MANKATO, Minn. -- In a game littered with 26 penalties, rhythm and momentum were hard to come by for either team. But Minnesota State University, Mankato scored a pair of unanswered goals during the final nine minutes of the second period to shake Bemidji State University en route to a 5-2 victory in the teams' 2008-09 season-opener, Friday at Alltel Center in Mankato, Minn.

A grand total of 52 minutes were served in the penalty box resulting in 22 power-play opportunities. The Beavers capitalized on two of their 12 chances, while MSU scored on 1-of-10, but MSU used a couple transitional goals to make the difference and stretch its wining streak over the Beavers to three games with the victory.

Despite the loss, there were a number of bright sports for the Beavers. In just his sixth collegiate appearance, sophomore goaltender Matt Dalton (Clinton, Ontario) looked sharp in net. He posted 24 saves in 60 minutes of play.

The Beavers also got productivity out of some of its new faces. Brad Hunt (Fr., D, Ridge Meadows, British Columbia) recorded his first collegiate marker on a power-play unit that featured a couple newcomers.

BSU also got some familiar faces in the scoring column right of the bat. Senior captain Travis Winter (F, St. Cloud, Minn.) netted his first power-play goal of the season while Brandon Marino (Sr., Riverside, Calif.) netted an assist of each of BSU's goals. But it wasn't enough as a faster Minnesota State team seemed to have a stride on the Beaver all night.

The Beavers came out of the gates to dominate play as the game got underway. But a pair of early penalties would start to sway the momentum in MSU's favor. With Cody Bostock (Sr., D Salmon Arm, British Columbia) in the box for holding, Matt Read (So., F, Ilderton, Ontario) was whistled for interference at the 3:44 mark. The penalty set up a 40-second, 5-on-3 opportunity for the Mavericks. MSU would need only 24 seconds to take advantage of the opportunity. Mike Louwerse put Minnesota State up 1-0 at the 4:16 mark tapping a rebound passed Dalton.

Dalton, who stopped 11 MSU shots in the first period, made the initial save but lost sight of the puck for a second and Louwerse made him pay. The freshman's first collegiate goal and first of two on the game was assisted by Mick Berg and Kurt Davis.

Winter knotted the game at 1-1, 3:44 into the second period when he collected a rebound off a Marino backhand and tucked it into the back of the net for his first goal of the season with just one second remaining on the Beavers' fifth power-play chance of the contest. Along with an assist from Marino, sophomore forward Ian Lowe (So., F, Bradwardine, Manitoba) collected his first point of the season with a helper on the play.

Geoff Irwin put the Mavericks up 2-1 at the 7:01 mark of the period, when he posted a 5-on-5 marker with help from Jason Wiley and Ben Youds.

Nine-minutes, 38-seconds into the second period, MSU's Nick Canzanello was sent to the box to put BSU on the man advantage for the ninth time. Marino won the ensuing face off in the Beavers' offensive zone setting up Hunt for a one-timer placed high glove side for his first goal as a Beaver.

The Mavericks finished the second period strong netting two unanswered goals to head into the second intermission with a 4-2 lead.

After Justin Jokinen put MSU up 3-2 with an assist from Adam Mueller, Louwerse gave the Mavericks a 4-2 advantage on an unassisted lamplighter with just 67 left in the second stanza.

The third period moved along at a snail's pace in comparison to the helter skelter tempo of the first 40 minutes. Each team was kept off the scoreboard during the first 18 minutes of the period. The Beavers missed a 5-on-3 opportunity and had another power-play chance late, but would miss. Trevor Bruess drew the curtain on the performance netting the Mavericks fifth goal of the night at 18:08 of the third period.

The victory is the third consecutive win for MSU over BSU as the Mavericks chipped away at the Beavers' 44-32-13 lead in the all-time series.

The Beavers (0-1-0; 0-0-0 CHA) look to earn a series split with the Mavericks (1-0-0: 0-0-0 WCHA) tomorrow when the teams to meet wrap up the double-dip. The puck is set to drop at 7:07 from the Alltel Center in Mankato, Minn.