DULUTH, Minn. (AMSOIL Arena) -- No. 15 University of Minnesota Duluth earned a 1-0 victory versus the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team Saturday in a true defensive battle at AMSOIL Arena.
It took more than 51 minutes of play, but Jack Connolly would net a power-play goal at the 11:21 mark of the third period to break a scoreless tie and give Minnesota Duluth all the offense it would need as the Bulldogs’ goaltender Kenny Reiter would turn away all 25 Bemidji State shots for his first shutout of 2011-12.
After allowing the UMD to pepper Friday’s goaltender Andrew Walsh (Fr., G, Dawson Creek, British Columbia) with 40 shots as the team surrendered six goals, the Beavers bounced back Saturday with a solid defensive effort, but were unable to capitalize on any offensive opportunities.
Tied 0-0 at the end of 20 minutes of play, the Beavers held an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal.
The stalemate continued through the end of the second period, however, UMD out shot BSU 13-11. BSU got its best scoring chance of the night at the 8:58 mark of the second when Luke McManus hauled Brance Orban (Jr., F, Lethbridge, Alberta) down in the act of shooting. The officials awarded Orban with a penalty shot, but Reiter kicked the attempt to the side to send the teams into the final 20 minutes of regulation with the score tied 0-0 with each team having 19 shots on goal.
Minnesota Duluth looked to get the break it would need to pull ahead early in the third. Just 43 seconds in, BSU senior forward Darcy Findlay (Bristol, Quebec), who was skating in his first game since suffering an injury in the Beavers’ Oct. 8 contest at Miami University, was whistled for a major penalty and game misconduct, setting the Bulldogs up with a five-minute power-play opportunity. But BSU responded, holding UMD scoreless and allowing the Bulldogs just one shot on goal during the opportunity.
The kill, swung momentum in BSU’s favor, but it was unable to take advantage.
Four minutes and 41 seconds later, Bemidji State again found itself down a man when David Boehm (Jr., F, Naples, Fla.) was booked for tripping. The penalty put the Bulldogs on the power-play for the fifth time and it would take them just 51 seconds for them to find the back of the net.
For the second consecutive night, UMD finished 1-of-5 on the power-play, while BSU had nothing to show for its two man advantage opportunities.
After allowing the Beavers to score on their first two shots in the series, the Minnesota Duluth goaltender stopped BSU’s next 40 shots and held the Beavers scoreless for the final 112:54 of the series as he backstopped the Bulldogs to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series sweep. Reiter’s shutout stands as the first rime BSU has been held scoreless since a 2-0 loss at Wisconsin Dec. 11, 2010.
The last time BSU lost a 1-0 game was Dec. 15, 2007 versus Minnesota State.
BSU goaltender Dan Bakala (Sr., Calgary, Alberta) posted 27 saves in his return to the line up. He allowed the game’s only goal and was pegged with the loss. He falls to 1-3-0 on the season.
The victory gives the Bulldogs a 21-10-1 record in the all-time series, while BSU still holds an 8-6-1 advantage in the last 15 meetings
Bemidji State (3-5-0; 2-4-0 WCHA) wraps up its second four-game road trip of the season and a sting of eight of 10 road games to open the 2011-12 campaign next weekend with a two-game nonconference series at Lake Superior State University. The series will get underway with a 6 p.m. opening face off Friday at Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Sainte Marie, Mich. The second half of the double dip is set for a 6 p.m. start.
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