GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Ralph Engelstad Arena) - The Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team had the No. 2 team in the country on the ropes for 55 minutes Sunday afternoon at Ralph Engelstad Arena, but an Andrew Kozek goal late in the third would give the University of North Dakota a 1-0 non-conference victory over the Beavers.

In athletic it has often been said that in big games, great players find ways to win. With the nation’s longest unbeaten streak on the line, T. J. Oshie single-handedly willed the Fighting Sioux a victory setting Kozek up for the game winner. The win kept UND’s streak alive stretching to 13 games without a loss.

“Its just too bad we couldn’t get a point,” comment BSU head coach Tom Serratore. “We tried. We did everything we could and of course their best player makes a great play and that’s was happens.” Serratore added, “He is just a heck of a hockey player. He made that play behind the net with people draped all over him. I think he put it off the back of the net and it came off to himself and he threw the puck to Kozek coming in on the high slot. What do you...it was just a heck of a play.”

Despite the loss Serratore saw a marked improvement in the play of his team specifically citing the different playing 5-on-five made.

“I thought it was a very good hockey game,” said Serratore. “I wish we would have had it, but it was also a nice story for the Walski kid. I thought he made some nice saves. It was good entertainment for a Sunday afternoon.”

The teams played the first 20 minutes to a scoreless tie. Each squad had its chances but was unable to light the lamp.

It took UND 9:06 to register a shot on net and although the Fighting Sioux out shot the Beavers 13-3 in the period, it was BSU that may have had the two best scoring chances. In both situations the Beavers got behind the UND defense and had the goaltender beat but couldn’t find the net. At the 13:00-minute mark, Tyler Scofield (Jr., F, Prince George, British Columbia) took a Matt Read (Fr., F, Ilderton, Ontario) pass from the left face off circle and tipped it just wide of the right post. Ninety seconds later, it was Matt Pope (Sr., C, Langley, British Columbia) that was fed in front of the net, this time his shot rung off the right pipe.

Through 40 minutes of play, the score was still knotted at 0-0. UND accumulated eight shots on net to the Beavers’ six, but set the tempo for the period.

BSU got its first two power-play opportunities of the afternoon in the second frame but was held scoreless on each. BSU had the Fighting Sioux back into their zone with a flurry of shots on the first opportunity, but was hard pressed to find the offensive zone on the second.

As time of the third period ran off the clock, the urgency in the building became more apparent. Every possession of the puck brought the 11,043 in attendance to the edge of their seat and Oshie and the gang came through with just under five minutes to play.

Despite pulling goaltender Orlando Alamano (Jr., G. Fresno, Calif.) in favor of an extra attacker on two occasions during the final minutes, there would BSU no BSU comeback on this afternoon as the Fighting Sioux held on for the win.

Just 24-hours removed from yielding a season-high four power-play goals, the BSU penalty kill not only stifled each of North Dakota’s three opportunities today, it held the Fighting Sioux without a single shot on goal.

In just his sixth start of the season and first since a 5-4 loss to then third-ranked Colorado College Tigers, Alamano was sharp. He recorded 31 saves on the night turning 13 away in the first, eight in the second and 11 in third. He totaled 58:50 between the pipes for BSU and kept one of the top teams in the country off the board of over 55 minutes. He falls to 1-5-0 on the season.

On the other end the of the ice UND’s Aaron Walski posted the 13-save shutout in his first career start. The junior from Fargo, N.D. logged his first ice time of the season Sunday and is 1-0-0 on the year. The game also mark just the second time this seasons the Beavers have been held scoreless.

The victory extended UND’s handle on the all-time series versus BSU to 15-1-1 and is unbeaten versus the Beavers since the 1969-70 season--a streak spanning 15 games.

Bemidji State, now 14-15-3 overall with a 11-4-3 mark in College Hockey America play, returns to league action next weekend (Feb. 29-Mar. 1). The Beavers look to battle back to .500 when they host Wayne State University for a two-game set to wrap up regular season play. A sweep over the Warriors would earn the Beavers their third CHA regular season crown in four years. The series is set for a 7:35 p.m. opening face off Friday, with the finale to begin at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.

--bsu--