. The series concludes with a 7:07 p.m. opening faceoff on Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
--beavers-- |
