Box Score BEMIDJI, Minn. – Michigan Technological University opened its Central Collegiate Hockey Association series with the Bemidji State University men's hockey team with a 5-2 victory over the Beavers Friday night in Houghton, Mich. Sophomore Lukas Sillinger scored both goals for the Beavers for his second career multi-goal game but the BSU falls to 13-14-0 (11-8-0 CCHA) on the season.
Michigan Tech got off to a quick start against the Beavers with two goals just 40 seconds apart at 14:01 and 14:41 of the first period. Logan Ganie started the Huskies' scoring at 14:01 and just 40 seconds later, Eric Gotz gave MTU a 2-0 lead. Just as MTU looked like it was going to head into the first intermission with the two-goal lead, Sillinger netted his 10th goal of the season 1.1 seconds left in the period.
Bemidji State spent most of the second period trying to score the game's next goal but 8:25 in the middle frame, Michigan Tech's Brian Halonen scored to put the Huskies up two.
The rest of the second period would be a stalemate between the two teams that are battling for home-ice advantage in the CCHA Playoffs but Bemidji State would break through the Huskies' defense early in the third period when Sillinger netted his second goal of the game just 1:14 into frame to pull the Beavers within one. However, just 4:24 later and with a BSU skater in the penalty box, Michigan Tech's Colin Swoyer scored a power-play goal to retake the crucial two-goal lead. Bemidji State would fight to score the next goal but couldn't best goaltender Blake Pietila. With goaltender Mattias Sholl pulled for the extra attacker and a BSU skater in the penalty box, Halonen scored his second goal of the game by way of an empty net, power-play goal to seal the 5-2 victory.
Bemidji State out-shot the Huskies 34-26 in the game but Pietila turned aside 32-of-34 shots to claim victory and improve to 13-8-1 this season. Sholl finished the game allowing four goals on 25 shots and falls to 8-8-0.
Bemidji State totaled four power-play chances during the game but came up empty on all four chances while its penalty kill was 2-for-4 after allowing the empty-net, power-play goal.
The Beavers will look to break its four-game losing skid and earn the series split with the Huskies tomorrow evening for game two at 5:07 p.m. CST from MacInnes Ice Arena.
Nestled in Northern Minnesota's wooden region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, BSU 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--
