SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (Taffy Abel Arena) -- Owen Sillinger scored twice and assisted on two more goals to lead the Bemidji State University men's hockey team to a 5-4 victory at Lake Superior State University Friday to open a Central Collegiate Hockey Association series.

Sillinger headlined a group of seven BSU players to log at least one point in the game, with Alex Ierullo adding a goal and two helpers, while Lukas Sillinger posted a goal and an assist, and goaltender Gavin Enright stopped 20 of the 24 shots he faced to improve to 2-2-0 on the season.

BSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead netting a pair of goals during the first 1213 minutes of play. Ierullo opened the scoring at the 6:18 mark capitalizing on a nifty pass from Owen Sillinger. Ethan Somoza was also credited with an assist on the play. Sillinger found the back of the net at the 12:04 mark of the frame on the power play--it was just the sixth shot of the game of the Beavers.

As quickly as BSU built its two-goal lead, it was erased by the Lakers in the second period. Benito Possa cut the Beavers' lead in half at the 4:42 mark. The Beavers supplied the Lakers with three power-play opportunities before the 9:37 mark of the period and LSSU would use the opportunities to tie the game. Possa again struck at the 7:54 mark.

Bemidji State answered with two more goals to stretch its lead back to two goals, 4-2, before the end of the second. At the 13:17 mark, Owen Sillinger and Ierullo found the younger Sillinger for his third goal of the season. At the 18:07 mark, BSU's leading goal scorer Tyler Kirkup snapped a two-game stretch without a point to net his sixth goal of 2021-22. Jakub Lewandowski was credited with an assist on the play.

BSU clung to the 4-2 lead through the bulk of the third period. Owen Sillinger scored an insurance goal with 2:09 left in the third period and the Beavers cashed in the policy. Louis Boudon scored LSSU's third goal of the night at the 17:51 mark before Possa completed a hattrick to bring the Lakers to within a goal, 5-4, with 37 seconds left in regulation. Lake Superior State's rally would run out of time and the Beavers hung on for a victory in their ninth one-goal game of the season.

The Beavers improved to-5-4-0 overall to move above .500 for the first time this season and move to 4-0-1 in CCHA play. The same two teams will be back on the ice tomorrow at 5:07 p.m. (CT) as the Beavers attempt to secure their second league series sweep of 2021-22.

--bsu--