LEWISTON, N.Y. (Dwyer Arena) -- All good things must come to an end. Tonight the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team’s bid for a perfect College Hockey America season ended after eight games. A hard-nosed Niagara University squad battled back from an early two-goal deficit to rattle off six consecutive goals and protect its home ice with a 6-4 league victory tonight at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, N.Y.

Although No. 11 BSU opened the game with dominant play during the first 20 minutes and skated into the second period holding a 2-0 lead, Niagara tallied three unanswered goals in the second and piled up three more in the first 13:51 of the third to put the game out of reach for the Beavers.

“The first period might have been one of our better periods of the year,” commented head coach Tom Serratore in his post-game comments. “Whether we self destructed after that, I don’t know. But once we took a few shortcuts and they converted on them, momentum began to shift.”

“You knew those kids were going to play a better second period after that tough first period.” He added, “I wish we would have responded a little better, kept our foot on the gas and paid more attention to detail. But you have to give credit to Niagara. The bottom line is that they played with a lot of intensity, they took it to us in the second and third periods and they earned it.”

It took the Beavers just 8:54 to get on the scoreboard. Ian Lowe (Jr., F, Bradwardine, Manitoba) netted his ninth goal of the season with help from Brad Hunt (So., D, Ridge Meadows, British Columbia) and Shea Walters (So., F, Hibbing, Minn.) just nine seconds into BSU’s first power-play opportunity of the evening. Ryan Cramer (Jr., F, International Falls, Minn.) fired a puck from the top of the right circle, through traffic and past the NU goaltender Chris Noonan, to stretch the Beavers’ lead to two goals just under 10 minutes later (18:06). The game’s first even-strength lamplighter and Cramer’s seventh of the season, sent Bemidji State to the locker room after the first stanza with a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Maybe too comfortable.

The Purple Eagles struck back at the 7:35 mark of the second to reel the Beavers to within a goal, 2-1. Paul Zanette fired a rocket that was initially saved by Dan Bakala (So., G, Calgary, Alberta), but C.J. Chartrain was in the right place at the right time and put the rebound past the BSU goaltender to get the hosting Purple Eagles on the scoreboard.

Niagara evened the score, 2-2, at the 18:47 mark. Just 10 seconds after BSU newcomer Jordan George (Fr., F, Madison, Wis.) was whistled for slashing, the Bemidji State penalty-kill unit gave up its first power-play goal since Dec. 12 versus Minnesota State University, Mankato--a streak spanning 203 minutes and two seconds.

Thirty-two seconds later (19:12), Derek Foam scored to give NU its first lead of the game and swing the momentum to the Purple Eagles as the teams exited for the second intermission.

Niagara would ride that wave of momentum into the third period piling three more goals onto their lead. Marc Zanette capitalized on a BSU turnover after a face off in their own zone to net the first of his game-high two goals on the night and Bryan Haczyk scored what would stand as the game winner 57 seconds later (5:53), before Zanette potted his second of the game to put NU up 6-2.

Down four goals with just over six minutes to go in the game, the Beavers played with urgency. The team finished the period with a 21-6 advantage in shots on goal and got goals from George and Hunt in the final 90 seconds but it was too little, too late.

George and Hunt led the way for the Beavers as each netted a goal and an assist in the loss. Niagara had five players garner two points in the game led by Marc Zanette’s two-goal effort.

Bakala, who played just 45:53 and posted 23 saves before being pulled for Mathieu Dugas (Fr., G, L’Assomtion, Quebec), was tagged with the loss after allowing five NU goals. He moves to 11-3-2 on the year.

Noonan made 35 stops in 60 minutes between the pipes for Niagara en route to his fourth win of the season (4-6-0).

The loss is the Beavers’ first to the Purple Eagles since a 3-1 loss Jan. 24, 2009--a streak spanning five games--and give NU a 21-19-8 lead in the all-time series. Niagara now holds a 14-7-3 record over the Beavers when playing at Dwyer Arena, the site of the final CHA Tournament Mar. 12-13, 2010.

Bemidji State (14-5-2; 8-1-0) looks to salvage a series split tomorrow as it takes to the ice to battle Niagara (4-11-2; 2-3-1 CHA) in the series final. The puck is set to drop at 6:05 p.m. (CST) at Dwyer Arena.

--bsu--