Box Score BEMIDJI, Minn. (Sanford Center) – Owen Sillinger recorded a goal and an assist, Will Zmolek collected the game-winner, and Mattias Sholl posted 24 saves to lead the Bemidji State University men's hockey team to a 4-3 victory over Michigan Tech Saturday to salvage a series split.
An Achilles heel for the Beavers all season, BSU had been outscored 16-7 in the second period of its first 11 games of the season, which included a 9-5 deficit in CCHA play. Saturday, BSU turned the tables. Despite spending the bulk of the first three minutes of the period killing off two different penalties and surrendering a goal, the Beavers bounced back to get three goals during a seven-minute span late to take a 4-2 lead into the final period.
In maybe the most complete game of the season, BSU clicked facets of the game. The Beavers outshot the Huskies 30-27, they were a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, BSU's power-play unit was 1-for-2, and it scored first.
Owen Sillinger got BSU on the board just 4:44 into the game. His younger brother fed him a pass from the left side wall and the elder Sillinger flipped a backhand from the high slot past the MTU goaltender Blake Pietila. It marked the 10th time this season BSU has been the first to light the lamp.
Late in the period, MTU answered with an Arvid Caderoth rebound goal (17:26) to skate into the first intermission with the score tied at 1-1.
BSU opened the second period with Alex Ierullo in the penalty box for 21 seconds. Just moments after he escaped, Brad Johnson was whistled for holding leaving BSU short-handed until the 2:56 mark of the period. While the MTU power-play didn't lead directly to a goal, the Huskies took the lead on a Brett Thorn tally at the 2:59 mark of the period.
The Huskies' second goal woke up the Beavers. At the 6:51 mark, Ethan Somoza netted his fourth goal of the season. The Simi Valley, Calif. Native took a pass from behind the net, off the stick of Owen Sillinger, and snuck a wrister between the near-side post and Pietila. Just over four minutes later (11:13), Donte Lawson threaded a pass through the neutral zone onto the stick of Ross Armour, who finished the 2-on-1 with his second goal of the season. Zmolek finished the scoring spurt with a quick shot from the top of the slot at the 12:32 mark. Elias Rosén was credited with an assist on the play after skating around the back of the net and finding Zmolek crashing toward the net.
The Beavers held a 4-2 lead for the remainder of the second period and the bulk of the third, but at the 13:18 mark, MTU cut the BSU lead in half. Sholl stopped back-to-back shots by the Huskies, but the rebound from the second shot caromed up the slot and onto the stick of Michael Karow, who buried his first goal of 2021-22.
Michigan Tech pulled it goalie for the final 60 seconds, but was unable to generate a game-tying goal and fell to the Beavers, 4-3.
BSU, now 7-5-0 overall and 6-2-0 in league play, will hit the road this week for an unconventional nonconference series. The Beavers are traveling to Tempe, Ariz. to battle Arizona State University. The teams will open the series with an 8 pm. (CT) opening faceoff Wednesday before breaking for the Thanksgiving holiday. The series finale is set for Friday at 8 p.m.
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 Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, respectively, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
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