DATE: January 20, 2007
Fighting Sioux score four unanswered goals to rally from 2-0 first-period deficit

BEMIDJI, Minn. (John S. Glas Fieldhouse) - North Dakota scored four power-play opportunities on 10 chances, including three in a series of four unanswered goals in the first and second periods as the Fighting Sioux rallied from a 2-0 first-period deficit to complete a non-conference series sweep of Bemidji State, 6-3. T.J. Oshie and Jonathan Toews combined for seven points for North Dakota, with Oshie recording a goal and three assists and Toews notching three assists.

The Beavers scored two goals in a span of 25 seconds early in the first period to grab an early 2-0 lead. David Deterding (Alexandria, Minn.) scored the first goal of his collegiate career with assists by Ryan Miller (Fergus Falls, Minn.) and Rob Sirianni (Edmonton, Alberta) at the 6:08 mark of the first to put BSU on top, 1-0.

Shane Holman (Hibbing, Minn.) gave the Beavers a 2-0 lead 25 seconds later, with an assist from Tyler Scofield (Prince George, British Columbia), at the 6:33 mark.
The two-goal cushion held for just under five minutes, until a high-sticking penalty against BSU’s Chris Peluso (Wadena, Minn.) opened the door for the North Dakota comeback. Peluso took the penalty at 10:41 of the first, and Jonathan Toews picked up his sixth goal of the season with assists from Oshie and Brian Lee at the 11:32 mark to cut the BSU lead to a goal, 2-1.

The one-goal BSU lead held through the end of the first period, but the Fighting Sioux scored three times in the first 10:46 of the second period to cap their four-goal rally and take control of the contest.

Oshie scored his seventh goal of the season, even-strength, at the 3:07 mark of the second to pull the hosts even at two goals apiece, and a holding penalty against BSU’s Riley Weselowski (Pilot Mound, Manitoba) helped the Fighting Sioux take their first lead of the night. Weselowski’s penalty came at the 3:42 mark, and Robbie Bina scored with just five seconds remaining on the ensuing power play to give North Dakota a 3-2 advantage it would not yield. Oshie and Brad Miller assisted on the marker.

North Dakota’s third power-play goal of the night at the 10:46 mark capped the four-goal rally and gave the hosts a 4-2 edge. Deterding was called for holding the stick at 9:44 of the second, and Taylor Chorney picked up his third goal of the season with help from Toews and Ryan Duncan at 10:46.

North Dakota’s Chay Genoway picked up a hooking penalty at 15:07 of the second period, and BSU capitalized with an unassisted goal by Joey Moggach (Brandon, Manitoba) at the 16:46 mark of the period to cut the score to 4-3, but the Beavers could draw no closer.

The Fighting Sioux added a pair of insurance goals 35 seconds apart in the final three minutes of regulation to seal the victory. A cross-checking call against Holman at 16:50 of the third led to the fourth North Dakota power-play goal of the night, and the second goal of the evening from Bina, at the 17:09 mark to make the score 5-3, and Chorney added an empty-net goal with the third assist of the night by Toews at the 17:46 mark for the game’s final 6-3 margin.

Matt Climie (Leduc, Alberta) saved 30 of 35 shots faced, allowing five of the six Fighting Sioux goals, in 59:46 of work; he took the loss, his third defeat in his last three starts, and fell to 9-5-3 on the year.

Philippe Lamoreaux saved 16 of 19 shots faced in the complete-game victory for the Fighting Sioux to earn the win in goal and see his season record improve to 10-9-1.

BSU and North Dakota combined for 17 penalties, identical to the total from Game 1 of the series, but BSU’s 10 minor penalties put the Fighting Sioux on the power play 10 times, leading to the four North Dakota power-play goals in the contest. North Dakota picked up seven penalties for 14 minutes, but its penalty kill limited BSU to just Moggach’s second-period goal on seven extra-man opportunities.

The loss dropped Bemidji State to 1-13-1 in 15 all-time meetings with North Dakota and extended its winless streak in the series to 13 (0-12-1) dating back to its only win in the series on Feb. 7, 1970. BSU fell to 5-5 against Western Collegiate Hockey Association foes this season, while North Dakota remained undefeated all-time against members of College Hockey America, improving to 15-0-1.

Bemidji State saw its season record drop to 12-9-3 with the loss, while North Dakota saw its season mark improve to 13-11-2. BSU will take a week off before returning to the ice Feb. 2-3 in a road College Hockey America series at Ala.-Huntsville; opening faceoffs from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. are slated for 7:05 p.m. both nights. It will be the second of three weekend series between the Beavers and Chargers this season; BSU swept Ala.-Huntsville, 3-2 and 4-2, in Bemidji on Dec. 15-16.

--beavers--