BEMIDJI, Minn. (Sanford Center) -- Zach Driscoll stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced and Alex Ierullo scored at the 5:50 mark of the third period to put the Bemidji State University men's hockey team in the lead for good Friday, handing No. 5 Bowling Green State University a 3-1 loss at Sanford Center.

The victory gave the Beavers their first series sweep of the 2020-21 season and extended their winning streak to three games, while the team pushed its record to 5-4-2 on the season.

For the second consecutive game BSU was first to light the scoreboard. Locked in a scoreless tie for the first 19:10 of the first period, Owen Sillinger picked off a BGSU pass on the blue line and skated through the neutral zone and beat the Falcons' goaltender, Eric Dop, one-on-one to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.

Bowling Green used a strong second period of play to steal momentum and even the score. The Falcons outshot the Beavers 18-10 in the frame and at the 6:12 mark of the period Garrett Daly got a shot past Driscoll.

Tied 1-1 at the 4:49 mark of the third period, BGSU's Evan Dougherty was escorted to the penalty box for high sticking. The miscue set the Beavers up on their second power-play opportunity of the game. Just 1:05 into the penalty, Elias Rosén flipped a pass over the neutral zone and onto the stick of Ierullo streaking towards the net.  The junior made good for his second goal of the season.

BSU would get an empty-net goal off the stick of Brendan Harris at the 19:33 mark to make the score 3-1.

The Beavers finished the afternoon 1-for-3 on the man advantage and were a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Bemidji State will look to extend its three-game winning streak next weekend when it hosts Lake Superior State University (6-3-3; 0-2-0 WCHA) for a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series. The weekend of action will get underway at 7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday's series finale is set for a 6:07 p.m. opening faceoff from Sanford Center.

Nestled in Northern Minnesota’s wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

--bsu--